June 8, 2017

OUDAILY BOB STOOPS RETIREMENT SPECIAL EDITION

J U N E 8 , 2 0 17 | O U D A I LY. C O M

STOOPS RILEY

LEGEND RETIRES

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NAMED SUCCESSOR

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HANDOFF SHANE BYLER/THE DAILY

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SPORTS

• June 8, 2017: Stoops Special Edition

Stoops leaves lasting legacy

Head coach made program legendary in his 18 years at OU GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia

When Bob Stoops was introduced as Oklahoma’s head football coach outside of Evans Hall on Dec. 1, 1998, the expectations were high.

“It’s a program with the championships that should expect championships,” Stoops said that day.

N o w 1 8 y e a r s l a t e r, Stoops has decided to end his legendary career.

“Where did 18 years go?”

Stoops said. “They flew by in an incredibly positive, great, great way for my family.”

At h l e t i c d i re c t o r Jo e Castiglione will never forget that day on the steps of Evans Hall.

“I remember that day as we introduced Bob and Carol Stoops to the Sooner nation,” Castiglione said.

“We had such excitement in our minds, in our hearts, and what could be.”

Castiglione had high expectations for Stoops, but not even he could imagine the type of legacy Stoops would leave behind.

Stoops was stepping into a program experiencing one of its worst decades of football ever. Oklahoma hadn’t had a winning season since 1993, the same year it won its last bowl g a m e. S t o o p s n o t o n l y turned the program around immediately, but also put the Sooners back on top of the college football universe, winning the national championship in his

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

OU head football coach Bob Stoops follows the Sooners onto the field before the 2017 Sugar Bowl Jan. 2.

“

Where did 18 years go?

BOB STOOPS, FORMER HEAD FOOTBALL COACH second year.

“The coaching life is really equated to a relay race,” Stoops said. “I’m really grateful for my opportunity to run the race I have.”

But it wasn’t just Stoops’ immediate success that made him great — it was his consistency. In his 18 years, Stoops hit landmark after landmark, engraving his name in college football history.

He became the only coach to win the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and Rose bowls along with a national championship. He dominated an entire conference, winning 10 Big 12 championships. In 2013, he passed the great Barry Switzer for all-time wins in program

history with 190. He took an ordinary football stadium and turned it into the Palace on the Prairie.

“His success has defined our ability to put others in position to be successful,” Castiglione said. “He needs to be celebrated and recognized for the Hall of Fame coach that he is.”

Stoops, from day one, shared the success with those around the program, from assistants to fans.

“We’ve got the best fans in the countr y,” Stoops said. “Eighteen going on 19

straight years of sold-out stadiums. Anytime we’re on the road we always have a big crowd, always at bowl games we have a big crowd.

Th e y ’ re a l way s f o l l ow ing us, always passionate about us and you will continue to help this program move on and continue to win championships.”

The list goes on for Stoops’ on the field success, but his off the field actions cannot go unnoticed.

His relationship with his players, coaches and staff have been remarkable.

“He’s changed a lot of lives,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was among the many current and former players to turn out for Wednesday’s impromptu press conference.

“Ever y single kid that’s even got on campus — he brought them here for a reason and they’re going to have their lives changed because of him. And so it was a gratitude, but more of a thanking him for doing all that he’s done over the years, and it’s not just this team, I mean he’s done it for 18 years now. (He’s) changed a lot of lives and we wanted to thank him.”

The hardest part for Stoops was having to say goodbye to his players, his “children.”

“I think the hardest moment — coming to terms with this — was seeing my players,” Stoops said. “I love them dearly. (You) look at them all as your own children, but I also know this is going to be great for them moving forward.”

“I feel like I’ve been absolutely the luckiest, most fortunate guy in the world,” Stoops added. “I’ve been incredibly blessed to have experienced what we have over the last 18 and a half years.”

Castiglione echoed that sentiment.

“I’ll remember, like everybody, your accomplishments,” Castiglione said.

“But more than anything, I’ll remember you for the man you are and for the family that you have built.

George Stoia

george.s.stoia-1@ou.edu

SPORTS

June 8, 2017: Stoops Special Edition •

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Riley realizes gravity of position Stoops’ successor is now youngest head coach in FBS at 33

help but realize the parallels between today and the day Stoops was named head coach.

“When I think of Lincoln Riley and I observe him in action, I can only in many ways have memories of Bob Stoops at the same age and position in his career, and I see so many similarities,” Boren said.

KELLI STACY @AstacyKelli

Lincoln Riley looked down, trying to rein in his emotions.

For 38 seconds he stood at the podium, three of the most important men at the University of Oklahoma — and countless OU supporters both inside and outside the room — looking on in rapt attention Wednesday as the room fell silent moments after his introduction as the Sooners’ 22nd head football coach.

Finally, the 33-year-old looked up. His eyes shone with tears.

