For Gundy, these are the best of times
Published: 9/30/2008 10:20 PM
Last Modified: 9/30/2008 10:20 PM
STILLWATER – Without question, Monday's Mike Gundy press conference was the best of all Mike Gundy press conferences.
Only 53 weeks removed from his infamous press-conference rant, he has never seemed more relaxed with the media. He was funny, accommodating and mostly forthright. (Being mostly forthright is pretty good for a college football coach.)
Gundy made fun of a reporter's old-school tape recorder, calling it "a 1938 8-track." Gundy said the battered recorder reminded him of listening to Oak Ridge Boys 8-tracks with his mother.
A reporter presented this question: If the 2008 Cowboys were to face the 1988 Cowboys, who would win?
"The '88 team would blow them away," Gundy responded with a smile. "The quarterback was a hell of a lot better."
Gundy himself quarterbacked the 1988 Cowboys.
This is the zenith of Gundy's coaching career. The Cowboys are 4-0. They are ranked 21st nationally. They lead the nation in rushing. They average more than 50 points and 560 yards per game. They are favored by 24 points over Texas A&M this week.
Last week's Troy game – a 55-24 Cowboy payback rout – attracted a school-record crowd to Boone Pickens Stadium.
And that explains why Gundy was so accommodating and pleasant during Monday's press conference. OSU is on a roll, and Gundy is calling the plays.
In a coaching life that dates to 1990, this may qualify as his best week.
After A&M, the challenges become significantly greater. OSU faces four of the top seven teams in the AP poll, and three of those games occur away from Stillwater (at Missouri on Oct. 11, at Texas on Oct. 25, at Texas Tech on Nov. 8).
The soaring Cowboys are about to encounter some turbulence, but today, right now, it's good to be Mike Gundy.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
