The Oklahoma State Cowboys fired long-serving coach Mike Gundy on Tuesday after a 21-year tenure. Gundy had been sitting on the hot seat of college football after losing 11 of his last 12 games stretching back to last season.One of Gundy's best-ever players during his Oklahoma State career was talented wide receiver Dez Bryant, who went on to become an NFL great. On Wednesday, Bryant tweeted his appreciation to the former OSU coach for recruiting him and for fulfilling a promise made to him in 2006. "I remember Coach Gundy coming to my high school and telling me that if I came in and did everything I was supposed to do..I'd be in the pros in 3 years…He said he thought I had that type of talent…I trusted him..and it happened…Thank you Coach for giving me an opportunity to live out my dream!" Bryant tweeted.When Mike Gundy recruited him, Dez Bryant was the No. 9-ranked wide receiver prospect in the country according to Rivals. com and he snubbed offers from the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas A&M Aggies to join the Cowboys in the class of 2007. When Mike Gundy backed Dez Bryant's HOF inductionUnder Mike Gundy, Dez Bryant was one of the most explosive wide receivers in the country. In 2008, he tallied 1,480 receiving yards (No. 2 nationally), 19 touchdowns (No. 2), 128 points scored (No. 2), 17.9 yards per punt return (No. 3) and two punt return touchdowns (No. 3). Bryant led the Cowboys to a 9-4 season and their first top-25 finish in the Gundy era. In June, the fiery Gundy bemoaned the fact that Bryant hadn't already been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. "Dez would be in the exact same category, except he got cheated," Gundy said. "What an awful situation for him right? He said one little thing, he got scared and they banned him. Just awful. Otherwise, he would be in the same conversation right there with Justin and Hart Lee (Dykes). Athletically, he was freakish. He went on and did great things in the NFL. "We can't punish him for the ignorance that somebody did to him in my opinion. It's not his fault. The other people that make decisions for the hall of fames, I don't know what their criteria is. Maybe X number of games or years or something, but if you take what he did in one year, he'd be up there for most of these."Dez Bryant was suspended by the NCAA for his final season in college football because he failed to fully disclose an interaction with former Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders. He finished his OSU career with 29 touchdown receptions (No. 5 all-time in OSU history) and 2,425 receiving yards (No. 9) and was one of the best players ever coached by Mike Gundy.