Mike Gundy image

  • KT King used under a Creative Commons license
  • Mike Gundy

Local sports beat reporters eager to get the jump on the STORY OF THE CENTURY, AKA Arkansas’s search for a new football coach, are contorting themselves every which way to avoid saying outright that UA has hired Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.

Advertisement

From Sporting Life Arkansas’s Jim Harris (@jimharris360): “Or is it white smoke that signals a new pope? Seems Mike Gundy may have said yes to Jeff Long and Arkansas. The engagement in ON!”

From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Tom Murphy (@TomMurphyADG): “Our people are saying that unless this falls through, Arkansas has found its man in Mike Gundy”

Advertisement

UPDATE: Ha! Here are the latest two Tweets from Murphy and Harris:

Murphy: “Course correction. Arkansas FB coach negotiations ongoing. … stay tuned”

Advertisement

Harris: If only Capt. Smith on the Titanic had followed same @TomMurphyADG: Course correction. Arkansas FB coach negotiations ongoing … stay tuned

Admittedly, I’m following their lead by repeating their sort-of-reporting. Screw it: Consider this an open line to discuss this possible fate for the Hogs.

Advertisement

Also, this is essential watching for anyone not familiar with Mike Gundy.

Here’s what our Hogs columnist Beau Wilcox, who’ll weigh in more fully when an announcement is officially made, had to say about the prospect of Gundy. Via Facebook:

Advertisement

Ok, here we go…if it’s truly Mike Gundy, I am happy. Not elated, but satisfied. He has won more BCS games than Arkansas has, and he’s built on Miles’ success by making OSU a viable program in a state where it had long been the redhaired stepchild. Also, when you consider Arkansas’s history of coaching hires, it would represent a substantially better poaching than previous efforts, whereby we obtained (a) NFL coach who engaged in duplicitous departure from his job, (b) a Boise State coach who had just completed four-win season, (c) a retired and essentially disgraced former Clemson coach, (d) a nondescript offensive coordinator under Hatfield, etc. This isn’t what everybody wants, but it’s so much better than an unemployed, over-the-hill hack like Butch Davis.

One more question for discussion: Does Gundy sort of have chameleon skin? By which I mean, does his orange pallor have something to do with the fact that he’s spent the last several years almost exclusively wearing hunter’s orange? Or is he tanning-bed addict?

Help to Keep Great Journalism Alive in Arkansas

Join the fight for truth and become a subscriber of the Arkansas Times. We've been battling powerful forces for 50 years through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, our readers value great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Subscribe now or donate for as little as $1 and be a part of the Arkansas Times community.

Previous article Scholarship program remains troubled Next article New York Times literary critic reflects on Oxford American