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After 18 seasons at Oklahoma, Bob Stoops is out of the college football coaching game.
Stoops is expected to officially announce his retirement later today.
Spoke with Bob Stoops. He confirms he is retiring as OU head coach. Team meeting to take pllace at 2:30. As first reported by @BerryTramel
— Carey Murdock (@CareyWWLS) June 7, 2017
BREAKING Can confirm Oklahoman report that Bob Stoops is retiring at #OU, effective immediately. Lincoln Riley will become the new HC
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) June 7, 2017
The retirement does not appear to be health-related, either.
Bob Stoops is 56 & has won 10 Big12 titles. I'm told his reasoning for stepping down now is because he's ready & he wants to "go live life."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) June 7, 2017
You know what this means?
KIRK FERENTZ IS THE LONGEST-TENURED COACH IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, Y’ALL. LONG LIVE THE KING.
Stoops, as you know, was a four-year letterwinner at Iowa as a defensive back, earning a team MVP award back in 1982. He then became a GA and position coach for the Hawkeyes, eventually parlaying that into a job at Kent State, and then Kansas State under Bill Snyder. He then became the defensive coordinator at Florida under Steve Spurrier for a couple years until getting the Oklahoma job in 1999.
The hunt for Hayden Fry’s successor famously came down to Stoops and Ferentz. We all know how that movie ended, but we very well could have been a Stoops School if it weren’t for a few confounding factors.
Assistant Sooner coach Lincoln Riley is now the new head coach in Norman. Let the Riley era begin.
So what does this mean for Iowa? Well for one, Stoops is now ruled out of the Iowa job once Kirk Ferentz inevitably ends up on the “hot seat” again after next season. Or maybe it makes him more available?
*puts on tinfoil hat*
This is setting the table for Bob to come back to Iowa as an interim coach once Kirk steps away since Brian won’t be ready for the head gig. OR, following KOK’s lead, Stoops is coming back home to coach defensive backs. OR he can just take the Nate Kaeding route and come back to Iowa City and open up a bunch of dope restaurants and businesses.
In all seriousness, this doesn’t mean much for the Hawkeyes. It’s been cool to watch an alum go on and be successful and win a national championship and all, but I think we’d be lying if we didn’t feel a little jealously for an Iowa guy who went and did great things for not Iowa.
So here’s to Bob Stoops. Right now, here’s the biggest question on my mind: is Stoops My Ass going to keep his username?