What Is Mike Gundy's Net Worth and Salary?
Mike Gundy is an American college football coach and former player who has a net worth of $14 million. Mike Gundy played college football for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys as the team's quarterback. His college coaching career began at his alma mater as a wide receivers coach in 1990. In 1991, Gundy was promoted to quarterbacks coach, and, in 1994, he was promoted a second time to offensive coordinator. Five years later, Mike left to coach quarterbacks at Baylor and later wide receivers at Maryland. In 2001, Oklahoma State brought Gundy back to the team as an offensive coordinator. Three years later, he was promoted to head coach, the first head coaching role of his career. Mike has been with the team ever since, and as of this writing, he has a career record of 166–79. He is 12–6 all-time in bowl games. Gundy has won one Big 12 championship (2011) and earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors in 2010. In 2011, He was named the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and earned the Paul Bear Bryant Award. Mike was named in a 2013 "Sports Illustrated" series detailing allegations of misconduct at Oklahoma State over the decade between 2001 and 2011. Gundy denied the publication's accusations. Mike's annual salary is reportedly $7.5 million.
Early Life
Mike Gundy was born Michael Ray Gundy on August 12, 1967, in Midwest City, Oklahoma. He has a brother named Cale, who served as the University of Oklahoma's starting quarterback in the '90s and later became the school's Assistant Head Coach, Inside Receivers Coach, and Director of Recruiting. Mike attended Midwest City High School, where he was a member of the football team and was voted Oklahoma Player of the Year as a senior. The Oklahoma Sooners tried to recruit Gundy to play for them, but he chose to join the Oklahoma State University Cowboys instead. Halfway through his freshman year, Mike was named starting quarterback. He became the all-time leading passer in the history of OSU as well as in the Big Eight Conference. During his time at OSU, Gundy threw nearly 50 touchdowns and 8,000 yards, and the team won the 1987 Sun Bowl and the 1988 Holiday Bowl. Mike earned a secondary education degree with a focus in social studies in 1990.
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Career
After graduation, Gundy became assistant coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. In 1990, he served as a wide receiver coach, then he was named quarterback coach in 1991 and offensive coordinator in 1994. During the 1996 season, Mike was Baylor University's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, then he moved to the University of Maryland, College Park, where he worked as the wide receiver coach as well as passing game coordinator for the Maryland Terrapins from 1997 to 2000. Gundy returned to OSU in 2001 as an offensive coordinator, and three years later, he was hired as the team's head coach. During his first season as head coach, 11 players were expelled from the team, and the Cowboys ended the season with a 4–7 record and won one Big 12 conference game. Mike's second season was more successful, with the team finishing the season with a record of 7–6 and defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Independence Bowl. In 2007, the Cowboys had a 6–6 record and defeated the Indiana Hoosiers in the Insight Bowl. Gundy's contract was subsequently extended through the end of the 2013 season. Between 2008 and 2017, the Cowboys won 96 games, and many consider this to be OSU football's most successful period.
In 2008, the Cowboys had their best season in two decades, and the team spent most of the season ranked in the top 15. They played in the Holiday Bowl but lost to Oregon. Mike then signed a seven-year, $15.7 million contract. The team won the 2011 Big 12 championship and the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, and on September 24, 2011, Gundy had his 63rd win as the Cowboys' head coach, making him the coach with the most wins in OSU history. The team won 10 games per season in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and they made it to the 2016 Sugar Bowl. In 2020, Mike signed a rolling, or "perpetual," five-year contract.
Personal Life
Mike married Kristen Lyn Strickland on June 14, 1991, and they have welcomed sons Gunnar, Gavin, and Gage together. Gundy has gained attention for his hairstyle, which has been referred to a his "million-dollar mullet."
Controversies
In 2013, "Sports Illustrated" published allegations that Gundy had been involved in corruption since he had become head coach at Oklahoma State, including a bonus system for OSU football players, direct payments to players, academic misconduct, tolerating recreational drug use, and members of OSU's hostess program engaging in sex with recruits. Mike responded to the allegations, stating, "I'm very proud of what we've accomplished here, both on and off the field. Our goal has always been to take young people from where their parents have gotten them and to make them better over a four- or five-year period. We're very proud of that in many ways. So, until further time—and obviously the university will make that decision—there's not any comment that we would have on the 'Sports Illustrated' article." OSU's subsequent investigation found no evidence of misconduct, and numerous players, both former and current, refuted the allegations.
In 2020, running back Chuba Hubbard threatened to boycott OSU after he saw a photo of Gundy wearing a t-shirt advertising the alt-right network One America News, tweeting, "I will not stand for this.. This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it's unacceptable. I will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE." Mike later apologized, stating, "I had a great meeting with our team today. Our players expressed their feelings as individuals and as team members. They helped me see through their eyes how the T-shirt affected their hearts. Once I learned how that network felt about Black Lives Matter, I was disgusted, and knew it was completely unacceptable to me. I want to apologize to all members of our team, former players, and their families for the pain and discomfort that has been caused over the last two days. Black lives matter to me. Our players matter to me."
Awards and Honors
Gundy was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010, 2021, and 2023. In 2011, he won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. Mike was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Stillwater Ranch
In April 2024, Mike listed his 80-acre ranch in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for $8 million. In addition to 13,000 square feet of living space, the property has a large home theater, workout room pool with waterfall and several stocked ponds.
