Mike Gundy's lengthy run as the head football coach at Oklahoma State has come to an end, with the school firing him on Tuesday.
While Gundy leaves as the winningest coach in program history, he will likely best be remembered by his legendary rant back in 2007 when he yelled while defending one of his players in a press conference: "I'm a man! I'm 40!"
What's wild now is that rant happened 18 years ago from Monday, meaning Gundy was canned just one day after the anniversary of that iconic moment.
Here's video of that rant that instantly went viral 18 years ago and continues to be loved by college football fans:
"I'M A MAN, I'M 40!"
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) September 22, 2025
18 years ago today, Mike Gundy delivered one of the most memorable postgame rants of all-time. pic.twitter.com/nlwrkA21yN
Here was the juicy part from that:
"Where are we at in society today? Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40! I'm not, I'm not a kid. Write something about me, or our coaches. Don't write about a kid that does everything right that's heart's broken, and then say that the coaches said he was scared. That ain't true! And then to say that we made that decision because Donovan Woods, because he threatened to transfer. That's not true! So get your facts straight.
"And I hope someday you have a child and somebody be-- downgrades him, and belittles him and you have to look him in the eye and say, "You know what? It's okay. They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not." Who's the kid here? Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me?"
Fans paid tributes to that rant after Gundy's firing:
Gundy’s time at OSU may be over - but don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Greatest rant ever https://t.co/B1WFsTOrF2
— Andrew Saul (@ChipsAndSaulsa7) September 23, 2025
This hits so different now 😔 https://t.co/dYZBm4Dkqd
— Shaheed Shabazz (@HennyHardaway75) September 23, 2025
Then he gets fired today. I swear this stuff is scripted sometimes lol https://t.co/d8f499ZQPf
— Charles (Dynasty Ain’t Over) (@cpenn4thewin) September 23, 2025
Never forget https://t.co/jBKddxeHVe
— texasbug (@texasbug) September 23, 2025
They finally came after him… https://t.co/Zudy2JMR4H
— #12 Raider Ty (@RaiderTy92) September 23, 2025
Gundy was in his 21st year as head coach at Oklahoma State. His teams have struggled lately, losing 12 of 13 games dating back to last year.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s new college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike Gundy’s Firing Has Eerie Connection With His Legendary ‘I'm a Man! I’m 40!’ Rant.