READ TODAY'S STORIES AND E-EDITION SUBSCRIBE |  CONTACT US |  SIGN IN
Sports Extra!



SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

FOR THE RECORD
LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA


Print story only Print story with comments Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest
Bob Stoops. Mike Gundy. Can't we all just get along?
Published: 11/23/2012 11:33 AM
Last Modified: 11/23/2012 11:33 AM

Can you “play nice” and still have a heated rivalry?

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will square off Saturday in Norman. A few days before Bedlam 2012, OSU coach Mike Gundy fielded questions about he he gets along with his counterpart, Bob Stoops.

“Bob and I have always had a good relationship,” Gundy said. “He has been very cordial. Places where we are in the same area, he will come find me and say hello. I will do the same.”

Gundy said he and Stoops come from the same stock, adding that their competitive natures will surface on Saturday. But the OSU coach suggested he and the OU coach don’t have the same kind of rivalry (read: personal?) that perhaps some SEC coaches have with each other.

“I have a lot of respect for what they have done and what he has done and he has been good to Cale (Gundy) and really gave him a start,” Mike Gundy said. “Cale (OU’s running backs coach) has obviously been good for Bob or he wouldn’t have kept him this many years.”

Continued the OSU coach, “For four hours on Saturday, we will compete. But outside of that, I have just never been much for wanting to continue to hold a grudge or be competitive outside the game.

“Even in recruiting. Recruiting is recruiting. He’s going to say whatever it is that he needs to say. And I’m going to say whatever I need to say. But he has never said anything that has gotten back to me that has been derogatory towards me or Oklahoma State and I have never said anything about him or OU and I think that has helped for the most part. That has helped the two schools. Because when it comes down to it, whether you like it or not, if Oklahoma is having a good year and Oklahoma State is having a good year and we play each other, it’s better for the state.

“And if Tulsa is having a good year, it’s better for the state. So if Oklahoma is 4-6 and Oklahoma State is 4-6 (at this point Gundy made a raspberry noise), it’s not that big a deal. So I think it’s productive when both teams are thriving. They are competitive. TV wants the game. People are looking forward to it. I think it’s good for the state of Oklahoma.”

With all that said, Gundy was asked if it is difficult to get along with his rival.

“It’s not hard for me,” he said. “Again, I don’t want to mislead you to think there is not a competitive fire there. But I just don’t have a reason to go further than that. I have a good relationship with Mack Brown. I had a good relationship with Mike Leach. (Tommy) Tuberville. (Gary) Pinkel. Art (Briles). I just have never been a guy that is want to have anything other than a competitive spirit of the game.”


Reader Comments


To post comments on tulsaworld.com, you must be an active Tulsa World print or digital subscriber and signed into your account.


Games People Play

Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

Follow Jimmie Tramel on Twitter

Subscribe to this blog


Archive

 
Jimmie Tramel's Blog Archive:

2/2013  1/2013  12/2012  11/2012  10/2012  9/2012  
8/2012  7/2012  6/2012  5/2012  4/2012  3/2012  
2/2012  1/2012  12/2011  11/2011  10/2011  9/2011  
8/2011  7/2011  6/2011  5/2011  4/2011  3/2011  
2/2011  1/2011  12/2010  11/2010  10/2010  9/2010  
8/2010  7/2010  6/2010  5/2010  4/2010  3/2010  
2/2010  1/2010  12/2009  11/2009  10/2009  9/2009  
8/2009  7/2009  6/2009  5/2009  4/2009  3/2009  
2/2009  1/2009  12/2008  11/2008  10/2008  9/2008  
8/2008  7/2008  6/2008  5/2008  4/2008  3/2008  
2/2008  1/2008  12/2007  11/2007  10/2007  9/2007  
8/2007  7/2007  6/2007  5/2007  4/2007  3/2007  
2/2007  1/2007  12/2006  11/2006  10/2006  9/2006  
8/2006  





Home | Contact Us | Search | Subscribe | Customer Service | About | Advertise
Copyright © 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.