For 26 years, Oklahoma and Cale Gundy have been a marriage that has remained constant. He’s had options to leave, but he’s doing just fine.
ATLANTA — Cale Gundy sat down at the table as Oklahoma’s representative as an offensive coordinator during Tuesday’s Peach Bowl media sessions.
The Sooners’ co-offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and inside wide receivers coach donned a sports coat and dress pants. He answered every question intricately and confidently, just like he’s done before.
Gundy has been a fixture at Oklahoma since his playing days from 1990-93, where he set virtually every quarterback record prior to head coach Bob Stoops’ arriving in 1999. He returned as a full-time staff member when Stoops arrived in ’99 and has been in Norman, Oklahoma, coaching since.
And after 26 years at Oklahoma, Gundy’s doing just fine in a place he calls home.
“Well, first, I’ve been there 26, so I don’t want to go down to 30—I’m not there yet, but I’ve been very fortunate and blessed,” Gundy said. “I’ve had the opportunity to be around a lot of great players, a lot of all-Americans, national award winners, conference winners. A lot of great assistant coaches, coordinators, coordinators who have gone on to be head coaches.
“This is one of the special college football programs in America. There’s no doubt about it. And being now in year 21 as an assistant, I go back to the word consistency. This is something this program has been about. I think that what this — what the University of Oklahoma’s continued to do year in and year out, chasing for titles, producing a lot of great players on the football field, it’s been really great to be a part of.”
He’ll admit that some have come calling.
Why wouldn’t they?
Gundy recruited and developed Quentin Griffen, Adrian Peterson, Demarco Murray and brought in Oklahoma’s all-time leading rusher, Samaje Perine, and rising NFL star Joe Mixon before moving over to coach inside receivers.
From there, he helped coach Sterling Shepard, Dede Westbrook, Marquise Brown and has Charleston Rambo, star freshman Trejan Bridges and is bringing in a receiver who has had the best statistical year of any receiver in high school football history in Marvin Mims.
Gundy has seen Oklahoma’s prolific offenses in 2008, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
But as long as someone is happy, Gundy is happy.
“If it’s right,” he said about ever leaving for a bigger job. “Again, I’m at a great place. I got in this deal a long time ago. I told my wife as long as my wife and my kids are happy, I’m happy. I’m at a great place. I’ve had the opportunity to raise my kids there. I’ve been there 21 years now. That just doesn’t happen in our profession. It’s great to have my kids around grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. In our family, growing up, family is very, very important.
“You never know what’s going to happen. There have been opportunities before. I just always felt like there’s not a better one than what I’m doing right now.”
Since Lincoln Riley got Oklahoma in 2015, the Sooners’ offensive staff has stayed intact while adding Shane Beamer as the 10th assistant to coach tight ends and H-backs.
Gundy, though, has been the constant force between generations of players, more than a dozen coaches coming and going and a football facility turning from a house to a palace.
He knows what he has and knows what is out there, and he’s doing just fine at Oklahoma.
“It goes back to being careful what you ask for,” Gundy said. “It’s not always greener on the other side, but you have to make those individual opportunities. Sometimes those opportunities lead to better things. Sometimes they don’t. Norman is a great place, a great city. It’s a great place to raise a family.”
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