Monday, December 3, 2012

Mike Gundy

It appears Mike Gundy has interviewed with Tennessee. I admit I'm not as familiar with him as I should be. He is the current coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys and has a 66-35 overall record. He isn't very media friendly, most notably his "I'm a man, come at me, I'm 40". This doesn't bother me at all, most the inside reporters here in Knoxville deserve it. He done very well in 2011 finishing 12-1, this year he is currently 7-5 and has an upcoming Heart of Dallas bowl game against Purdue.

This is Wikipedia's 2011 season entry:

2011 season

The Cowboys entered 2011 with their highest expectations since the 1980s. They opened the season ninth in both major polls. Gundy's Cowboys didn't disappoint, starting the season 10–0, the best start in school history. Gundy has had a hand in four of Oklahoma State's five 10-win seasons (two as quarterback, two as head coach). With a 52–45 win over Kansas State, the Cowboys rose to second in the AP Poll and Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings, the highest national rankings in school history. On November 18th, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State in double overtime 37–31, all but dashing their national title hopes, but remained in the BCS hunt with a series of upsets in the following weeks, along with a convincing 44–10 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on December 3, snapping an eight-game losing streak in the Bedlam rivalry. It was also Gundy's first win over Oklahoma as a player or a coach at Oklahoma State; he'd gone 0–4 while the Cowboys' quarterback.
On December 4, it was announced that Oklahoma State had earned a spot in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, being barely eclipsed out of the BCS National Championship game by second-place Alabama by the smallest margin between #2 and #3 in BCS history. Many AP voters hinted that if the Cowboys were to beat Stanford as they did the Sooners, and Alabama upset SEC West rival LSU in the BCS Championship Game, the Cowboys could earn a split title with an AP Poll #1 ranking (this is opposed to the USA Today & Harris Coaches polls which are contractually bound to vote the winner of the BCS title game #1).
The #3 Cowboys beat the #4 Stanford Cardinal 41–38 in the Fiesta Bowl, marking Oklahoma State's first BCS bowl win, and first outright Big 12 Conference title in the same season, though it was not enough to convince voters to give OSU a split title.

I could get behind him I suppose, but I don't think he will actually come. I would dare to say he is just lobbying for a raise, and that's OK, I don't blame him. He's not known for having a good defense, which is what we need the most. Apparently, he has had some issues with the AD, which could sway his interest. I have respect for him, I think he's a great coach, I'm just not so sure he's the right fit at UT.

My Favorite NFL Moment of 2012
Tennessee Volunteer Basketball Preview 
Tennessee Coaching Search: 3 Realistic Choices to Replace Derek Dooley 
Biggest Sports Headlines of 2012 
Sports New Year's Resolutions for 2013

No comments: