Stephen Thompson Jr | DC Metro Area | @stephen_SZN
Bob Stoops is a legendary coach in the 2000’s+ era of college football. He won a National Title early as a coach and he established himself as a master recruiter and elite coach despite his detractors and rivals. He stayed consistent in an ever fluctuating Big-12 Conference. He was well spoken and always led Oklahoma to the big lights no matter the result. He was great at what he did and College Football saw the departure of a legend this week.
Coaching Record at Oklahoma
Bob Stoops won over 10 games in 14 of his 18 seasons. His overall record of 190-48 ranks number one all-time at Oklahoma. Stoops went 4-6 in BCS bowls and 9-9 in Bowl Games. He only lost 9 home games and he also won more Big 12 Titles (10) than home losses. More importantly, he beat Texas on 11 different occasions.
NFL Production
Bob Stoops had 19 consensus All-Americans on the Collegiate level and he has draft picks in every year of his coaching tenure at Oklahoma. His major draft picks were: Kelley Gregg, Roy Williams, Tommie Harris, Jammal Brown, Davin Joseph, Chris Chester, Adrian Peterson, Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams and so much more.
Oklahoma’s Program Upgrades
Oklahoma’s Stadium went under a few major innovations under Stoop’s reign. The Stadium has increased by 14,000 seats due to Stoop’s success. As he stepped down this week, the Stadium is still currently undergoing a $160 Million Dollar upgrade, which is almost completed.
Oklahoma increased underStoops and stayed there due to him. Enrollment at the school has increased as the Football team has become the premier experience for Students at OU.
Even revenue wise, Stoops and his program’s success has flooded the bank accounts of OU. Their current Nike contract pays over $3 Millon dollars a year.
Big Game Bob
Major Wins
October 7th, 2000: Oklahoma 63, Texas 14
January 3rd, 2001: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2 (National Title Game)
November 8th, 2003: Oklahoma 77, Texas A&M 0
December 4th, 2010: Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 20 (Big 12 Title Game)
January 2nd, 2013: Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31 (Sugar Bowl)
Big Losses
January 4th, 2005: USC 55, Oklahoma 19 (BCS National Title Game)
December 3rd, 2011: Okla State 44, Oklahoma 10
January 4th, 2004: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 (BCS National Title Game)
January 1st, 2007: Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 OT (Fiesta Bowl)
Clemson Two Straight Years (2014 Russell Athletic Bowl and 2015 CFP SemiFinal)
His Legacy
Bob Stoops is leaving Oklahoma as a winner. He went to all 5 BCS Bowls and the new College Football playoff. He’s completely won and achieved more than any Oklahoma coach, including Barry Switzer. But of course, there are some issues with Stoop’s reign. His issue is winning in big moments.
What He Didn’t Do
Bob Stoops did not win enough National Titles from an overachievers aspect. He lost to LSU in 2003 and USC and 2004. The USC game was a mismatch but 2003 was the prime moment for Stoops to win. In 2009, Tim Tebow single handily pushed Florida past Oklahoma in the National Title game. And Clemson destroyed Oklahoma in the CFP Semi Final in 2015. What’s worse about this is that Stoops was knocked out of title contention over more times during the Regular season.
Stoops will be known for leading his team to big games that he was supposed to win and lose in some of the most awkward ways. Despite that, he took Oklahoma to every major bowl game despite weak losses from previous seasons.
Why Did he Leave?
When I saw that Stoops stepped down, I was shocked. I usually don’t write about College Football in early June. The key phrase here is Early June. Stoops leaving in June is awkward and suspicious. After the NFL Draft and Signing Day, coaches tune into their upcoming summer schedule.
“The coaching life is like a relay race,” said Stoops, “and I’m thankful for my turn and am confident as I pass the baton.” – Bob Stoops
Time will tell of why he left. The reason why people have this reaction is due to problems with Administration or the NCAA. Or Maybe Stoops is smart. He’s 59 and in decent health. He wants to spend time with family and that’s respectable. We could speculate all we want to but we have to respect a family man.
What He’s Leaving
“I feel the timing is perfect to hand over the reins,” “The program is in tremendous shape.” – Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops is leaving Oklahoma in the best state it has ever been in. Nick Saban had to fix Alabama. Urban Myer saved Ohio State. Jim Harbaugh is bringing Michigan back. Chris Petersen is bringing Washington back as well. Bob Stoops isn’t leaving his program in a bad state like most D1 coaches. Lincoln Riley is the youngest coach in College Football. He’s 33. If he does things right, Oklahoma will continue to roll.
My first College Football Game I remember watching was Boise State and Oklahoma. I became a Boise State fan that night. 10 years later, I’m now a Bob Stoops fan as well. Despite being grilled by the Media when he drops the ball coaching wise, he continues to win and puts Oklahoma in some great matchups.
He’s one of few coaches to last more than 10 years in one place. In my opinion, Bob Stoop’s legacy won’t be matched at Oklahoma ever again. He’s a legend like Switzer and more respect needs to be added to his resume Nationally.
Bye Bob, I enjoyed watching you coach.
