"I hear her telling the boys that still": Mike Gundy reveals most inspiring rule of life set by his wife Kristen

Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Mike Gundy has revealed an inspiring watchword his wife, Kristen, has for their children. Gundy was a guest on Friday's episode of the “Andy & Ari On3” podcast hosted by Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman.

The coach shared an impactful parenting hack practiced by his wife.

“Kristen and I have raised three boys, and we’ve been fortunate," Gundy said (Timestamp: 18:05). "They’ve been very athletic, and so on and so forth. And then, of course, with my lifestyle.

"So what she put by the back door, where they all go out to get in their cars to leave, is ‘I need you to humble yourself before you walk out of this door, or when you get out there, life’s going to humble you real quick.’ And I’ve always thought that’s pretty good. And I hear her telling the boys that still to this day. And she’ll tell them, ‘Wall that too.’”

Gundy and his wife, Kristen, have three sons: Gavin, Gunnar and Gage. The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Famer is from a family with a certified athletic pedigree. His father, Ray Gundy, is an alumnus of Oklahoma State University, where he attended on a basketball scholarship.

His brother, Cale Gundy, played football and baseball at Oklahoma University. He was a quarterback for the Sooners from 1990 to 1993. He was later assistant head coach for the Sooners, working as the program’s director of recruiting and inside receivers coach.

Mike Gundy’s search for clarity following a disastrous campaign

Mike Gundy has been the coach of Oklahoma State since 2005. In 20 years as the Cowboys’ coach, he has won a Big 12 title. However, he recorded his worst season in charge of the team last season as the Cowboys finished with a 3-9 overall record. The team went without a single win in the Big 12.

With his mind on turning the fortune of the team around this season, he hopes to have enough clarity about the team by mid-August.

“I’m hoping by the middle of August, our coaches will say, ‘Okay, this is who we are. This is our identity on offense. This is who we are on defense. Now let’s find a way to get ready to play in the first game,'" he said on Wednesday at the Big 12 media days.

The Cowboys will kick off their season on Aug. 28 against UT Martin. The team faces a tough challenge next with a matchup at Oregon on Sept. 6.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Ribin Peter