Bob Stoops Retiring

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Big Ten Mind said:
Yes, one of the HOF leaves of the Hayden Fry coaching tree is hanging it up...Snyder will be next and Ferentz likely in 2-3 years.
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You think Ferentz will retire with six years left on his contract?
 



After 18 seasons OU coach Bob Stoops retiring - NewsOk.com

Riley, 33, a native of Muleshoe, Texas, has been at OU for two seasons.

“Great young coach, the program’s in great shape,” the source said. “Good recruiting class. Got a great young coach that anybody would want to have, ready to go. He’s as good a coach as there in America, at this stage in his career.

“And Bob got to do it in his way. Doesn’t get any better than that.”

Stoops, 56, coached the Sooners to the 2000 national champion and three other national title games. His 18-year record is 190-48. The Sooners won nine outright Big 12 titles under Stoops and tied for another.

Stoops was hired on Dec. 1, 1998, after five straight non-winning seasons. His first OU team went 7-5. His next five Sooner teams combined to go 60-7, and a new golden age of Sooner football was born.

Stoops released a statement around 3 p.m. on Wednesday:

“After 18 years at the University of Oklahoma, I've decided to step down as the head football coach. I understand there has been some speculation about my health. My health was not the deciding factor in this decision and I've had no incidents that would prevent me from coaching. I feel the timing is perfect to hand over the reins. The program is in tremendous shape. We have outstanding players and coaches and are poised to make another run at a Big 12 and national championship. We have new state-of-the-art facilities and a great start on next year's recruiting class. The time is now because Lincoln Riley will provide a seamless transition as the new head coach, capitalizing on an excellent staff that is already in place and providing familiarity and confidence for our players. Now is simply the ideal time for me and our program to make this transition.

“The Bible says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." I'm grateful for this season of my life, and feel I've fulfilled my purpose here at OU as its head football coach.

“I'm thankful that my career at Oklahoma was marked with consistent leadership in President David Boren and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. It's extremely rare in college athletics to have no change in these leadership positions over a nearly 20-year span. I always appreciated the way both of them supported me and our program. They both played an enormous role in all our successes.

“I have been very fortunate to have such outstanding coaches in my time at OU. Our players have always benefitted from their strong leadership, on and off the field. I was also blessed with a strong support staff — strength and conditioning, equipment, sports medicine, academics, video — every aspect of our program was staffed with very talented people who took a great deal of pride in making Oklahoma football the best.

“I'm especially thankful for being able to coach so many talented young men over my 18 years here. It has been so rewarding to see these players come to OU and mature over a four or five-year career, and not just on the field. To play a small part in their growth is what I will always cherish the most.
None of my success would have happened without the best fans in the country. I can't tell you how much I appreciated the 110 consecutive home sellouts. The passion of our fan base is unmatched, and their support has played a huge role in not only home games, but road games and all 18 of our bowl games, as well.

“Lastly, I'd like to thank my wife, Carol, and my daughter, Mackie, and my sons, Drake and Isaac. They have been a major part of this success. Being the wife or child of a coach is often tough, and they've all been strong through both good times and challenging times.

“The coaching life is like a relay race and I'm thankful for my turn and am confident as I pass the baton. Carol and I intend on staying in Norman — it is our home. I will be available to Coach Riley and the athletic department in any manner. Thank you all for a lifetime of memories we shared together of 10 conference championships, the 2000 national championship, strong relationships with players and coaches, and the great Oklahoma football fans. Boomer!”

http://newsok.com/after-18-seasons-ou-coach-bob-stoops-retiring/article/5551964
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I'm stumped by your shifting values. It's ok to keep proven violent criminals on the team?

Any valid arguments here?

Convince me Stoops wasn't a win at any cost coach.
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Saying Stoops wasn't stepping down because of the Joe Mixon situation (which I absolutely believe had nothing to do with it) is not a comment in the least as to whether or not Mixon should have remained with the team. I think you're tilting at a windmill that isn't there.
 


Pompous Elitist said:
There is very bad - Joe Mixon. Stoops reinstated Mixon after watching the assault video and giving him a redshirt year "suspension" - not going to survive that. He should be thankful he was allowed to retire.
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So wouldn't the Athletic Director have some consequence as well. Stoops was near untouchable at OU. It would take something more significant than that for OU to force him out.
 

Alternative theory: maybe the guy just didn't want to coach anymore.

He's had a nice run, won a lot of games, and made a lot of money. Maybe he just woke up one morning and said, "I don't need to do this for the rest of my life. I'm going to cash in my chips and enjoy life."

Sure, we can all cite cases of these incredibly driven coaches who sleep in their office and focus on FB 24/7. That doesn't mean that every FB coach is like that. If you're really wealthy, in your mid-50's, do you really want to spend the next 10 years begging 16- and 17-year-old kids to come and play for you? Not to mention dealing with boosters, NCAA regulations, compliance, and knowing that you can work your butt off and have it all go to hell if a couple of 18- or 19-year old kids do something stupid one weekend. (ask Mr. Claeys, if you can find him.)

Again, I could be dead wrong, but maybe Stoops just said "screw it" and decided to walk away while he was young enough to enjoy life.
 

BleedGopher said:
One has to think that as Stoops looks back on his career that he regrets not taking the Gopher job after he interviewed for it after we fired Wacker.

Go Gophers!!
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My sarcasm meter just went berzerk and is now broken thanks to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Hindsight is always 20/20. I know It's a cliche but I think it applies here. Stoops would not have the same players if he coached here. If Glen Mason went to Oklahoma he would have had access to better players and maybe same posters would bitch that we didn't hire Mason here.

