Bob Stoops shares retirement, program transition advice with Urban Meyer
By Keith Farner
Published:
There are few coaches who leave college football with the ability to coach again, but former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is one of them, and he’s one of the few people who might relate to the feelings Urban Meyer has as he enters retirement from Ohio State.
Stoops had a similar end to his career as Meyer, and they both were in their mid-50s, and the program transition also both went to an up-and-coming offensive coordinator. Meyer, 54, announced his retirement Tuesday morning after seven years at Ohio State, three days after winning the Big Ten Championship. The Buckeyes promoted offensive coordinator Ryan Day.
After 18 years at Oklahoma, Stoops was 56 when he announced his retirement in June 2017. He handed the program to offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who has taken the Sooners to consecutive Big 12 championships and two College Football Playoff appearances.
“It’s not easy, let me tell you,” Stoops said, according to USATODAY. “I’d tell him, ‘Have some patience.’ It takes time. It’s such a drastic difference. It takes a lot.
“I’m still not adjusted – but there’s still time.”
Stoops said Oklahoma’s transition was incredibly smooth, and he’s happy that the program continues to thrive.
Riley and Day each showed the ability to take over the program, which could have played a part in both decisions.
“It was obvious to me (Riley was ready),” Stoops said, “and I think that’s why I got the feeling that I did. … To me, it was important that our program continue in a great way. I thought, ‘You know, this is an opportunity for me to do what I want to do in life, whatever that may be.’ But bottom line, here’s an opportunity for me to step away and leave it going as smoothly as possible.
“I not only was looking out for me, but looking out for the program and me. I found the right blend that, ‘You know what? This is perfect.’
“Hopefully for Urban, it works out great for him.”
One difference between them is that Meyer spent a year out of coaching between the Florida and Ohio State jobs. So Stoops figures he has an idea of what to expect, though this could be different.
“The intensity, the competition, the challenge of this,” he said. “But also for all of us that played as well as coached, it’s been 40 years of my life I’ve been with a gang of guys. It’s like, you always had your crew and all of the sudden you don’t have a crew anymore. You’ve got your players and your coaches and a fraternity of guys you’re constantly interacting with every single day, and all of the sudden you go to being alone. So that’s not easy to handle.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
