Bob Stoops sticking with the XFL over CFB

joebidensmask

Active member
Sep 13, 2005
17,928
1,202
68
Iowa hawks would give a lot to get Bob back but they left him out when they had their chance in 98 fortunately for OU.
 
O

OUSOONER67

Guest
I think the College Game has passed Bob and his desire to get back in it with all the changes, especially recruiting and he said as much at least about recruiting when he stepped in for the Bowl Game after Riley blessed us with his departure.
He said he didn't miss all the traveling and early early and long hrs away. I think it showed in his latter yrs at OU when Recruiting was way down and quite possibly he was burned out on it way before he retired. Will always be thankful to Bob for bringing back OU Football but at the same time it was not all Rileys fault why we got manhandled against superior competition.
I also believe todays game will end Sabans Career sooner rather than later. Saban will always field good teams and recruit at a high level but the game has changed so much in such a short time that I can see him saying f it, I am gonna go enjoy my time left and spend some of my money but I think Saban has enough desire to win another NT vs Bob knowing he had many chances but only could muster the one.
 
Last edited:

Raysor

Well-known member
Mar 29, 2002
633
7,442
93
Saban is 71. I remember when Alabama law required that Bear Bryant retire at 70.

Ragging on Bob Stoops is pretty common on Scoop, but it is mostly inaccurate. Oklahoma is at a severe recruiting disadvantage in today's college game. Throw in the changes leading to NIL and quick, easy transfers it's no wonder that a 62 year old coach of excellence, would rather coach pros than college guys. Bob is a great coach. The changes he brought to college football 24 years ago revolutionized the game. Most are still in place.

His record in conference titles are poohpoohed by too many OU fans, but considering his record compared to Texas, which has all the recruiting advantages we lack, is remarkable. We were so lucky to have him. Bob was essentially the same age as Barry when he left the college game. He was five years older than Bud, when he retired.

What Bob did for OU when TBOW pulled the USC crap, is a reflection of who he is, and what a man of integrity looks like. Questioning his effort or dedication is just wrong.
 

show your gold

New member
Jan 12, 2003
26,289
2,790
0
Bobs heart would explode one month into having to deal with all these kids agents and middlemen i dont blame him at all and even though I enjoy college football more than the college game if I was a coach I would much rather be in the NFL than deal with the present day college game
 
O

OUSOONER67

Guest
Saban is 71. I remember when Alabama law required that Bear Bryant retire at 70.

Ragging on Bob Stoops is pretty common on Scoop, but it is mostly inaccurate. Oklahoma is at a severe recruiting disadvantage in today's college game. Throw in the changes leading to NIL and quick, easy transfers it's no wonder that a 62 year old coach of excellence, would rather coach pros than college guys. Bob is a great coach. The changes he brought to college football 24 years ago revolutionized the game. Most are still in place.

His record in conference titles are poohpoohed by too many OU fans, but considering his record compared to Texas, which has all the recruiting advantages we lack, is remarkable. We were so lucky to have him. Bob was essentially the same age as Barry when he left the college game. He was five years older than Bud, when he retired.

What Bob did for OU when TBOW pulled the USC crap, is a reflection of who he is, and what a man of integrity looks like. Questioning his effort or dedication is just wrong.

Nobody is Ragging on Bob but he had a hand in OU's decline especially OU's defense and bringing Riley to OU to replace Heupel because fans and donors were bitching about his offense and wanted him gone. I don't really think Bob wanted to fire Josh but was forced to, jmo.
We saw a similar situation with Brent after Mike was brought back in, Brents defenses were not anything like the defense he put together at Clemson. Mike was brought back in to help and they were both named Co DC's and what happened? Yep Brent left for Clemson and flourished winning 2 National Titles while he was there. Just this past season I saw where fans were saying they wanted Brent fired and Josh named as the HC because Josh had one good yr at Tennessee, crazy talk as if Josh would return as HC at OU, I highly doubt it.
One can't help but wonder what might have been had Josh stayed and eventually replaced Bob instead of TBOW replacing him. The same could also be applied to the Mike and Brent situation. One of Bobs biggest blunders was bringing Mike back and OU's Defense still hasn't recovered from that. In short Bob is not above criticism for OU's woes before and after he left. I would guess he would do things different in hindsight but wouldn't we all.
 

