Stoops Named Eddie Robinson/ FWAA Coach of the Year

Jan. 12, 2001

PHOENIX - Oklahoma's youthful coach Bob Stoops won the Eddie Robinson/FWAA Coach of the Year Award given annually to the top coach in Division I-A football during a banquet on Thursday night at The Phoenician Resort.

Stoops, 40, who directed the Sooners to the 2000 national championship during his second year at the school, won the award after a month-long balloting by the Football Writers Association of America. The FWAA has presented a coaching award since 1957. But Stoops is the first Oklahoma coach to win the award.

The gala banquet was hosted by Fox Sports Net's Kevin Frazier and Kellen Winslow. A premiere telecast will take place on most FSN networks across the country Friday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. local time (check local listings). FWAA president Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World presented Stoops the bust of Robinson. Stoops beat out Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson and Louisville coach John L. Smith for the award.

Legendary Grambling State University Coach Eddie Robinson, the winningest coach in college football history, was on hand at the banquet for the announcement of the winner. During his 55-year coaching career, Robinson amassed 408 wins and led Grambling to 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles, nine black college national championships and had a streak of 27 consecutive winning seasons from 1960-1986.

It took Stoops just two seasons to return the Sooners to national prominence in claiming their seventh national championship. The Sooners were the only team to finish the 2000 regular season with an undefeated record, with several impressive victories along the way. They defeated Florida State, 13-2, in the FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 3 to win the Sooners' first national title in 15 years.

The Sooners capped their unblemished run through the regular season with a 27-24 victory over Kansas State in the Big 12 championship. Stoops guided OU to wins over No. 2 Kansas State and No. 1 Nebraska in consecutive weeks, marking the first time in NCAA history that one program has beaten the top two ranked teams in back-to-back games.

In just 25 games, Stoops won the hearts of Sooner fans across the country by leading OU to its first back-to-back winning seasons since 1990-91, consecutive bowl appearances since 1993-94 and the top spot in both national polls. Stoops engineered his own brand of football once he took over at Oklahoma, changing the offense, defense and special teams.

Oklahoma enters the national championship game with a 12-game winning streak, the longest in major college football. It's the first-ever 13-0 season for the Sooners and their first conference title since 1987. Offensively, OU ended the regular season ranked 13th nationally in total offense, ninth in passing and eighth in scoring. On defense, Oklahoma held the 18th best scoring defense in the nation.

Erickson led Oregon State to its best season in history, just two years after the Beavers established an NCAA record with 28 consecutive losing seasons. Smith led the surprising Cardinals to their first Conference USA title, a trip to the Liberty Bowl against Colorado State and into the Top 25 for the first time in more than seven years.

PREVIOUS FWAA COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
1957-Woody Hayes, Ohio State
1958-Paul Dietzel, LSU
1959-Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse
1960-Murray Warmath, Minnesota
1961-Darrell Royal, Texas
1962-John McKay, USC
1963-Darrell Royal, Texas
1964-Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame
1965-Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State
1966-Tom Cahill, Army
1967-John Pont, Indiana
1968-Woody Hayes, Ohio State
1969-Bo Schembechler, Michigan
1970-Alex Agase, Northwestern
1971-Bob Devaney, Nebraska
1972-John McKay, USC
1973-John McKay, USC
1974-Johnny Majors, Pittsburgh
1975-Woody Hayes, Ohio State
1976-Johnny Majors, Pittsburgh
1977-Lou Holtz, Arkansas
1978-Joe Paterno, Penn State
1979-Earle Bruce, Ohio State
1980-Vince Dooley, Georgia
1981-Danny Ford, Clemson
1982-Joe Paterno, Penn State
1983-Howard Schnellenberger, Miami, Fla.
1984-LaVell Edwards, BYU
1985-Fisher DeBerry, Air Force
1986-Joe Paterno, Penn State
1987-Dick MacPherson, Syracuse
1988-Lou Holtz, Notre Dame
1989-Bill McCartney, Colorado
1990-Bobby Ross, Maryland
1991-Don James, Washington
1992-Gene Stallings, Alabama
1993-Terry Bowden, Auburn
1994-Rich Brooks, Oregon
1995-Gary Barnett, Northwestern
1996-Bruce Snyder, Arizona State
1997-Mike Price, Washington State
1998-Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee
1999-Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
2000-Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Stoops Named Eddie Robinson/ FWAA Coach of the Year

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