Stoops finds a fit with Luck & XFL
Oliver Luck introduced Bob Stoops as the coach/general manager of the new XFL's Dallas franchise, and out walked Stoops with the clue on how he's approaching this bombshell of a hire. The beard remained. Stoops retained the international symbol of relaxation – or boredom. From Stoops to Howard Sprague, a new beard is the sign that your life has changed. Now Stoops is changing his life again, only not completely. That beard reinforced what we all figured was the case upon hearing this wild tale. That Stoops misses football. Not
the recruiting. Not the midnight phone calls. Not the fundraising.
But the football, that was a void. And when Luck realized it, he pounced.
Luck, the chief executive officer of the fledgling professional football league, is commissioned with hiring coach/GMs for each of the XFL's eight franchises. In a previous life, Luck was the West Virginia athletic director and hired Dana Holgorsen to coach the Mountaineers.
Luck and Holgorsen ran into each in New York during National Football Foundation festivities in December. And Holgorsen mentioned he socialized a little with Stoops the night before and theorized that Stoops missed coaching.
“That's all I needed,” Luck said.
Luck, a former WVU quarterback but owner of a University of Texas law degree, said he began his coaching searches like any good attorney. With a yellow legal pad. On that pad were his ideal coaches. Former NFL head coaches. College coaches on the hot seat. Veteran coordinators. Young phenoms. And retired coaches. The list was fluid as jobs changed.
“There was only one name that didn't move at all and was literally at the top of my list, and that was Bob,” Luck said.
Since retiring from OU in June 2017, Stoops repeatedly has said he wanted and now enjoys being in charge of his own time. But he's also admitted to a certain restlessness, that he feels like something else was still out there for him. He didn't sound like a guy who wanted to coach the Cleveland Browns or Ohio State, but he also didn't sound like a guy who was ready to give up the gridiron.
When Stoops' agent first mentioned the XFL opportunity, Stoops said his response was that it wasn't a good fit. Then Luck called, and Stoops began to reconsider.
Credit Luck. Remember how much Stoops valued trust and familiarity at OU. He worked with the same president, David Boren, and athletic director, Joe Castiglione, all 18 Sooner seasons.
And Luck is someone widely respected in sport
– he left West Virginia to become executive vice president of the NCAA and well-known to Stoops.
They are the same age, 58. They have the same Ohio background; Luck attended St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Stoops attended Cardinal Mooney in Youngstown. And they spent many a day together in Big 12 meetings.
Maybe Stoops would have taken this job without Luck, but it would have required someone like Luck to make it happen. “Oliver sure has a great reputation,” Stoops said.
The XFL season runs February through April, so the first four months of the year, Stoops will be quite busy. But the other eight months, he can set his schedule while building a Dallas roster. It will be a demanding job, but it won't be a time-consuming job, like every football coaching post from Kansas City to Cardinal Mooney.
“My belief is, and this is not specific to Bob, but anybody who would leave coaching misses the camaraderie,” Luck said. “That's the reason most guys play and coach. You miss the locker room, you miss being in front of the team, you miss the camaraderie. I think everybody does.
“When I left West Virginia, I didn't miss meetings with my board of trustees, or meeting with my president, though I liked Gordon Gee a lot. I missed being in the locker room with Bob Huggins after a big victory. I missed beating Texas in Memorial Stadium. You can't replicate that.”
Now Stoops gets to try to recapture that camaraderie. And keep his beard, staying relaxed.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.