The Iron Man of Oklahoma football has 26 years and counting
By Chip Rouse
Who is the winningest Oklahoma football coach? Spoiler alert: It isn’t Bob Stoops. Not Barry Switzer, either.
If not those two legendary coaches, both of whom have life-size bronze statues in their honor, then who?
Cale Gundy has been directly associated with the Oklahoma football program for 26 seasons, first as a player and the last 22 years as a member of the Sooners’ coaching staff.
As both the OU starting quarterback for four seasons and now the longest serving member of the Sooner coaching staff, Gundy has been part of 266 Oklahoma wins. That’s 29 percent of the Oklahoma football victories all-time, according the OU football historian Mike Brooks.
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And that win total is 50 better than the next closest challenger. Switzer, who was part of the Sooner coaching staff for 23 seasons registered 210 wins over that time. Gary Gibbs, who played linebacker at OU for three seasons (1972-74) and served on the coaching staff for another 21, the last six of which were as head coach (1989-94), compiled 210 wins.
And Stoops, the winningest head coach in the Sooners’ storied history, is credited with 190 Oklahoma wins.
Gundy’s brother Mike, himself a former college quarterback, has been head coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, since 2005. Cale, four year’s Mike’s junior, chose to go to OU and began his time in Norman as Mike was graduating from Oklahoma State.
Some thought Cale might follow his brother to Oklahoma State, but he elected instead to divide the family and stay closer to home. The Gundy brothers grew up in the eastern Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City.
After serving as a graduate assistant in Gibbs final season at OU in 1994, Cale left Oklahoma for the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he gained coaching experience working with quarterbacks and running backs.
When Stoops took over at OU for John Blake, Cale returned to the Sooner coaching staff and has been there ever since.
No one has been associated with Oklahoma football in a direct, hands-on capacity longer than Cale Gundy. Stoops is the winningest head coach, and the legendary Bennie Owen, who coached the OU football program (as well as the basketball and baseball programs) in the early years (1905-26) owns the longest stint as head coach, but Gundy has outdone all comers in total wins at Oklahoma and time served on the sidelines.
As a player at OU, Gundy held virtually every Sooner passing record before Bob Stoops came to town and installed the Air Raid offense that took the Oklahoma passing game to a new level. He led OU to a 31-13-2 record in his four seasons and was a First Team All-Big 12 selection in 1993.
The 49-year-old Gundy is in his seventh season coaching the Oklahoma insider receivers, in addition to serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator.
Gundy told sports columnist Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman recently that he’s never been tempted to go anywhere else since rejoining the OU football program in 1999.
“I’ve got a passion for Oklahoma football,” Gundy said. “Why go somewhere else?
“That’s why I’ve stayed forever. Ninety-nine percent of other places is a step down,” he said. “It’ll be a slap in the face if I leave here. You win. You win national championships. And you’re around great people.”