More Stoops Talk: Maybe His Dream Job is… Iowa?
College Football, Video BigBrainOnBrett December 3rd. 2009, 5:40pm
I used to have a “Church of Stoops” t-shirt. While, yes, the “Big Game Bob” reputation has faded (BCS losses will do that), it’s still fairly remarkable how quickly (less than 2 years) he won a national championship at Oklahoma and also ridiculous how many Big 12 titles (6) he’s won and how won BCS title games he’s appeared in (4). It’s not entirely easy to get 17 year-old alpha males to want to spend 3-4 years in Norman, Oklahoma, is it? You’d assume — from a recruiting perspective — that Carroll, Meyer, Brown and even someone like Steve Sarkisian have it much easier.
Notre Dame needs a quick fix (like Rich Rod right now, whoever gets this job will be “on the hot seat” if they aren’t winning 8-9 games by Season II) and Stoops woulda been great a great get. Say whatcha will about his non-denials, denials, throwing ESPN’s Adam Schefter under the bus and all that: it seems he’s staying at Oklahoma, at least for now. But if one job could lure him away, it probably wouldn’t be Touchdown Jesus. It might be Kirk Ferentz’s cornfields.
Don’t believe me? Before we consider the logistics of whether Stoops could ever coach at Iowa, let’s look at some of the evidence:
1. Hayden Fry is his mentor: Let’s start with Stoops’ bio from Sooner Sports:
3. Carol Stoops: There are tons of rumors about how coaches’ wives impact job decisions. People have said that about Terri Saban, Shelley Meyer and more. Here’s the thing with Carol Stoops: not to say other coaches’ wives aren’t successful in their own right, but Stoops seems pretty balling within the world of Mary Kay. It’s possible she doesn’t want to leave Norman for South Bend … yet. (I have no idea how a Mary Kay director would operate in either place, so I assume it’s possible wherever.) However, if coaching Iowa is truly her husband’s dream, she might be ready to bounce by 2015 when his Sooners deal is up … or even sooner. (We’ll get to how possible this is after one more point.)
4. Schedule: Stoops loses a bunch of talent, including Bradford, McCoy, Williams and Gresham. Texas will swap Mack Brown for Will Muschamp in the next few years. Things won’t get tremendously easier there. Mike Leach might leave for another job — Louisville, UVA — but if he stays, that’s always an offense that can hang 40 on you. Nebraska is getting better (at least defensively) under Pelini. Okie State is getting better (yes, Stoops just pasted them). It’s a tough conference, all things considered (yes, very few people play defense). If he went to the Big Ten in a few years, he’d contend with Tressel (tough on occasion), Paterno (might be gone in 3 years), whoever is running Michigan (could be tough) and a bunch of bridesmaid programs (Minnesota, MSU, Wisco, etc). It would be a helpful way to get that ol’ “Big Game Bob” reputation back.
OK, So Could It Happen?
What is Kirk Ferentz’s current deal? It runs through 2015.
Would Ferentz ever get fired? This doesn’t seem likely. He’s also a Hayden Fry dude, he got a massive contract after a string of meh seasons at Iowa, and chances are he goes to a BCS bowl this year (you can argue PSU will get that slot, but Iowa did beat PSU head-to-head). Also: he almost won the Big Ten title as a 16.5-point dog with a frosh QB. His seat isn’t hot, let’s say that.
So what does this all mean? In 2015, Stoops and Ferentz both end their current deals. Stoops will be 55. Ferentz will be 60. If Bobby wants to go home to Iowa for a tour of duty to honor Fry, his dad and his start in the game, well, to quote the kid from Angels in the Outfield , “Hey, it could happen.”
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5team will bump in 2015???
College Football, Video BigBrainOnBrett December 3rd. 2009, 5:40pm
I used to have a “Church of Stoops” t-shirt. While, yes, the “Big Game Bob” reputation has faded (BCS losses will do that), it’s still fairly remarkable how quickly (less than 2 years) he won a national championship at Oklahoma and also ridiculous how many Big 12 titles (6) he’s won and how won BCS title games he’s appeared in (4). It’s not entirely easy to get 17 year-old alpha males to want to spend 3-4 years in Norman, Oklahoma, is it? You’d assume — from a recruiting perspective — that Carroll, Meyer, Brown and even someone like Steve Sarkisian have it much easier.
