Tag: Bob Stoops

Hayden Fry’s Coaching Tree Spread to South Bend for Decades

When you take a look you find the names of Bob, Mark and Mike Stoops, Bill Snyder, Kirk Ferentz and Bret Bielema along with plenty of others.

You’ll also find a pair of former Notre Dame defensive coordinators that led Notre Dame to their two most-recent national championship game appearances.

Former Iowa head coach, the legendary Hayden Fry died on Tuesday at the age of 90 after battling cancer.

Fry is best known for his 20 years as the head coach at Iowa where he took the Hawkeyes from being a Big Ten doormat to 14 bowl games including three appearances in the Rose Bowl.  Iowa has been back to Pasadena just once since his career ended following the 1998 season.

Notre Dame and Iowa haven’t met on the gridiron since October of 1968 so Fry never went head-to-head coaching against Notre Dame while with Iowa.

What you’ll hear many discuss when Fry is remembered is his flat-out ridiculous coaching tree.

When you take a look you find the names of Bob, Mark and Mike Stoops, Bill Snyder, Kirk Ferentz and Bret Bielema along with plenty of others.

You’ll also find a pair of former Notre Dame defensive coordinators that led Notre Dame to their two most-recent national championship game appearances.

Before getting to Notre Dame as part of Lou Holtz’s staff in 1987, Barry Alvarez was linebackers coach at Iowa for Fry from 1979-86, joining Fry’s staff after a brief but successful run as a head high school coach in Iowa.

Fry is said to have been upset when Alvarez left Iowa to work with Holtz but was even more enraged when Alvarez eventually took the Wisconsin job in 1990 and hired away a couple of Fry’s most valued assistants.

The other name you’ll see on Fry’s coaching tree that will be especially familiar for Notre Dame fans is that of Bob Diaco.

Diaco played for Fry from 1992-95, earning a spot on the All Big Ten second-team as a linebacker in 1995.  He also got his start in coaching as a grad-assistant under Fry in 1996 and ’97.

“Bob Diaco is one of the all-time great leaders I’ve had in 47 years of coaching” Fry said of Diaco in 2013.

Fry died Tuesday at the age of 90.

His career ended with a record of 232-178-6 with stops at SMU and North Texas (State) before landing at Iowa.  Fry was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

 

Six former Oklahoma head coaches make ESPN’s top 150 all-time coaches list

The Holy Trinity of Oklahoma: Bud, Barry, and Bob. The trio top the list of Oklahoma head coaches in ESPN’s 150 greatest coaches…

The Holy Trinity of Oklahoma: Bud, Barry, and Bob.

The trio top the list of Oklahoma head coaches in ESPN’s 150 greatest coaches in college football’s 150-year history.

Bud  Wilkinson just missed out on making the top five, coming in at No. 6. Not only did he lead the Sooners to a 47-game win streak from 1953-57 but also a 31-game win streak from 1948-50. Wilkinson’s use of the Split T formation drew from then Missouri head coach Don Farout, dominating the Tigers and nearly everyone else with the formation. Wilkinson is tenth all-time in career winning percentage, touting a 145-29-4 record (.826) and won three of Oklahoma’s seven national championships (1950, 1955, 1956).

The King comes in at No. 13. Barry Switzer’s brashness was always backed up with his teams’ play. With a .622 winning percentage against ranked opponents, Switzer’s Sooners of the ’70s and ’80s were going to do one thing and one thing only: beat their opponent’s ass. Thanks to Switzer, Oklahoma fans can claim the 1974, 1975 and 1985 national championships as well as their cult following of Brian Bosworth.

Bob Stoops rings the bell as the No. 29 best coach of all-time. Stoops, who is the coach of the XFL’s Dallas Renegades and not the Florida State Seminoles, won the seventh national championship for the Sooners following the 2000 season. Besides the lone BCS crystal ball, Stoops never had a losing season with 14 of his 18 teams winning at least 10 games.

Other coaches with Oklahoma ties to make the list include No. 68 Lynn (Pappy) Waldorf (Oklahoma City Univ./ Oklahoma A&M), No. 82 Jim Tatum (Oklahoma, 1946), No. 93 Howard Schnellenberger (Oklahoma, 1995) and No. 115 Bennie Owen (Oklahoma, 1905-26).

For the full list, click here.

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Lincoln Riley: “Appreciate (Bob Stoops)…none of this would have happened without him”

On the field after Oklahoma’s 30-23 overtime win over Baylor in the Big 12 Championship, there was a familiar face running around. 

On the field after Oklahoma’s 30-23 overtime win over Baylor in the Big 12 Championship, there was a familiar face running around.

Now XFL Dallas Renegades head coach Bob Stoops was celebrating with former players, taking pictures with his son and walk-on wide receiver Drake Stoops and making sure everyone made the team picture.

After the firing of offensive coordinator Josh Heupel following the 2014 season, Stoops took a chance on now Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley out of East Carolina.

The Sooners have strung together five-straight Big 12 Championships since.

Riley also found Stoops, with the two snapping a picture. Oklahoma’s head ball coach tweeted out, Appreciate this guy…none of this would have happened without him.”

Oklahoma has not only won three-straight Big 12 Championships with Riley, but has also made two-straight College Football Playoffs and likely making that three-straight.

The Sooners will find out that College Football Playoff fate on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

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Five years later: A retelling of Samaje Perine’s record-breaking 427-yard game

On this day five years ago, Samaje Perine did the unthinkable. Sooners Wire’s Brayden Conover was there, takes you through the historic day.

