After nearly two decades as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, Bob Stoops has elected to step down from his successful role. After five straight losing seasons in the mid-90’s, Stoops was hired on Dec. 1, 1998, after five. His first OU team went 7-5 and then after that, they hit the ground running.
Since 2000, Stoops’ Oklahoma teams have been ranked in the preseason top 20 every season and outside of the top 10 only four times. On the flipside, his teams finished in the top 10 of the preseason ranks only six times, twice unranked. He’s never suffered more than five losses in a season and recorded only three single-digit win seasons.
The 56-year-old Stoops will step down and Oklahoma’s 33-year-old offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will succeed him.
Following from Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman.
Bob Stoops, one of the three coaching giants of Oklahoma’s century-long football excellence, plans to tell his team Wednesday that he will retire after 18 seasons as the Sooner head coach.
An OU source said offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will take over as head coach.
It is expected that Stoops will remain with the university in some capacity.
Riley, 33, a native of Muleshoe, Texas, has been at OU for two seasons.
“Great young coach, the program’s in great shape,” the source said. “Good recruiting class. Got a great young coach that anybody would want to have, ready to go. He’s as good a coach as there in America, at this stage in his career.
“And Bob got to do it in his way. Doesn’t get any better than that.”
In 18 years under Stoops, the Oklahoma went 190-48. The Sooners won nine outright Big 12 titles under Stoops and tied for one more. He won the 2000 National Championship just shortly after taking over the team in 1999.
