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Bob Stoops

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Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops Oklahoma Coach.jpg
Stoops paces the sideline in 2006
Biographical details
Born (1960-09-09) September 9, 1960 (age 61)
Youngstown, Ohio
Playing career
1979–1982Iowa
Position(s)Defensive back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1983–1984Iowa (GA)
1985–1987Iowa (assistant)
1988Kent State (assistant)
1989–1990Kansas State (DB)
1991–1995Kansas State (co-DC)
1996–1998Florida (AHC/DC)
1999–2016Oklahoma
2020Dallas Renegades
2021Oklahoma (interim HC)
Head coaching record
Overall191–48 (college)
2–3 (XFL)
Bowls10–9
Tournaments0–1 (CFP)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 National (2000)
10 Big 12 (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006–2008, 2010, 2012, 2015–2016)
8 Big 12 South Division (2000, 2002-04, 2006–2008, 2010)
Awards
Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2000, 2003)
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2000)
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2000)
AP Coach of the Year (2000)
Big 12 Coach of the Year (2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2015–2016)
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2003)
Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award (2014)[1]
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2021 (profile)

Robert Anthony Stoops (born September 9, 1960) is an American football coach who was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 through the 2016 season, and on an interim basis during the 2021 Alamo Bowl. He led the Oklahoma Sooners to a record of 191–48 over his career. His 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team won the 2001 Orange Bowl, which served as the BCS National Championship Game, and earned a consensus national championship. In 2020, Stoops was head coach and general manager for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL.[2]

Stoops played college football at the University of Iowa as a defensive back from 1979 to 1982. Prior his tenure at Oklahoma, he held various assistant coaching positions at the University of Iowa, Kent State University, Kansas State University, and the University of Florida. Stoops was awarded the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award in 2000 and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award in 2000 and 2003.[3] He has been nicknamed "Big Game Bob" by both supporters and detractors.[4]

Stoops was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2021.

High school and college[]

Stoops is one of six children born to Ron Sr. and Evelyn "Dee Dee" Stoops in Youngstown, Ohio. He is a 1978 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, where his father was the long-time defensive coordinator of the football team. Bob and his three brothers (Ron Jr., Mike, and Mark) were all coached by Ron Sr. at Mooney. During a game in 1988 against the team coached by Ron Jr., Ron Sr. began experiencing chest pains. He was placed in an ambulance following the game and died en route to the hospital.[5][6]

Stoops was a four-year starter, and one-time All-Big Ten selection at defensive back at the University of Iowa. He was named Iowa’s Team MVP in 1982.[7]

Coaching career[]

Assistant coach[]

After graduating with a marketing degree in 1983, Stoops began his coaching career as a volunteer coach and graduate assistant in the Iowa Hawkeyes program under Hayden Fry. He was an assistant at Kent State University under Dick Crum in 1988, and joined the coaching staff at Kansas State University the following year. Stoops was named co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State under Bill Snyder in 1991 and assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator in 1995. During his tenure on the Wildcats staff, Stoops played a key role in their impressive turnaround, helping take what many considered to be the worst program in Division I-A to national contention. During his final four seasons there, Kansas State was 35–12 with three bowl appearances.

Stoops then left for the University of Florida, and landed a three-year stint as Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator. Hired after Florida gave up 62 points to Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl,[8] he was given full powers over the Gators defense and was part of the Gators' national championship win over Florida State in the 1997 Sugar Bowl.[9]

It was with the Gators that the spotlight found Stoops and made him one of the hottest coaching names in the profession. Stoops' success at Kansas State and Florida launched him to the top of the list of assistant coaches primed for head coaching positions in 1999.

Oklahoma[]

The University of Oklahoma named Stoops its head coach in 1999. Stoops won seven games in his first year, taking the Sooners to their first bowl game since the 1994 season.

Stoops in 2009

In his 18 years as head coach of the Sooners, Stoops had a combined record of 190–48 (.798). On November 16, 2013, Stoops notched his 157th win as Oklahoma's head coach with a victory over Iowa State, tying him with Barry Switzer for the most wins in Sooners history.[10] A week later, on November 23, 2013, he surpassed Switzer's record with a 41–31 victory over Kansas State. Stoops accumulated a home winning streak of 39 consecutive games from 2005 to 2011. The streak was ended on October 22, 2011 when Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 41–38. He also had the most wins of the decade of any BCS school with 110 (2000–2009). Along with Switzer, Bud Wilkinson and Bennie Owen, he is one of four coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma; no other college football program has had more than three coaches accomplish such a feat. Overall, Oklahoma was 4–6 in BCS games and 9–9 in bowl games under Stoops.