It's much less difficult to be a "Genius" at a school like Oklahoma.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
There is very bad - Joe Mixon. Stoops reinstated Mixon after watching the assault video and giving him a redshirt year "suspension" - not going to survive that. He should be thankful he was allowed to retire.
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Joe Mixon has nothing to do with Stoops retiring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

West Fargo Gopher Fan said:
Hindsight is always 20/20. I know It's a cliche but I think it applies here. Stoops would not have the same players if he coached here. If Glen Mason went to Oklahoma he would have had access to better players and maybe same posters would bitch that we didn't hire Mason here.

It's much less difficult to be a "Genius" at a school like Oklahoma.
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Well said. The way Stoops and his wife handled the interview here was classless, but your points are still very valid.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I don't make lists. I have a good memory. It's ok to dodge the question if you can't think of a reasonable answer. I can't either.

Why did Stoops retire then? 2 months before camp? Maybe he did some reflecting on his life. Maybe he didn't like assholes like me impugning his character. Who knows? Do you? Maybe he wants to volunteer in Zaire.
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What is Zaire?
 

Urbandale said:
Saying Stoops wasn't stepping down because of the Joe Mixon situation (which I absolutely believe had nothing to do with it) is not a comment in the least as to whether or not Mixon should have remained with the team. I think you're tilting at a windmill that isn't there.
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I don't see much difference between Stoops and Briles. That would be a good fit, actually. Just win, baby.
 




short ornery norwegian said:
Alternative theory: maybe the guy just didn't want to coach anymore.

He's had a nice run, won a lot of games, and made a lot of money. Maybe he just woke up one morning and said, "I don't need to do this for the rest of my life. I'm going to cash in my chips and enjoy life."

Sure, we can all cite cases of these incredibly driven coaches who sleep in their office and focus on FB 24/7. That doesn't mean that every FB coach is like that. If you're really wealthy, in your mid-50's, do you really want to spend the next 10 years begging 16- and 17-year-old kids to come and play for you? Not to mention dealing with boosters, NCAA regulations, compliance, and knowing that you can work your butt off and have it all go to hell if a couple of 18- or 19-year old kids do something stupid one weekend. (ask Mr. Claeys, if you can find him.)

Again, I could be dead wrong, but maybe Stoops just said "screw it" and decided to walk away while he was young enough to enjoy life.
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This could definitely be it, but you still have to wonder about the timing. Why not hang em up right after the season. Maybe he waited till now for recruiting reasons or maybe he really wanted his OC to get the job and now they sort of have to give him the job.
 

Does Stoops have any of his brothers on the staff?
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Alternative theory: maybe the guy just didn't want to coach anymore.

He's had a nice run, won a lot of games, and made a lot of money. Maybe he just woke up one morning and said, "I don't need to do this for the rest of my life. I'm going to cash in my chips and enjoy life."

Sure, we can all cite cases of these incredibly driven coaches who sleep in their office and focus on FB 24/7. That doesn't mean that every FB coach is like that. If you're really wealthy, in your mid-50's, do you really want to spend the next 10 years begging 16- and 17-year-old kids to come and play for you? Not to mention dealing with boosters, NCAA regulations, compliance, and knowing that you can work your butt off and have it all go to hell if a couple of 18- or 19-year old kids do something stupid one weekend. (ask Mr. Claeys, if you can find him.)

Again, I could be dead wrong, but maybe Stoops just said "screw it" and decided to walk away while he was young enough to enjoy life.
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I honestly think this was the case. In terms of college football coaches, Stoops really doesn't have a very big ego. If you look at the big picture: you are approaching 60 years old, have accomplished a lot in your career, there is a successor in place who has been groomed by you, and you probably have $20M+ in the bank. Why keep working a stressful job?

I'd expect more coaches to go this route with what coaching salaries are these days.
 

This is my multi-part working theory: 1. Stoops knew that Riley would be poached by another Power 5 school if he waited a year or two to retire, and decided to pull the trigger now so that the school could keep Riley in-house. As the second part of this, Stoops has mentioned that he's been very lucky to have the same President and AD there for his entire tenure. 2. They have said that Stoops is staying at Oklahoma in some capacity, so maybe the plan is for Castiglione to retire soon (now or in the next 2 years) and for Stoops to replace him. 3. If all of that comes to pass, Stoops is essentially electing to make his coaching hire now before he's even the AD. I have no idea if there's any veracity to any of this, but it makes a lot of sense to me.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Do you or do you not support coaches that keep players that fracture women's skulls, solely to gain a competitive advantage? Rutgers dropped Nelson after details came to light, for example. Why?

There are other marks on Stoops that form a pattern, if you care to look them up.
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Exactly what competitive adantage does one gain from female skull crushing?
 

WoodburyTim said:
Does Stoops have any of his brothers on the staff?
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Yes, his brother Mike, former Arizona head coach, is the DC.
I personally think that he chose this time to pressure the OU AD to hire his OC, thereby keeping all of Stoops assistants and staff in place. If Riley, the OC and new HC, didn't agree to do that for Bob Stoops, Stoops could've supported someone else for the job.
As we know, a head coach change would normally mean a cleaning of the house. Bob Stoops manner of retiring prevents that.
 



Tom Osborne did the same thing with Lawrence Phillips, except Phillips's assault was even worse.
 

bizzle22 said:
I honestly think this was the case. In terms of college football coaches, Stoops really doesn't have a very big ego. If you look at the big picture: you are approaching 60 years old, have accomplished a lot in your career, there is a successor in place who has been groomed by you, and you probably have $20M+ in the bank. Why keep working a stressful job?

I'd expect more coaches to go this route with what coaching salaries are these days.
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I think it was Al McGuire that said "it's awful hard to coach these days when your contract is in the back pocket of some 18-year-old kid". I agree.
 

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