Records and awards are broken and won all the time at the University of Oklahoma.

While going through one of the worst seasons in the Bob Stoops’ Era, you’d be hard pressed to find a better moment or performance than Samaje Perine’s 427-yard NCAA record breaking performance. 

Perine, a freshman at the time, carried it 34 times to break Melvin Gordon’s record set a week prior, and TCU great LaDainian Tomlinson’s that was set in 1999. 

On the fifth anniversary of this performance, Sooners Wire’s Brayden Conover gives you his perspective on that day from inside Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

NOV. 22, 2014.

It was a rainy, chilly and dreary Saturday in Oklahoma.

Just as we always did, my step-dad and I got to our seats plenty early to watch warmups. We sat in section 18, row five, seats 26-28 so we had a close view of the visiting team’s warmups and would throw kicking balls that escaped the net in the North end zone back to trainers. After a lengthy lightening delay, we made our way back to our seats, already drenched and oblivious to what was about to take place.

We knew that with the weather, the Sooners would likely keep it on the ground with a combination of Samaje Perine, Keith Ford and Alex Ross.

Perine, though, had other plans.

On Oklahoma’s first possession, Perine stayed on the sideline as Ford got the start. After a negative one yard run and two five yard gains from Ford, the Sooners punted away.

Oklahoma regained possession after a Kansas three-and-out. This time, Perine jogged onto the field. All he needed was one play to kick off his historic day, taking it 49 yards to the house on the first play of the drive. The smallest crowd I’ve seen at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium erupted as the Perine gained the lead for the Sooners.

On the next drive, Ford checks back in and fumbles after two plays, giving Kansas the ball.

After an uneventful rest of the quarter, Perine finished with 61 yards on six carries after the first quarter and the Sooners were up 10-0.

From there, Oklahoma’s career rushing yards leader took over.

In the second-quarter, Perine tallied 161 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. He dominated the Jayhawks to the tune of 222 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 first half carries.

At halftime, there were rumblings that if he kept the pace, he would break Melvin Gordon’s record of 408 rushing yards that was set just the week prior as Wisconsin beat Nebraska also on a rainy Madison, Wisconsin day. Of course, no one really thought a true freshman would break a record that was previously held by TCU’s LaDainian Tomlison (406 yards) and stood for nearly 16 seasons just seven days after the new bar was set.

But once again, Perine had other plans.

On Oklahoma’s first possession of the third quarter, Perine once again needed just one play. Running 66 yards for a touchdown, the crowd that remained knew they were in for a treat.

The chants began as the offense jogged off the field.

“PERINE! PERINE! PERINE!”

The 30,000 or so fans that remained, had their voices heard as the chants reverberated against the empty metal bleachers.

Some 288 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries with 13:56 left in the third. Everyone in the stadium hoped the defense could get the ball back as soon as possible, just to see No. 32 trot out there again.

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Florida State Reportedly Interested in Brian Kelly

Fast-forward 17 days and we have found claims that Florida State is indeed interested in Notre Dame’s Kelly as their next head coach.

When Florida State fired head coach Willie Taggart back on November 3 we were quick to tell you to be on the lookout for rumors about whoever your favorite head coach is to be taking the job in Tallahassee, Brian Kelly included.

Fast-forward 17 days and we have found claims that Florida State is indeed interested in Notre Dame’s Kelly as their next head coach.

Bud Elliott and Ingram Smith of NoleCast cite independent sources that Florida State has interest in Brian Kelly and give reasons behind why it would at least a hair of sense.

“Two people have told us FSU has interest in Brian Kelly”

“There’s a little bit of question about the fit, but the proven track record of hiring assistant coaches and having them get promoted to other jobs and hiring new ones who are as good or better is really impressive.”

“He’s a really good recruiter with his staff. I think he knows what goes on in the south east, because we know he’s recruited some of these guys, and not always gotten them, but we know that’s due to some of the academic stuff” 

-NoleCast Podcast on November 19, 2019

Elliott and Smith also discuss how Notre Dame’s academic standards and the difficulty winning big with them creates would make the Florida State job appealing to Kelly.

I get where they’re coming from and if you’re Florida State you should be looking anywhere and everywhere for a proven coach who is going to turn their recent sorry state of affairs around.  As much as I’m not a Florida State fan, they’re a team that the game of college football, or at least the ACC, is just better when they’re good.

My only question though: Why would Kelly have any interest in going to a Florida State program where a massive rebuild is needed just to get in the same ballpark as Clemson, let alone pass them?

How likely is it to happen?

On a scale of “Beating Bowling Green to Lennay Kekua”  I’d be somewhere near George O’Leary but short of Kekua.

Bob Stoops is not a candidate for Florida State job, per report

It’s the story that won’t stop turning. Former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops has been rumored to be the next head coach at Florida State.

It’s the story that won’t stop turning.

Just ten days ago, smoke was billowing out of Tallahassee, Florida, that former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was close to signing a deal to become the head coach at Florida State. Longtime Oklahoma football beat writer Carey Murdock of SoonerScoop.com debunked that rumor then, but the story wouldn’t go away.

A week after, Stoops to Florida State was heating up again.

Now, the Stoops-to-Florida State rumors can come to a screeching halt as he is no lot or no longer a candidate for the Seminoles’ job, via the Tallahassee Democrat of the USA TODAY Network. According to the report, Florida State had been in contact with representatives of the former Oklahoma head coach, but he is not a candidate for the vacant coaching position.

Stoops should now be able to focus on his new job as the general manager and head coach of the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. Dallas’ first game is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2020.

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