ppchj98

New member
Oct 22, 2006
0
2
0
Nobody is Ragging on Bob but he had a hand in OU's decline especially OU's defense and bringing Riley to OU to replace Heupel because fans and donors were bitching about his offense and wanted him gone. I don't really think Bob wanted to fire Josh but was forced to, jmo.
We saw a similar situation with Brent after Mike was brought back in, Brents defenses were not anything like the defense he put together at Clemson. Mike was brought back in to help and they were both named Co DC's and what happened? Yep Brent left for Clemson and flourished winning 2 National Titles while he was there. Just this past season I saw where fans were saying they wanted Brent fired and Josh named as the HC because Josh had one good yr at Tennessee, crazy talk as if Josh would return as HC at OU, I highly doubt it.
One can't help but wonder what might have been had Josh stayed and eventually replaced Bob instead of TBOW replacing him. The same could also be applied to the Mike and Brent situation. One of Bobs biggest blunders was bringing Mike back and OU's Defense still hasn't recovered from that. In short Bob is not above criticism for OU's woes before and after he left. I would guess he would do things different in hindsight but wouldn't we all.
Bob bringing back Mike was an obvious headscratcher. Bob was sold on a classless jackass Tbow and JC ate it . Simple mistake. Or did Bob get hornswoggled? Why he dropped cfb game imo. I won't hold it against Bob. Brent's in charge now. A man with "class" knowledge, experience and dignity. One who could bail out JC and OUr program. šŸ‘
 
Last edited:

ETU

New member
Feb 5, 2003
58,648
4,720
0
Nobody is Ragging on Bob but he had a hand in OU's decline especially OU's defense and bringing Riley to OU to replace Heupel because fans and donors were bitching about his offense and wanted him gone. I don't really think Bob wanted to fire Josh but was forced to, jmo.
We saw a similar situation with Brent after Mike was brought back in, Brents defenses were not anything like the defense he put together at Clemson. Mike was brought back in to help and they were both named Co DC's and what happened? Yep Brent left for Clemson and flourished winning 2 National Titles while he was there. Just this past season I saw where fans were saying they wanted Brent fired and Josh named as the HC because Josh had one good yr at Tennessee, crazy talk as if Josh would return as HC at OU, I highly doubt it.
One can't help but wonder what might have been had Josh stayed and eventually replaced Bob instead of TBOW replacing him. The same could also be applied to the Mike and Brent situation. One of Bobs biggest blunders was bringing Mike back and OU's Defense still hasn't recovered from that. In short Bob is not above criticism for OU's woes before and after he left. I would guess he would do things different in hindsight but wouldn't we all.
Well stated, 67. I think Bob was very good for OU but I’m not deaf, dumb and blind. Bob deserves a hell of lot of credit but he’s wasn’t the best when it counted.
 

ppchj98

New member
Oct 22, 2006
0
2
0
Well stated, 67. I think Bob was very good for OU but I’m not deaf, dumb and blind. Bob deserves a hell of lot of credit but he’s wasn’t the best when it counted.
I'd bring Bob back in a heartbeat. But I believe Brent will deliver. šŸ‘
 
O

OUSOONER67

Guest
Well stated, 67. I think Bob was very good for OU but I’m not deaf, dumb and blind. Bob deserves a hell of lot of credit but he’s wasn’t the best when it counted.
Bob did a lot of good but he had some major blunders as well. Hey it happens and unfortunately some of those got us where we are today. Bob being a former DC and seeing how the Defense got so bad is one of the biggest head scratchers of all.
 
O

OUnabomber

Guest
Saban is 71. I remember when Alabama law required that Bear Bryant retire at 70.

Ragging on Bob Stoops is pretty common on Scoop, but it is mostly inaccurate. Oklahoma is at a severe recruiting disadvantage in today's college game. Throw in the changes leading to NIL and quick, easy transfers it's no wonder that a 62 year old coach of excellence, would rather coach pros than college guys. Bob is a great coach. The changes he brought to college football 24 years ago revolutionized the game. Most are still in place.

His record in conference titles are poohpoohed by too many OU fans, but considering his record compared to Texas, which has all the recruiting advantages we lack, is remarkable. We were so lucky to have him. Bob was essentially the same age as Barry when he left the college game. He was five years older than Bud, when he retired.

What Bob did for OU when TBOW pulled the USC crap, is a reflection of who he is, and what a man of integrity looks like. Questioning his effort or dedication is just wrong.
Bob is a solid OU guy, but he did have some issues when he left. Recruiting was down and his refusing to ever take responsibility got old. As did his sour attitude with any media member that questioned him.
 

Rob Lewis_rivals

New member
Aug 27, 2001
251,678
4,320
0
Stoops resurrected Oklahoma football after the dreadful 1990's decade and at a time when I was concerned about this football program fading into obscurity for the rest of my life.
He had some downfalls as a coach, as Wilkinson and Switzer did, like the three losses to LSU, USC and Florida in games deciding the national championship, but Stoops is most definitely a HOF coach.
My regard for Stoops rose even higher when he volunteered to coach OU in its game with Oregon after Riley's chickenshit betrayal. He had that team ready....and he also had Caleb Williams at quarterback, something Venables did not have last year.
 

