And thoughts about opening the season against UTEP…. Going into the 2017 season will bring many question marks. How will the Sooners replace the production of Perine, Mixon and Westbrook? Will Baker Mayfield outdo his amazing 2016 season even without…
Football season in Norman will “officially” begin when the new leader in town takes the field. No, not Lincoln Riley. Julie Siberts. The OU band drum major’s strut — you know that balance act with head tossed back and pipestove…
I remember the day my car radio announced that Barry Switzer had resigned. The Sooner football program had been marred by shootings and rapes and investigations, but the resignation of The King was still a surprise. The news brought the anxiety that the storied program might fall on hard times in the win-loss column.
That was 1989. And the program suffered.
On Wednesday, the radio announced that Bob Stoops was retiring. The news was stunning. Work in offices downtown came to a stop. Local television interrupted programming. But, that’s where the similarities with Switzer’s departure ends.
In fact, Bob Stoops is the reason the Sooner program was resurrected from oblivion in 1999. He leaves with the program in great shape.
Stoops brings his 18-year OU coaching tenure to a close as the winningest coach in program history – 190 wins to 48 losses. Only nine home losses. An 11-7 record against Texas. He has more bowl wins than any active college football coach. He has 10 conference championships, 2 Heisman winners, 19 consensus All-Americans and one national championship.