Notre Dame needs a quick fix (like Rich Rod right now, whoever gets this job will be “on the hot seat” if they aren’t winning 8-9 games by Season II) and Stoops woulda been great a great get. Say whatcha will about his non-denials, denials, throwing ESPN’s Adam Schefter under the bus and all that: it seems he’s staying at Oklahoma, at least for now. But if one job could lure him away, it probably wouldn’t be Touchdown Jesus. It might be Kirk Ferentz’s cornfields.Don’t believe me? Before we consider the logistics of whether Stoops could ever coach at Iowa, let’s look at some of the evidence:
1. Hayden Fry is his mentor: Let’s start with Stoops’ bio from Sooner Sports:
The son of a coach, Stoops was a four-year starter at Iowa. He began his coaching career in 1983 as a volunteer in the Hawkeye program under Hayden Fry.
Then let’s go to this New York Times piece from 2004’s college football preview:
On the morning of Ron Stoops’s funeral in October 1988, his widow ran over to Iowa Coach Hayden Fry with tears streaming down her face.
”Coach Fry, you’ve got to help me,” Dee Stoops said. ”Something is wrong.”
She brought Fry to the front of the church, to her husband’s coffin. A folded Iowa football jersey rested on his chest. She and Fry removed his suit jacket and tie, replacing them with the black No. 41 jersey with gold lettering. It was the same No. 41 that three of Ron Stoops’s sons wore at Iowa. After they repositioned his body in the coffin, Dee Stoops looked down and smiled.
From later in the same article:”Coach Fry, you’ve got to help me,” Dee Stoops said. ”Something is wrong.”
She brought Fry to the front of the church, to her husband’s coffin. A folded Iowa football jersey rested on his chest. She and Fry removed his suit jacket and tie, replacing them with the black No. 41 jersey with gold lettering. It was the same No. 41 that three of Ron Stoops’s sons wore at Iowa. After they repositioned his body in the coffin, Dee Stoops looked down and smiled.
”They’re one of the greatest families that I’ve ever known,” Fry said.
2. “It probably changed the course of our whole family:” When Arizona traveled to Iowa this season, it was a homecoming for Mike Stoops, who also played for the Hawkeyes. In this article, he notes Bob almost transferred out of Iowa but (obviously) chose not to, adding:
“I’m glad he stuck it out,” Mike Stoops said. “It probably changed the course of our whole family.”
That’s powerful.
3. Carol Stoops: There are tons of rumors about how coaches’ wives impact job decisions. People have said that about Terri Saban, Shelley Meyer and more. Here’s the thing with Carol Stoops: not to say other coaches’ wives aren’t successful in their own right, but Stoops seems pretty balling within the world of Mary Kay. It’s possible she doesn’t want to leave Norman for South Bend … yet. (I have no idea how a Mary Kay director would operate in either place, so I assume it’s possible wherever.) However, if coaching Iowa is truly her husband’s dream, she might be ready to bounce by 2015 when his Sooners deal is up … or even sooner. (We’ll get to how possible this is after one more point.)
4. Schedule: Stoops loses a bunch of talent, including Bradford, McCoy, Williams and Gresham. Texas will swap Mack Brown for Will Muschamp in the next few years. Things won’t get tremendously easier there. Mike Leach might leave for another job — Louisville, UVA — but if he stays, that’s always an offense that can hang 40 on you. Nebraska is getting better (at least defensively) under Pelini. Okie State is getting better (yes, Stoops just pasted them). It’s a tough conference, all things considered (yes, very few people play defense). If he went to the Big Ten in a few years, he’d contend with Tressel (tough on occasion), Paterno (might be gone in 3 years), whoever is running Michigan (could be tough) and a bunch of bridesmaid programs (Minnesota, MSU, Wisco, etc). It would be a helpful way to get that ol’ “Big Game Bob” reputation back.
OK, So Could It Happen?
What is Kirk Ferentz’s current deal? It runs through 2015.
Would Ferentz ever get fired? This doesn’t seem likely. He’s also a Hayden Fry dude, he got a massive contract after a string of meh seasons at Iowa, and chances are he goes to a BCS bowl this year (you can argue PSU will get that slot, but Iowa did beat PSU head-to-head). Also: he almost won the Big Ten title as a 16.5-point dog with a frosh QB. His seat isn’t hot, let’s say that.
So what does this all mean? In 2015, Stoops and Ferentz both end their current deals. Stoops will be 55. Ferentz will be 60. If Bobby wants to go home to Iowa for a tour of duty to honor Fry, his dad and his start in the game, well, to quote the kid from Angels in the Outfield , “Hey, it could happen.”
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5team will bump in 2015???
