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January 23, 2007
Richard Justice
There's just no nonsense with Bob Stoops. First of all, he's a man of his word. Second, he's a great coach. He's a great teacher, too. Spend a half-hour with him, and you'd understand why so many high school kids want to play for him. He has charm, wit, smarts, the whole package.
He's not always out looking for the next great opportunity, the next contract. His deals get done quickly and quietly. His mentor, Steve Spurrier, taught him well. His dad, also a coach, raised him right.
He gets more job offers than you'll ever know. Recently, after one job was supposedly filled, Stoops was approached a second time. ''Just say the word,'' he was told, ''and we'll get out of the other deal.'' Stoops again declined.
Stoops could have played games this week after Bill Parcells quit. Jerry Jones almost certainly would have spoken to him. On Tuesday, though, Stoops announced he'd be staying at OU.
"To end speculation here in the heart of recruiting I want to make it clear that I am not interested in any other coaching positions at this time,'' he said in a statement. ''I am too excited about our future at Oklahoma and the program we're continuing to build."
He has been at OU eight seasons. OU has been the nation's winningest program during that time. He's 86-19 overall and has won the Big 12 four times. He has won one national championship and played for two others. He's the best, period.