Stoops led the Sooners to the 2000 BCS National Championship and finished the season undefeated, outscoring 13 opponents by a combined 481–194. His Oklahoma teams again earned the opportunity to play in the BCS National Championship Game in 2004, 2005 and 2009, losing to LSU, 21–14, in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, and to USC, 55–19 in the 2005 Orange Bowl, and Florida, 24–14, in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game. Under Stoops, Oklahoma had four BCS National Championship Game appearances, a record shared with Florida State.

Stoops' teams finished the season ranked in the Top 10 of the polls for 11 of his 18 seasons, seven times finishing in the top five.

Stoops led his team to bowl games in each of his 17 years at Oklahoma, ten of which were Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowls, including the Big 12 Conference's first Rose Bowl victory as the Sooners upended Washington State, 34–14, in the 2003 Rose Bowl. With Oklahoma's victory over Alabama at the 2014 Sugar Bowl, Stoops became the first and only coach to win all four BCS bowl games and a BCS National Championship.

Stoops' penchant for winning big games early in his career earned him the nickname "Big Game Bob", From 1999 to 2003, Oklahoma under Stoops was 18–2 (0.900) vs. ranked opponents and 3–1 (0.750) in bowl games, with one national title and three Big 12 titles.[4]

Late in the 2003 season, however, Bob's brother Mike Stoops left his position of defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Oklahoma to accept the head coaching job at Arizona. The Sooners promptly lost two games in a row against ranked teams after Mike's departure that season (a 35–7 loss against #13 Kansas State in the Big 12 Title Game, and a 21–14 loss to #3 LSU in the BCS National Title Game). Since then (2004–2016), Stoops' teams went 17–13 vs. ranked opponents, and 3–4 in Bowl Games with no National Titles (although they played for 3 more), and five Big 12 Titles. Stoops' teams did finish with two Heisman Trophy winners during this time, however, and two runners-up.

Under Stoops, the Sooners won ten Big 12 Conference championships, the most of any Big 12 team. Oklahoma is also the only team to win back-to-back-to-back Big 12 championships. Stoops had won 98 Big 12 conference games as of the 2012 season's end,[needs update] the most conference wins of any then-current Big 12 coach.

In his 18 seasons as Sooners' head coach, Stoops was 11–7 against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. During a five-game winning streak in that rivalry from 2000 to 2004, his Sooners handed the Longhorns two of their worst defeats in school history, 63–14 in 2000[11] and 65–13 in 2003.[12] Since then, he led the team to additional large-margin wins of 55–17 in 2011[13] and 63–21 in 2012.[14]

On July 11, 2007, Oklahoma was placed on probation for two years by the NCAA for a rules violation involving quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman JD Quinn, whom the university had previously suspended from the team due to the players' efforts to obtain payment for hours not worked.[15] While the students who violated the rules were reinstated by the NCAA and allowed to play for other schools, the university, which had self-reported the violations, was initially directed to vacate all wins during the 2005–06 season, which included a 17–14 win over the University of Oregon in the Holiday Bowl.[16] Oklahoma appealed the NCAA's ruling of a "failure to monitor" the employment of players in the program, as well as a reduction in scholarships and probation lasting until May, 2010.[17] On February 22, 2008, the NCAA reversed part of the decision and reinstated the vacated wins.[18]

Stoops' 2008 team went down in the history books as the highest scoring team in college football history, scoring a total of 716 points, averaging 51 points per game. There was also a stretch of five consecutive games where the Sooners scored 60 points or more, another record (in the game prior to the streak, the Sooners scored 58 points). After a four-week layoff, the offense stagnated against the nation's best defense of the Florida Gators in the National Championship game, scoring only 14 points and suffering two turnovers by the Florida goal line. The Sooners were without one of their star offensive playmakers in DeMarco Murray, who sat out with an injury.[19] However, the Sooners' 2008 defense, which was much maligned during the season for allowing a Stoops'-worst 25 points per game average, held the Florida Gators' high-powered Tim Tebow-led offense to only 24 points, 21 points below their season average.

Stoops' performance at Oklahoma made him the frequent subject of head coach searches by several NFL teams as well as other college programs, which he repeatedly turned away.[20] He was reportedly the top-paid coach in Division I-A football with annual compensation in excess of $3 million until Nick Saban was signed by the University of Alabama for $4 million per year beginning in 2007. However, Stoops did receive a "longevity bonus" of $3 million at the end of the 2008 season (his 10th), making his annual salary in 2008 approximately $6.1 million (equivalent to $7.3 million in 2020) .[21]

In the 2012 season, he led the Sooners back to the top 25 and went to the Cotton Bowl, losing to the Heisman Trophy-winner Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M Aggies, 41–13. In his career at Oklahoma, several of Stoops' assistants became head coaches at other Division I-A programs, including brother Mike Stoops (Arizona), Mark Mangino (Kansas), Mike Leach (Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State), Chuck Long (San Diego State), Bo Pelini (Nebraska and Youngstown State), Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M), Kevin Wilson (Indiana), and his eventual successor, Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma).

