Mike Gundy wants better facilities, is looking for long-term deal

With the final Fiesta Bowl result less than 24 hours old, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy went to work on the 2012 season … calling on Cowboys administrators to make a commitment to keep the program at an elite level. Oh, and also, there’s that pesky contract negotiation, in which the coach is looking for a 10-year deal. From the Washington Post:

“We’ve been fortunate. We’ve competed at a very high level the last two years but we’ve done it a little bit short-handed. We’re not going to always be able to do it short-handed. We have to have the same opportunities as everybody else.”

Gundy called for the completion of an indoor practice facility and three grass practice fields, which have been started years behind schedule across the street from Boone Pickens Stadium. He also called on fans to buy more season tickets and routinely sell out the stadium. Attendance was up this season, but there still were no sellouts at the 60,000-seat stadium — one of the smaller venues in the conference.

Is it a bit tacky to bring up this stuff mere hours after claiming what many consider a very lucky win in the Fiesta Bowl? Depends on how you look at it. Gundy’s salary negotiation with the university hit the rocks way before Sunday’s game, and the win might just make things trickier. Gundy’s seeking a 10-year deal and the university seems unwilling to give it, despite giving men’s basketball coach Travis Ford a new 10-year deal in 2009, after just one year on the job. Oklahoma State mega-donor T. Boone Pickens said that the contract negotiations had been “put on the shelf” until after the Fiesta Bowl, and that he had “no doubt it will get done.”

From the Enid News & Eagle:

Gundy is making a reported $2.1 million and reportedly is asking for up to $3.5 million. His agent reportedly turned down an offer of $3.1 million, a $1 million raise.

As for the facilities, here’s what Pickens had to say right before Monday’s game:

“I hope we’re there. We’ve got the facilities. We should be competitive. It’s like I told Mike Gundy and his crowd. I said, ‘Listen, fellas. I can’t do anything more for you. You’re as good as the best now. We’ve got the best training table, we’ve got the best weight room, we’ve got everything, so it’s up to you.’ And the guys came through.”