Mike Gundy Deflects Praise Onto Fans and Players After 100th Win

One of Mike Gundy’s more underrated qualities is his ability handle big moments well. Good, bad and ugly, he’s become quite adept at saying the right things and rallying the troops.

Saturday was no different as he celebrated with the student section and specifically the paddle people after win No. 100 in his career then talked about his players after a day that should have been all about him.

“I wanted to pay tribute and show respect to the students,” Gundy told the O’Colly about why he went over and put on a fireman hat and took photos with the paddle people. “College football’s all about the team spirit and wanting to be at the game, and I wanted to make sure they knew we appreciated them and I appreciated them.

“I didn’t want it to be about me. I wanted it to be about them, but I also wanted them to know how much I appreciated them, and I thought this was the time to do it.”

@pistolsguy GO POKES! pic.twitter.com/OZ3VeT9bOS

— Brett Seggerman (@b_seggerman13) October 29, 2016

Pretty cool stuff. One of his linemen Zach Crabtree agreed about how good the fans were on Saturday.

“This crowd is huge,” said Crabtree. “When that stadium is full and rocking like it was today, it has a huge impact. We feed off of the energy. It makes this place a hard place to play. When it’s loud, it’s not the place an opponent wants to play. They don’t want to be in that situation. It’s a tough, adverse environment. It was a big win, and we couldn’t have done it without the fans today.”

“It’s special for all of us,” said Gundy. “For me to say that 100 wins isn’t special for me would not be fair because it means that we’re doing well here and having success.

“The players know that at the end of the day, we’re responsible for putting out a product that fans and people around the country want to see. They’re exciting, they play the game the right way, they graduate in four years, then they go out in society with character and substance to them and be productive. That’s really what our goal is. They know that. That far outweighs an individual 100-win accomplishment.”

“It was fun,” added Jordan Sterns. “It was definitely a historic moment for coach and the university. It was important for him. We came out and played one of our better games, in all aspects. It all came together. It feels good to get that win for him and to beat an undefeated team on homecoming. It means a lot.”

I continue to be all in. Here’s to 100 more.

Mike Gundy put on a fire hat to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/rWpbMQQ6nG

— Kendrick Marshall (@KD_Marshall) October 29, 2016

Mike Gundy celebrating his 100th career win with the #okstate students is just as great as you thought it would be #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/v4F1puTU0j

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 29, 2016