Stoops is the only head coach in the BCS era to have won the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Sugar Bowl.[22]

On June 7, 2017, Stoops announced his retirement from college coaching. He was succeeded by Lincoln Riley as Oklahoma's head football coach.[23]

XFL[]

On February 7, 2019, Stoops announced his plans to come out of retirement, as he was named head coach/general manager of the upcoming Dallas Renegades in the XFL.[24] He served in this role until the league ceased operations on April 14, 2020 due to bankruptcy stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak.[25]

Oklahoma (interim)[]

On November 28, 2021, Stoops was named interim head coach for Oklahoma's bowl game after Riley took the USC Trojans head coaching job.[26][27] The head coaching position was filled by former Stoops assistant Brent Venables.[28] Stoops coached the Sooners in the 2021 Alamo Bowl; the Sooners won 47–32.

Personal life[]

Stoops is married to Carol Stoops, a Mary Kay National Sales Director.[29] They have three children: a daughter, Mackenzie, who now attends the University of Oklahoma, and twin sons, Isaac and Drake. Drake Stoops plays wide receiver for the Oklahoma Sooners.[30] Isaac Stoops has coached at the high school level, as a wide receivers coach for Moore High School [31] and took a position as a volunteer analyst with the University of Oklahoma Sooners for the 2021-22 football season.[32]

Stoops's younger brother, Mike, is the former defensive coordinator for the Sooners and was previously head football coach at the University of Arizona. He currently serves as inside linebackers coach for the football program of University of Kentucky. Another brother (the youngest), Mark, became the head coach at the University of Kentucky in November 2012. His older brother, Ron Jr., is an assistant football coach at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.[33]

Stoops remains close with Steve Spurrier, his mentor from the University of Florida.[34]

Coaching tree[]

Head coaches under whom Stoops served:

Assistant coaches under Stoops who became college or professional head coaches:[36]

Head coaching record[]

College[]

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Conference) (1999–2016)
1999 Oklahoma 7–5 5–3 T–2nd (South) L Independence
2000 Oklahoma 13–0 8–0 1st (South) W Orange 1 1
2001 Oklahoma 11–2 6–2 2nd (South) W Cotton 6 6
2002 Oklahoma 12–2 6–2 T–1st (South) W Rose 5 5
2003 Oklahoma 12–2 8–0 1st (South) L Sugar 3 3
2004 Oklahoma 12–1 8–0 1st (South) L Orange 3 3
2005 Oklahoma 8–4 6–2 T–2nd (South) W Holiday 22 22
2006 Oklahoma 11–3 7–1 1st (South) L Fiesta 11 11
2007 Oklahoma 11–3 6–2 1st (South) L Fiesta 8 8
2008 Oklahoma 12–2 7–1 T–1st (South) L BCS NCG 5 5
2009 Oklahoma 8–5 5–3 T–3rd (South) W Sun
2010 Oklahoma 12–2 6–2 T–1st (South) W Fiesta 6 6
2011 Oklahoma 10–3 6–3 T–3rd W Insight 15 16
2012 Oklahoma 10–3 8–1 T–1st L Cotton 15 15
2013 Oklahoma 11–2 7–2 T–2nd W Sugar 6 6
2014 Oklahoma 8–5 5–4 T–4th L Russell Athletic
2015 Oklahoma 11–2 8–1 1st L Orange 5 5
2016 Oklahoma 11–2 9–0 1st W Sugar 3 5
Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Conference) (2021)
2021 Oklahoma 1–0 W Alamo[a] 10 10
Oklahoma: 191–48 121–29
Total: 191–48
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
  • Indicates BCS or CFP / New Years' Six bowl.
  • #Rankings from final Coaches Poll.
  • °Rankings from final AP Poll.
  1. ^ Stoops returned to coach the bowl game after Lincoln Riley departed for USC.

