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News Article: Breaking: Bob Stoops Retiring from Oklahoma

I came hear to see if and what you all were saying because I've always respected you all...and I've enjoyed reading through this thread.


Bob has always said he didn't want to end up like his father. He's been saying that since the early 2000s.

I'm really shocked though because of the timing and because we seem to have a decent shot at another CFP appearance. And recruiting has gone well, and just because of the fact that he's been the HC here for two decades -- the best part of my life. Something I'll always treasure.

If the ball would have bounced a little differently against LSU in New Orlean or Florida in Miami (notice we played them both in their home states!) then Bob would be ranked as one of the greatest coaches of all time. I still think he's a first-ballot HOF inductee. The level of consistency he's given to OU has been amazing -- 190 wins in 18 years. Easy math, there.

And he's won all the major bowl games and 10 Big 12 titles -- there's basically nothing left accomplish other than winning another NC and that's a tough spot to be in as a coach because it's so difficult. I think that had to factor into his decision-making process.

I basically got to see this country --my country --from one side to the other following Oklahoma Football...in every major bowl game and big-time venue we played in from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest to South Beach and everywhere in-between...including Tuscaloosa. And that happened for me because he resurrected Oklahoma after the NCAA train wreck.

So I'll always be grateful to Bob. I wish him well in whatever he does.

I appreciate many of the comments I've read here on this forum. Cheers to you all. Enjoy Coach Saban while you have him.
 
Stoops set the bar awfully high for himself by winning the title so early in his career. Good for him to be able to walk away from a job with unimaginable scrutiny and pressure.
 
deliveryman35 said:
I'm not buying the " I want to spend more time with my family " line. That's boiler plate coachspeak and frankly standard language that a lot of people use to put a smiley face on a resignation. I think there's something else at work here, though not necessarily nefarious in the least. Bob is still very young and I'll think you'll see him on the sidelines--somewhere--in 2018.
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Seeing I heard this on a local sports talk radio show I wouldn't put too much credit into it. But being in northwest Louisiana there are a lot of Sooner fans in the area. One of our local news reporters is a Sooner fan and he said this morning that Stoops and his wife are big into real estate and he is "hearing" (whatever that means) that is what they will be doing. Along with spending more time with kids and family. Take it for what it's worth. Time will definitely tell though.
 
deliveryman35 said:
I'm not buying the " I want to spend more time with my family " line. That's boiler plate coachspeak and frankly standard language that a lot of people use to put a smiley face on a resignation. I think there's something else at work here, though not necessarily nefarious in the least. Bob is still very young and I'll think you'll see him on the sidelines--somewhere--in 2018.
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The timing and suddenness of the decision is definitely odd, but maybe he just woke up one morning and realized it was time. I hope that's all it is, as no matter how critical I've been of some of his player handling, I would like to see him healthy and spending time with his family, if that's his desire.
 
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I wish him well.
Not a huge fan of his handling of problem players, and I regret Bama did not get a chance to even the score with the Sooners on the field, but, if he is sincere about hanging with his family while still young enough to enjoy it, good for him.
Smell the roses, boomer sooner.
 
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I think this is the right move for them. They could never get rid of Stoops but it felt like he was at a weird stage in his career where maybe they needed to move on. I also really like Lincoln Riley and think he has a good shot of making some noise.
 
At lot of people are saying that the timing is weird, but if you've got a protege on staff that you want to give an opportunity to this is really the perfect time. Players are locked in for the fall and it's too late to do a coaching search.
 
Moro Creek said:
Wonder how Tom Herman feels after this news.
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Elated. Though I suspect OU won't fall that far.

I have mixed feelings about Coach Stoops. When he began his time at OU, I became a vicarious Sooner fan. That was during some of our darkest days, Oklahoma had similar colors and tradition, etc. When we played them in 2002, at Norman, as huge underdogs and we made that great comeback in the second half (only to see them dash our dreams at the end) I became an even bigger fan. Because I saw in them what I wanted Alabama to become again. As the years wore on, and Stoops began to express his opinions about the SEC and Alabama, I grew tired of him. But I will say that now that he's decided to retire, I'll always have respect for the job he did in resurrecting the Sooner program, and I'll always hate it that we didn't get another opportunity to beat him.

He's one of the best coaches of this generation, and yes, a surefire hall of famer.
 
crimsonaudio said:
It will take a couple of years to tell. OU is a premier job, that's a very big ship to steer for a 'new guy'...
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ESPN had a stat earlier on this topic that I thought was interesting. The 3 head coaches that would be on the OU Mount Rushmore would be Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops. Their ages were 31, 35, and 38 respectively. The game and administrations have changed extensively since even Big Game Bob was hired, but they've had a lot of success hiring young coaches and building their brand in one spot. It'll be interesting to see if Riley falls more on the Stoops spectrum or the Kiffin spectrum. (Of young, raw coaching hires that is)
 
deliveryman35 said:
I'm not buying the " I want to spend more time with my family " line. That's boiler plate coachspeak and frankly standard language that a lot of people use to put a smiley face on a resignation. I think there's something else at work here, though not necessarily nefarious in the least. Bob is still very young and I'll think you'll see him on the sidelines--somewhere--in 2018.
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that's fine. But just remember folks say the same thing every single time a "Saban to Texas" rumor comes up, too.

"Oh, he hasn't denied it, he's using coach-speak, he's planning to bolt, blah blah blah"

But that never matters. NOTHING Stoops says is going to be believed by most people.

If the guy never comes back, his name is still going to come up in rumors every single year until he's 70.
 
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