I'm a man, I'm fired: Oklahoma State picked the best day to fire Mike Gundy

Oklahoma State has fired head coach Mike Gundy, per ESPN. Gundy's Cowboys are just 1-2 on the season, and were embarrassed in a blowout loss to Oregon (69-3) and a defeat to Tulsa just last Friday. Gundy's fate was essentially sealed with the loss to the Golden Hurricane, in which the Cowboys managed just 12 points despite registering nearly 400 yards of total offense.

Gundy's been feeling the heat since this offseason, when he took a paycut to stay in Stillwater. Oklahoma State finished last season on a nine-game losing streak, including a 52-0 loss to Colorado to end the season. Despite a loss to Tulsa on Friday, Gundy still felt confident he would keep his job. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"I'm under contract, here, for I think 3.5 years," Gundy said Monday. "When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I've put my heart and soul into this and I will continue to do that until at some point, if I say I don't want to do it or if somebody else says we don't want you to do it."

I'm a man, I'm 40: A Mike Gundy rant becomes a meme

"I'm a man, I'm 40!" Back in 2007, Gundy shocked the college football landscape by chasing after a reporter who criticized then-Oklahoma State backup quarterback Bobby Reid in a postgame press conference. What Gundy perceived as protecting his player, Reid took as unnecessary and the media turned into an iconic quote for years to come. Per Reid's admission, his relationship with Gundy soured after that fateful September day.

"Our relationship after that kind of faded away," Reid says. "When that rant happened, I was like, 'Blugggh, I don't think this is for me anymore.' ''

Ironically enough, just days after Gundy's rant became an adult, Oklahoma State was just fine firing the man who gave it. By firing Gundy with over three years left on his deal, Oklahoma State will owe him a $15 million buyout. In the content business, we call that highway robbery.

Social media runs wild after Oklahoma State fires Mike Gundy

Just as is the case when any prominent head coach in professional sports is fired, the memes were especially pointed after Gundy was canned. His infamous "I'm a man, I'm 40," speech resurfaced, along with the harsh reality of his position. As Brett McMurphy noted, OK State had just four winning seasons prior to his arrival. Gundy spent 35 years with the Cowboys as a player, assistant and eventual head coach. He put together a streak of 18 straight winning seasons, which is the ninth-longest streak in NCAA history.

Some Oklahoma State supporters thought Gundy got a raw deal. If anything, though, this serves as more proof the two sides should've parted ways last offseason.

Multiple users noted that Gundy was fired in the middle of the week, and not on his own terms. Unfortunately, that's the same business he signed up for all those years ago – and long before turning 40.

As for where Oklahoma State goes from here, there is no easy answer. Stillwater isn't the most attractive job in the Power-4, in part because Gundy tore down much of what he built.