On September 22, 2007, Mike Gundy went on a now-iconic rant in which he defended quarterback Bobby Reid, attacked The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson, and staked a claim to fame by stating, “I’m a man, I’m 40!”
In the span of that presser, he established himself as one of the first head coaches to go viral in the still-growing age of social media, and as a players’ coach — someone willing to stick up for his players no matter the blowback faced by fans or by the media.
Over the next three seasons, 10 four-star recruits committed and signed with Oklahoma State as recruiting flourished, culminating in 2011 with a Big 12 championship.