University of Oklahoma Athletics

Oklahoma Football Squad Holds Annual Media Day

August 03, 2001 | Football

By: Athletics Communications

Aug. 3, 2001

Media Day Coach and Player Clips

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  • Media Day Photos

    Audio

  • B. Stoops (Part I)
  • B. Stoops (Part II)
  • B. Stoops (Part III)
  • B. Stoops (Part IV)

    NORMAN, OKla. - The Sooner football team, ranked third in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches pre-season poll released this week, met with members of the media Friday morning and are one step closer to kicking off the coming season's national title defense. After meeting with the media, the team had a 90-minute fan event and went to a local water park to build team chemistry and to beat the heat.

    Head coach Bob Stoops kicked off the event by addressing the media at 9 a.m. and offensive coordinator Mark Mangino, quarterbacks coach Chuck Long and co-defensive coordinators Mike Stoops and Brent Venables then discussed their goals and outlooks for the 2001 football season.

    "We're excited to start a new season and put last season behind us," said defending national Coach of the Year Bob Stoops. "We want to compete, pursue and go after another national championship, though our sights right now are on the Big 12 South and conference championships. I've said all along, we have a chance to be a better team this year. The reason I say we have a chance to be a better football team is the added maturity of this team. We were very young a year ago. Twenty-three of our top 44 players were freshmen and sophomores. Now they are all sophomores and juniors with a year more lifting, running and training, plus a year more experience in big games. That, plus the great senior class we have here, gives us a chance."

    An estimated four to five thousand Sooner supporters came to the fan appreciation portion of Media Day, where OU players and coaches signed autographs and took pictures on the team's practice fields. Included among the fans was a contingent from the Special Olympics of Oklahoma.

    The team took part in organizational meetings and after lunch, went to an Oklahoma City water park. The full squad will practice on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the OU Intramural Fields and will begin two-a-day workouts on Monday morning.

    OU begins the 2001 season on Aug. 25 when North Carolina visits Norman for the Hispanic College Fund Football Classic.

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