Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy says he is not surprised at how fast his new Coach Gundy mobile app has taken off.
Gundy said on his weekly radio coach’s show Tuesday that the idea for the app was hatched in April, with the goal to launch it in June. Some “red tape” pushed the app’s release until last week, but now that it’s out, Gundy expects the app to grow.
“It will continue to grow because you can get instant information,” Gundy said. “That's what millennials and these kids now want. They want to be able to punch a button and get information. They don’t want to wait.”
Launched my new app today at our media luncheon. Check it out and stay connected with @CowboyFB! #GoPokes #okstate pic.twitter.com/PJ6QPeT26C
— Mike Gundy (@CoachGundy) August 25, 2016
This is the first head coaching app in professional or collegiate sports, SportTechie.com reported. The app had 5,000 downloads on Apple and Android devices in its first 24 hours, Chris Deal, Oklahoma State’s director of football creative services, told the website.
“It’s a great way for recruits and fans to connect with Coach but also the Cowboy football program,” Deal told SportTechie.com. “We felt like it was a win-win to promote the program.”
Although the app is named for Gundy, it’s more of a mobile Oklahoma State football media guide. In fact, the 228-page media guide is just one feature on the app, along with 36 pages of notes on the Cowboys’ upcoming game against Southeastern Louisiana and the latest news on the team. Fans now have just as much information at their fingertips as media covering the team.
“We have a photo place on there where people can send photos in to us during their game day experience, tailgating and such, and we can put it on there,” Gundy said. “It should be very fan friendly and easy to get to us, so we can share it with everybody else who loves Oklahoma State football."
Fans also can click on the “Ask Gundy” feature to send a question to the head coach. But if they want to know how old Gundy is, he’s 49, not 40 anymore.
