
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program is a college football team that represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater as part of the Big 12 Conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team has had 22 head coaches since organized football began in 1901[1] with the nickname Aggies. The team played without a head coach until 1906. The university, then known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, was renamed Oklahoma State University in 1957 and its nickname was changed to Cowboys.[2][3] Oklahoma State was an original member of the Southwest Conference, joining in 1915. They later joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1925 and the Big Eight Conference in 1960. The Cowboys became a charter member of the Big 12 in 1996.[4] The Cowboys have played in more than 1,000 games during their 108 seasons. In those seasons, eight coaches have led the Cowboys to postseason bowl games: Jim Lookabaugh, Cliff Speegle, Jim Stanley, Jimmy Johnson, Pat Jones, Bob Simmons, Les Miles and Mike Gundy. Six coaches have won conference championships with the Cowboys: John Maulbetsch, Lynn Waldorf, Lookabaugh, Jennings B. Whitworth, Stanley, and Gundy.
Gundy is the all-time leader in games coached (138), wins (94) and years coached (14), while Waldorf is the all-time leader in winning percentage (.735). Theodore Cox finished his career with a .250 winning percentage, the worst in team history. Of the 22 Cowboy coaches, Waldorf and Johnson have been inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame. Three coaches are also graduates of the university: Lookabaugh, Floyd Gass, and Gundy.[5] The first coach was F. A. McCoy, who serviced only one season, in 1905. The current coach, Mike Gundy, was hired in January 2005.[6]

Coaches
- Updated through 2022 season
# | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CCs | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | F. A. McCoy | 1905 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | .286 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2 | Boyd Hill | 1906–1907 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 4 | .267 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
3 | Ed Parry | 1908 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
4 | Paul J. Davis | 1909–1914 | 45 | 28 | 16 | 1 | .633 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
5 | John G. Griffith | 1915–1916 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | .472 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | Earl A. Pritchard | 1917–1918 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.200 | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | Jim Pixlee | 1919–1920 | 16 | 3 | 10 | 3 | .281 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | John Maulbetsch | 1921–1928 | 70 | 27 | 37 | 6 | .429 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0.442 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
9 | Pappy Waldorf† | 1929–1933 | 51 | 34 | 10 | 7 | .735 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0.900 | — | — | — | 3 | — |
10 | Albert Exendine | 1934–1935 | 20 | 7 | 12 | 1 | .375 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.200 | — | — | — | — | — |
11 | Ted Cox | 1936–1938 | 30 | 7 | 23 | 0 | .233 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0.273 | — | — | — | — | — |
12 | Jim Lookabaugh | 1939–1949 | 105 | 58 | 41 | 6 | .581 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 0.650 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | — |
13 | Jennings B. Whitworth | 1950–1954 | 51 | 22 | 27 | 2 | .451 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0.548 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
14 | Cliff Speegle | 1955–1962 | 81 | 36 | 42 | 3 | .463 | 9 | 19 | 1 | 0.328 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
15 | Phil Cutchin | 1963–1968 | 59 | 19 | 38 | 2 | .339 | 14 | 26 | 1 | 0.354 | — | — | — | — | — |
16 | Floyd Gass | 1969–1971 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 1 | .422 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | 1969 Big 8 Coach of the Year |
17 | Dave Smith | 1972 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.571 | — | — | — | — | — |
18 | Jim Stanley | 1973–1978 | 68 | 35 | 31 | 2 | .529 | 19 | 21 | 2 | 0.476 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
19 | Jimmy Johnson† | 1979–1983 | 57 | 29 | 25 | 3 | .535 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 0.543 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — |
20 | Pat Jones | 1984–1994 | 125 | 62 | 60 | 3 | .508 | 30 | 44 | 3 | 0.409 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — |
21 | Bob Simmons | 1995–2000 | 68 | 30 | 38 | 0 | .441 | 16 | 31 | 0 | 0.340 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | Big 12 Coach of the Year (1997)[7] |
22 | Les Miles | 2001–2004 | 49 | 28 | 21 | — | .571 | 16 | 16 | — | 0.500 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
23 | Mike Gundy | 2005–present | 231 | 156 | 75 | — | .675 | 95 | 61 | — | 0.609 | 11 | 6 | — | 1 | 2010 Big 12 Coach of the Year 2011 Paul (Bear) Bryant Award 2011 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year |
Key
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Notes
- ↑ A running total of the number of coaches of the Cowboys
- ↑ Oklahoma State did not join a conference until 1915.[8]
- ↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[9]
- ↑ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[10]
References
- General
- "2021 Oklahoma State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2021. p. 206. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- "Oklahoma State Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
- Specific
- ↑ Rhoden, William (August 6, 1989). "Fatal attraction: Oklahoma and football". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ↑ "OSU History". Oklahoma State University–Stillwater. June 14, 2006. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Battle of backcourts in East Rutherford". NBC Sports. The Associated Press. March 27, 2004. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Oklahoma State Cowboys". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
- ↑ "Mike Gundy – Profile". OKState.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
Gundy is just the third Oklahoma State graduate to assume the head coaching duties in Stillwater. Jim Lookabaugh (1939–49) and Floyd Gass (1969–71) were the others.
- ↑ "Gundy to fill Miles' shoes at Oklahoma State". USA Today. The Associated Press. January 3, 2005. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
Oklahoma State promoted offensive coordinator Mike Gundy to head coach Monday...
- ↑ "Willingham shakes up staff at Washington". USA Today. The Associated Press. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ↑ "Southwest Athletic Conference: An Inventory of Its Records, 1914–1996 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library". Texas Archival Resources Online. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
- ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.