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New Gundy is the old Gundy
Published: 11/30/2010 7:54 PM
Last Modified: 11/30/2010 7:54 PM

I had a chance meeting with the freshly minted Big 12 coach of the year Tuesday because Mike Gundy and I happened to choose the same place in Stillwater to eat lunch.

The Cowboy football coach stopped at my table to chat for a moment and I told him something I thought needed to be said: He had his best year, on and off the field.

Everyone knows Gundy led OSU to its first 10-win regular season in school history. But everyone doesn’t know that, behind the scenes, Gundy was never more pleasant to be around in his six seasons as head coach. That’s not just a media observation. You can find people on campus who will tell you the same thing.

What happened?

--Dana Holgorsen happened. Delegating offensive duties to a subordinate gave Gundy more time to be a human being instead of a swamped clock-watcher who never had enough time in the day. Liberated from finding the right play to run on third-and-short, Gundy had more time to be a program CEO, a public relations spokesman and probably even a husband and father.

--Maturity happened. It’s only logical that someone would grow into their job (and have a better grasp of the big picture) over a period of years. As you get older, you tend to worry less and less about insignificant things that once seemed significant.

--Job security happened. Someone once complained to me that, in Gundy’s early years as head coach, he seemed to be looking for the “trap” in every press conference question. I don’t think that’s true now that he has clinched a fifth consecutive bowl trip and came within one win of a Big 12 championship game appearance. He’s way removed from a hotseat and has zero reason to be concerned about a questioner’s ulterior motive. The level of trust between Gundy and reporters who regularly cover the team seems to be at an all-time high.

From a media relations standpoint, Gundy was always a likeable enough guy as a player and assistant coach. There were occasions after he became head coach that made longtime observers wonder where the old Gundy had vanished.

Welcome back.



Reader Comments 4 Total
G-Block (2 years ago)
I've also noticed that Coach Gundy's relations with the media have seem to be improved this year over previous years. I also attributed this to many of the same factors you mentioned earlier. I'm happy for him that things are going well, and am excited what the future holds for my alma mater!
THANK GOD FOR HOLGORSEN (2 years ago)
"Maturity happened"

???

I'm not entirely sure the dramatic behavior change between the Cotton Bowl postgame press conference and the Holgorsen announcement can be attributed to maturity. Fear and a dose of humility is probably more like it. Remember Pickens' interview this Summer? That was pretty telling.

In any event, he's bulletproof for the time being, that's never a bad spot to be in.
180822 (2 years ago)
Here's your quote from a few days ago:

THANK GOD FOR HOLGORSEN, TULSA (5 days ago)
"The Pokes simply have more talent. I think this thing has been hyped more than it should be.

I'm at gameday, and there's already a lot of nervous looking Sooner fans wandering around."

Your opinion means nothing. Please quit commenting like you know what you're talking about.
THANK GOD FOR HOLGORSEN (2 years ago)
Thanks for adding to the discussion 180822.
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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.

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