XFL[]

Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
DAL 2020 2 3 0 .400 Season canceled 0 0 .000 -
Total 2 3 0 .400 0 0 .000

References[]

  1. ^ "Oklahoma Sooners' Bob Stoops and Sterling Shepard to Accept 2014 Disney Sports Spirit Award".
  2. ^ "Stoops back in the coaching saddle". SoonerSports.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  3. ^ "Walter Camp's 2006 "Coach of the Year"" (Press release). WalterCamp.org. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Grathoff, Pete (December 31, 2015). "Clemson beats Oklahoma, and the 'Big Game Bob' jokes soon follow". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Thamel, Pete (August 29, 2004). "College Football Preview 2004; A Family of Coaches Has Followed Its Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  6. ^ Branch, John (August 28, 2001). "Legend in the making/ National title vaults Stoops into Sooner elite". The Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  7. ^ "2007 Big Ten Media Guide" (PDF). pp. 93, 100.
  8. ^ "Gatorzone.com – Florida Gators Bowl Record". Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  9. ^ "Gatorzone.com – Florida Gators 1996 Season". Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  10. ^ Athletics Communications, University of Oklahoma (November 16, 2013). "Sooners Run Through Cyclones".
  11. ^ "Oklahoma vs. Texas". USA Today. October 7, 2000.
  12. ^ "Oklahoma vs. Texas - Box Score - October 11, 2003 - ESPN".
  13. ^ "Oklahoma vs. Texas - Box Score - October 8, 2011 - ESPN".
  14. ^ "Texas vs. Oklahoma - Box Score - October 13, 2012 - ESPN".
  15. ^ "Bomar, Quinn Ineligible for Remainder 2006 and to Pay Money Back". SoonersBlog.com. Sooner News Wire. November 1, 2006.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ "NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions Penalizes University of Oklahoma". National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 11, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  17. ^ "OU to Appeal NCAA Decision". OU Athletic Department. July 11, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  18. ^ "NCAA gives OU back its wins for 2005 season". The Oklahoman. February 22, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  19. ^ "Murray to Miss BCS Championship". SoonesBlog.com. Sooner News Wire. December 16, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ Ron Knabenbauer. "Will Oklahoma's Bob Stoops Become the Denver Broncos Next Head Coach?". Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  21. ^ "Bob Stoops Cashes In". SoonesBlog.com. Sooner News Wire. January 1, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  22. ^ "Little-known QB lifts Oklahoma past 'Bama". Tampa Bay Times. Times wires. January 3, 2014.
  23. ^ Silverstein, Adam; Kercheval, Ben (June 7, 2017). "Bob Stoops retires after 18 seasons with Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley to take over". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  24. ^ Crosby, Jack (February 6, 2019). "Report: Ex-Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will join Dallas XFL franchise as coach, general manager". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  25. ^ "XFL files for bankruptcy after suspending league". 13 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Bob Stoops issues statement after being named Oklahoma interim head coach". Saturday Down South. 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  27. ^ "Bob Stoops retakes Oklahoma football helm after Riley leaves for USC" KATC. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  28. ^ "Brent Venables hired as OU's next head football coach". KOCO 5 News. 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  29. ^ Brietzke, Luke (July 22, 2005). "USATODAY.com – Notes: Stoops' wife has national title of her own". USA Today. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  30. ^ "Drake Stoops Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  31. ^ Smith, Cam (June 10, 2017). "Bob Stoops' son Isaac joins Moore (Okla.) High as wide receivers coach". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  32. ^ "Isaac Stoops creates his own lane at Oklahoma". Pressreader The Oklahoman. December 27, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  33. ^ "Ron Stoops - Assistant Football Coach/Director of High School Relations".
  34. ^ Schoch, Matt (June 18, 2019). "Steve Spurrier offers kind words in tweet to retiring friend Bob Stoops of Oklahoma". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c d Kozlowski, Joe (February 9, 2020). "How Did Bob Stoops End Up Coaching in the XFL?". Sportscasting | Pure Sports. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Samuels, Doug (January 17, 2019). "Report: Bob Stoops may be exploring a return to coaching". FootballScoop. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  37. ^ "Mike Leach - Head Football Coach - Staff Directory". Mississippi State. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  38. ^ "St. Louis Names Chuck Long Offensive Coordinator". www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  39. ^ "Mark Mangino | Assistant Football Coach". Youngstown State. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  40. ^ "Colorado St. names Nevada's Norvell head coach". ESPN.com. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  41. ^ "Head Football Coach Bo Pelini". Youngstown State. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  42. ^ "Mike Stoops hired as defensive coordinator at FAU | Kentucky Sports Radio". January 30, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  43. ^ "University of Arizona hires Kevin Sumlin as head football coach". Arizona Sports. January 15, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  44. ^ "Kevin Wilson - Football Coach". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  45. ^ "Oklahoma to pay coach Riley $3.1M in 1st year". ESPN.com. June 20, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  46. ^ "Josh Heupel". Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  47. ^ "Jonathan Hayes Named XFL St. Louis Head Coach". www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.

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