Meet the Stoops
W
ith the hands of adoring Big Blue fans stretching toward him, Coach Mark Stoops clutched the hand of his youngest boy with one hand and smacked high-fives with the other as he entered Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 4. For the University of Kentucky head coach, football and family are inseparable; which is why sons Will, 8, and Zack, 4, often accompany Stoops and his Wildcats during the most pivotal team moments. A confident and visionary leader in a new era in Kentucky football, Stoops has already won the favor of the Kentucky fan base by pushing for upgrades to football facilities, signing high-caliber new recruits and winning games in the dauntingly competitive Southeastern Conference. After springing to Kentucky on a famous notion of “why not?” two years ago, the Stoops family has now settled in a suburban section of Lexington where they find fulfillment in new friendships, a football coaching staff extended family and eager fans all around who believe Stoops can “change the game.”
Chantel Stoops juggles team travel and obligations that come with the role of “coach’s wife”, with baseball games and school carpools as the mom of two boys. A grade school teacher from Wyoming, Chantel met Mark while she was finishing school and working as a waitress at an Italian restaurant. Mark, who coached the defensive secondary for the University of Wyoming at the time, was eating at the restaurant with a group of coaches. Their chance meeting was the beginning of a long-distance relationship, as Chantel had accepted her first teaching job in Denver, Colorado and for the time, Mark was grounded at the University of Wyoming. With frequent moves around the country, Chantel grew weary of keeping up with Stoops as he climbed the ranks of the football industry. But around the time of Mark’s move to Florida, he surprised Chantel in Houston with a diamond engagement ring. Chantel then joined Mark in the football lifestyle. When Mark accepted a position as the Defensive Backs Coach at the University of Miami, the couple enjoyed three years renting a condo on the beach. Mark then took a job as the Defensive Coordinator for the University of Arizona, working with his brother Mike Stoops, the head coach of the team. From 2004 to 2009, Mark built the Arizona defense up to a top-25 overall defensive unit in his final two seasons with the team. Stoops then served as Defensive Coordinator for Florida State University, where he assembled one of the most formidable defensive lines in the country during his three seasons. In the back of his mind, through years turning around programs and bolstering defensive forces, Mark was determined to achieve his goal
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