Doug Gottlieb Responds to Brad Underwood Getting the OSU Job

I was surprised by how quickly everything progressed. It felt like Travis Ford’s firing took forever. It felt like Brad Underwood’s hiring happened in five minutes. Obviously I’ve been driving the Gottlieb train for a few weeks now. My reasons are not nefarious. I think he would have been just absolutely lights out as the coach at OSU. I think he would have recruited with the best coaches in the Big 12. Many of you disagree and that’s OK.

Gottlieb talked to the O’Colly on Monday night.

“Well, obviously, I’m disappointed,” Gottlieb told the O’Colly. “I think I’d be lying if I used any other word. Not just because of the vision I had, but because it was one that was shared by so many who played there and coached there and cheered there.”

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m bummed. Totally bummed because we would’ve done something really, really special, and hopefully, Brad does, as well. We would’ve done something special. We would’ve done something cool. It would’ve been fun. It would’ve been something that people wanted to be a part of.”

I certainly agree with that last part. Gottlieb was also a realist throughout.

“One of the things I was very cautious of as some of these talks started to ramp up and I discussed things with people in and around the program for the last month or so was I tried to be very cautious with my wife,” Gottlieb said. “’Let’s not think of this as a likelihood. Think of it maybe as a possibility.’

“I tried to have an emotional disconnect from something that I really wanted to happen, selfishly because I thought I’d be very good at it, but also because I thought it was important for the program and important for the school.”

He also wrote more on Facebook about his own feelings. You can read all of it here but I’ll post some of the best parts.

Over the last couple days, I have let it be known my desire to be the head coach at Oklahoma State. Last Saturday I was at a fork in the road … Travis had been let go, and while people have said incredible things about me, I couldn’t decide if I should stay on the fringes and let friends, fans and writers make my case or use my gift of gab to make it for myself. I have a plan, it is thorough and specific to OSU and I believe it will work. So, I chose to go all in. Cause that is me. Of the lessons I have learned in life, one of the biggest is that failing to try, is trying to fail.

I recorded a 70 minute podcast with the Pistols Firing Blog, and I answered every question Jim Traber had for me on WWLS this afternoon. By putting myself out there, I felt energized and free, yet vulnerable as well.

So when the news came down that Mike Holder had chosen Brad, I was a bit crestfallen. I have a great job, and amazing little family and so life will unspectacularly go on. If you know me, you know I truly love what I do. But, when your vision of a utopian future is dashed, it stings a bit.

Then I processed it all.

Over the last month friend after friend, booster upon booster and even several faculty members have contacted the powers that be at OSU and openly campaigned for me to be the head coach without my urging. My former teammates and other members of the basketball family have offered support and my coach Eddie Sutton gave me his backing as well. Fans have come out of hiding and some students started a #BringDougHome campaign with videos that bring goosebumps to my skin.

Turns out I have friends, in low places…. If you sent one of the 1000s of emails to Coach Holder, if you tweeted, IG’d or called into a radio show to show support, thank you. I’m very happy that I made my feelings known and blown away by the people who believed and still believe in my leadership of Oklahoma State basketball. That is our school, mine and yours, and it is OK to tell her you love her, to shout it from the roof tops or talk about her sweetly into a podcast.

In your next moment of truth, be giving, have faith and dare to try something great. The rest of the world might not be ready for you, but you don’t know if you don’t try.

Born in Milwaukee, WI. Raised in Orange, CA. I grew up in Stillwater, America.

Pretty cool stuff.

Maybe next time.