Raysor

Well-known member
Mar 29, 2002
633
7,442
93
Stoops resurrected Oklahoma football after the dreadful 1990's decade and at a time when I was concerned about this football program fading into obscurity for the rest of my life.
He had some downfalls as a coach, as Wilkinson and Switzer did, like the three losses to LSU, USC and Florida in games deciding the national championship, but Stoops is most definitely a HOF coach.
My regard for Stoops rose even higher when he volunteered to coach OU in its game with Oregon after Riley's chickenshit betrayal. He had that team ready....and he also had Caleb Williams at quarterback, something Venables did not have last year.
There is one OU football player who was a year younger than I, whom I kept up with for more than 30 years after we graduated. We coached against each other in youth football for two or three years, starting when his son was 9. And then I did his house for more than a decade, and then his daughters house for close to 20 years.

He and I had discussions multiple times in the 90's about the topic you raised above. Could OU be great again, or was in over? I was more pessimistic than he was. But I feared that the dynamic of the Big XII, with Nebraska winning two natty's, or maybe you count it as three. And the juggernaut of Texas recruiting about the time that sites like this started not only to report in depth recruiting news, but with ties to Longhorn alums, seeming to promote UT interests. Could OU possibly overcome it.

Then Texas' president got the other conference presidents got put restrictions on recruiting, tougher than NCAA standards. The only person madder about that then me, was Dr. Tom Osborne. We seemed doomed to mediocrity. Bob Stoops changed than in two years. Really less than that, with the events of October, 2000.

I hadn't been to an OU football game in more than two decades. In 2000, I went to three games, including the big page turned, when came from down 0-14 to win 31-14 over the number one ranked Huskers. the third of the three huge wins in Red October. That season, and what it meant to all of us who'd been fans of OU football since the 60's or before, is why I defend Bob to the hilt. There is no recent greatness without him. With just a little more luck, he might have a couple more natty's.

But especially when you're OU, you need some luck, especially with injuries. Because we're never going to have the roster depth that schools from places with instate high school talent depth in the recruiting base, are going to have. It's just the way it is. That being said, I'm okay with winning conference titles half the time. We'll see how much that changes in the SEC. But I think a college team's goal in football always has to be to win your conference, then see what you can do in the post season. That, especially with the new paradigm.

I'm 71. I likely don't have much more than a decade, if that, given my recent health issues. If we compete for a natty, I'll be thrilled. But I don't have to have that every year to be happy. I'll ***** and moan about something with every loss. But my time at OU was the start of the second dynasty. Part of how that happened, was finding that great recruit, that everybody wanted to come play with, and great instate talent. Now, Oklahoma high school football hurts us. It's going on everywhere. I.E. too many great players end up at so few schools. It discourages great talent from hanging around to become great football players.

I want BV to make us really great again. I guess by 2025 we'll know if he'll have a chance at that. But if we have, say, four double digit win season in the next four years, I'll want better than that, but I'll be okay with it.
 
Last edited:

Rob Lewis_rivals

New member
Aug 27, 2001
251,678
4,320
0
Good post, Plaino.
Oklahoma high school football has declined since the days of the Selmons, Steve Owens and Gerald McCoy for sure.
But if OU can improve getting the best talent from the Tulsa and OKC areas, then succeeding in Dixie along with its usually good Texas haul, there's every reason to believe OU can return to greatness.
Venables' time at Clemson can pay off big time for OU as he knows the southeast area well and perhaps can sway some talent away from Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida.
Eight of the 2023 class hail from Dixie and that should improve soon.
I also believe OU will start playing "big boy" football with better defensive and overall physical play under Venables' coaching.
 
O

OUnabomber

Guest
Stoops resurrected Oklahoma football after the dreadful 1990's decade and at a time when I was concerned about this football program fading into obscurity for the rest of my life.
He had some downfalls as a coach, as Wilkinson and Switzer did, like the three losses to LSU, USC and Florida in games deciding the national championship, but Stoops is most definitely a HOF coach.
My regard for Stoops rose even higher when he volunteered to coach OU in its game with Oregon after Riley's chickenshit betrayal. He had that team ready....and he also had Caleb Williams at quarterback, something Venables did not have last year.
I'm not anti bob stoops, I just believe he had slipped a little bit towards the end and I do think it was time for him to go. Too bad his replacement turned out to be an idiot
 

ppchj98

New member
Oct 22, 2006
0
2
0
Bob is a man of integrity. He got out of cfb at just the right imo. Good for him. Bob's got some smarts. I wish him nothing but success after the 17 years he gave us. 😁
 

Raysor

Well-known member
Mar 29, 2002
633
7,442
93
I believe a small part of Bob's decision to leave, was that he wanted his boys to have a fair shot for playing time, without having the specter of "It's only because of who their daddy is," hanging over their heads. Drake has proven himself. Bob's decision is part of that, IMO.