The emotions that overcame Riley were those of a man who realized the significance of the individual moment as well as the job he inherits running one of college football’s most storied programs. Riley was named Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops’ successor after the living legend and soon-to-be hall of famer, who has guided Oklahoma to 18 bowl games and 10 conference titles in his 18 seasons, suddenly announced his retirement on Wednesday afternoon. Coming off a 10-2 season and a Sugar Bowl victory, Stoops still knows how to win, but he said he chose to hand the program over to Riley — to “pass the baton.” It’s rare for programs to transition seamlessly between coaches, and even rarer for the transition to be between a head coach of 18

...

SHANE BYLER/THE DAILY

Lincoln Riley pauses to collect himself Wednesday upon being introduced as the University of Oklahoma’s next football coach.

years and an assistant 23 years his junior.

Riley has big shoes to fill, and he knows it. The bar for Oklahoma football coaches is a high one, with Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and Stoops setting the pre ce dent. D espite Riley being in such a rare position, someone else has been there before. In 2009, long-serving Oregon coach Mike Bellotti handed off the Ducks’ program to offensive wizard Chip Kelly, who then faced similar pressures and expectations that Riley faces today.

The key to coming after a long-tenured and highly successful head coach?

Being yourself, Bellotti told The Daily on Wednesday.

“I think that what

Lincoln needs to do is Lincoln Riley needs to b e L i n c o l n R i l e y ,” s a i d Bellotti, who now works for ESPN. “He’s got there by being himself and by believing in certain things.”

...

In ever y job he’s had, Riley has been considered young for the position.

From his time at Texas Tech moving from a graduate assistant to inside receivers coach to suddenly being tasked with calling plays in the 2010 Alamo Bowl after former coach Mike Leach’s firing, Riley has been on a coaching fast track.

From the time he joined Leach’s staff as an unpaid assistant, Leach knew there was something

special about Riley.

“I thought he would (become a good coach),” Leach told The Daily on Wednesday. “He’s a smart guy, eager to learn, and w illing to us e common sense and independent thinking along the way.”

By 26, Riley was the offensive coordinator for East Carolina — a position he would keep for five years before recruited by Stoops in 2014. Riley accepted the assistant coaching position at OU — one of the most prestigious football schools in the country — at 31.

Now 33, Riley has become the youngest coach in the FBS. Just this May he got a three-year contract extension as OU angled

to keep him anchored after nearly losing him to Houston last offseason.

Like Stoops in 1998, Riley ha s a c c e p t e d t h e p o s i tion at a young age, with a young family. Like Stoops, Riley sees Oklahoma as a place where he can stay and succeed.

“

I think that what Lincoln needs to do is Lincoln Riley needs to be Lincoln Riley.

MIKE BELLOTTI, FORMER OREGON HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

OU President David B oren said he couldn’t

S t o o p s re t i re m e n t — which he said came after about 10 days of considering the move — was a shock to all, including Boren and athletic director Joe Castiglione. Before the shock wore off, though, they were in action. There would be no coaching s ea rch. R i l e y wa s t h e i r man.

In pa r t, R i l e y ’s ab i l ities were one of the reasons Stoops chose to retire when he did. He said he feels like Riley is a perfect fit, which helped him feel ready to step away from the program.

“I didn’t want to miss the right opportunity to step away and pass this baton to Lincoln Riley and keep this all just going in a great direction,” Stoops said.

Castiglione agreed, saying the process was best summed up in one way: It w a s t h e r i g ht g u y at the right time. The stars aligned.

Kelli Stacy

kelliastacy@ou.edu

THANK YOU

BOB

“I’VE BEEN ABSOLUTELY THE LUCKIEST, MOST FORTUNATE GUY IN THE WORLD.” — BOB STOOPS

OU DAILY

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

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CLASSIFIEDS

• June 8, 2017: Stoops Special Edition

OU DAILY

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Emily McPherson

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George Stoia

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By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2017, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last A heartfelt approach toward your peers, close friends and allies will result in good fortune, support and assistance when needed. To bring about change, you must have a plan and present it with precision and detail. If you aim to please, you will not be let down or disappointed.

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SPORTS

June 8, 2017: Stoops Special Edition •

Stoops goes out on top GUEST COLUMNIST

Spenser Davis

davis.spenser@ou.edu @Davis_Spenser

I think my earliest sports memory is watching Bob Stoops win the National Championship in 2001.

I don’t remember much about the game itself — I was just a smidge over 7 years old — but I do remember the joy on the faces around me. I can vividly recall my dad celebrating with each defensive stop, of which there were plenty in that 13-2 win for the Sooners.

So the first thing I did when I saw the news of Bob Stoops’ retirement on Wednesday was call my dad. We didn’t talk long, but he seemed to take the news better than I expected — he has a lot of faith in Lincoln Riley.

