Sam Bradford, Bob Stoops to serve on search committee to find Joe Castiglione's replacement

As Oklahoma begins its search for a new athletics director to replace Joe Castiglione, it does so with some heavy hitters aiding the search. The program announced Monday that both Sam Bradford and Bob Stoops will be on the search committee to find Castiglione’s replacement.

Bradford is a former Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, while Stoops is a long-time former Oklahoma coach. Both are extremely well regarded in OU circles.

Oklahoma announced two weeks ago that Castiglione would be stepping down at the end of the calendar year. He served as the program’s athletics director for 28 years, making him one of the longest tenured college sports executives in the country.

Joe Castiglione, 67, was hired as the program’s athletic director in the summer of 1998. Since then, he has overseen 26 national championships — including the football program’s 2000 championship — and 117 league titles. He also played a significant role in the Sooners’ transition from the Big 12 to the SEC, and the Sooners’ recent hire of Jim Nagy as the new football general manager.

Baker Mayfield: ‘That one hurts’

The news of Joe Castiglione’s retirement hit Sooner Nation hard. Former quarterback Baker Mayfield was quick to react when he heard the news.

“That one hurts,” Baker Mayfield said. “Joe C’s obviously been an instrumental part of what Oklahoma sports in general, not just football, but everything that he’s done here to raise standards around here, it’s going to be tough to see him go.”

It’s been Joe Castiglione who helped lead Oklahoma into the SEC. On top of that, he’s been spearheading efforts in the new era of revenue sharing, NIL, and the Transfer Portal to modernize the athletic department.

“But he’s going out on a high note,” Mayfield said. “He’s carried this athletic program for a long time. Him and his family have done a great job representing the community and this university. Set a very high standard for a long time.”

Brent Venables: ‘It’s bittersweet’

Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables also commented on the news of Joe Castiglione’s impending retirement. He, of course, was hired by Joe Castiglione.

It’s a big change for the Sooners, and it’s a big change for Venables, too. Venables was on the road when he got the call from Castiglione about his retirement, and he gave his first thoughts on that news during SEC Media Days on Wednesday.

“What more can you say? He’s been at the top of the food chain for a long time,” Venables said. “Nobody’s done it better than Joe Castiglione… He’s represented excellence, humility, great vision, and he was a great friend. Really fortunate to have aligned with him for a long time. My wife and I, we celebrated 28 years of marriage, and 17 of those—going on 18 of those years were done here in Norman.

“The first thing I think about with Oklahoma though, for me and us, is Joe. None of us would be here today; I certainly wouldn’t, Coach Stoops wouldn’t, if it weren’t for his belief in me and us.”

On3’s Jesse Crittenden and Dan Morrison also contributed to this report.