My dad, like so many other OU fans across the country, has been waiting for 16 years for Stoops to repeat that magic on the sport’s biggest stage. It never happened.

And yet, it’s quite apparent that, by the end of his 18th year, Stoops meant much more to the OU community than just the 2000 BCS National Championship. As the shock poured in on social media, so did the fond memories.

Countless players recalled their experiences with the man who has owned Norman since the turn of the century. None mentioned all the winning they did with Stoops at the helm — and there was a lot of winning.

18 years. 190 wins. 10 Big

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

Coach Bob Stoops (from left), athletic director Joe Castiglione and President David Boren celebrate after OU’s Sugar Bowl win over Auburn on Jan. 2 in what would be Stoops’ last game.

12 Championships. Four chances at a BCS National Championship and a College Football Playoff berth.

Those figures don’t begin to cover all the highest of highs — upsetting Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl — or, more recently, the lowest of lows — how he and OU’s leadership troika handled the Joe Mixon situation — but they do shed light on how he was able to stay in Norman for so long and still have most OU fans asking him back for more.

When Stoops walked on Oklahoma’s campus in December 1998, it was a shell of what it is today. The capacity of Gaylord FamilyOklahoma Memorial Stadium was actually decreased that year to just over 72,000 seats, and those seats were seldom full in the years between Barry and Bob. In less than two decades, Stoops turned it into a palace, seating nearly 90,000 faithful for six Saturdays a year. More than that, all 110 home games of the Stoops era was a sellout.

He leaves the program with a top-10 recruiting class, newly-minted state-of-the-art facilities and a 33-year-old successor who might be college football’s best offensive mind since Chip Kelly.

Perhaps Stoops said it best: It was time.

“I didn’t want to miss the right opportunity to step away and hand the baton to Lincoln Riley and keep all this going in a great direction,” Stoops said.

And now, fittingly, it is time for Oklahoma to look forward. The Sooners will be in Columbus, Ohio, to face the Buckeyes in less than 100 days — taking time for reflection isn’t an option for this program. Expectations are higher than ever at Oklahoma, something Riley understands better than most.

Ironically, It was Riley’s excellence that made my dad a believer in Stoops again.

After OU went 8-5 in 2014, a decently loud sector of OU fans wanted Stoops to go, especially after the 40-6 drubbing to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

I remember my dad calling me after the third quarter of that game (it was 40-0 at that point) thinking it would be the end of the Stoops era.

Oh, what a sad ending that would have been. But Stoops heard the chirps, too.

“I’m more determined than ever to get Oklahoma back in the position of competing for national championships like we have so many other times,” Stoops told reporters after firing co-offensive coordinators Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell the next week. “My dedication

or commitment has been questioned in the past few weeks, and I promise you, I’m as dedicated and committed as I ever have been since the day I walked in here.”

Over the next two years, Stoops made good on those words. He dropped just four games and nearly shut out the Big 12, a surprise 2015 loss to Texas the only blemish on a 17-1 record. He made the College Football Playoff once and was a fluke kick-six against Houston last season from being in the mix again.

Stoops saw his opportunity to go out on top and he took it — can you blame him? He spent 18 years rebuilding the monster that is Oklahoma football, the one Bud created and Barry fed, and he gets to hand the reins to Riley and Baker Mayfield — who knows when the stars would align so perfectly for Stoops again.

So, just like that, it’s over.

“Where did the 18 years go?”

Stoops asked at his last press conference. “I feel like the luckiest, most fortunate man in the world.”

My dad and every other OU fan now has to trust Riley to manage the beast. Time will tell, but he sure sounds ready.

“I think we will put out a team, like we have over the past few years, that is tough, that is physical, that is passionate and embodies the best things about this state,” Riley said. “I don’t know that there’s a football team or even a sports team anywhere that represents their state so perfectly and so well and shares so many great characteristics as this football team does with this state.”

“Representing (OU fans) is a great honor and one I take seriously … I will give you everything I have.”

CAREER NUMBERS

With recent reports of Sooners’ head coach Bob Stoops retirement, here’s his career by the numbers:

190 WINS

Stoops has the most wins in Oklahoma program history, surpassing Barry Switzer in 2013.

37 ALL AMERICANS Stoops has coached players like Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy, Roy Williams and, most recently, Baker Mayfield.

10 BIG 12

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Stoops has won three times as many Big 12 Championships as any other school in the conference.

6 TIME BIG 12

COACH OF THE YEAR Stoops has dominated the Big 12 throughout his career, posting a 73-18 record.

2 HEISMAN

TROPHY WINNERS Stoops had seven Heisman Trophy finalists, with Jason White and Sam Bradford both winning the award.

1 NATIONAL

CHAMPIONSHIP

Stoops won the program’s seventh national title in 2000.

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• June 8, 2017: Stoops Special Edition

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