Stoops Named Walter Camp's 2003 Coach Of The Year

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops has been selected as the Walter Camp Football Foundation's 2003 "Coach of the Year" presented by the Street and Smith's Sports Group.

The Walter Camp Coach of the Year recipient is voted on by the nation's 117 Division I-A coaches and sports information directors. It is the second time in four season that Stoops has earned the honor (2000 is the other). In addition, Stoops is just the second coach - Joe Paterno of Penn State (1972 and 1994) is the other - to receive the accolade twice.

Led by five Walter Camp 2003 All-American honors - the most selections by one team since Harvard had five in 1914 - Oklahoma has recorded an impressive 12-1 record and a berth in the BCS Championship game on January 4 against LSU. Under Stoops' tutelage, the Sooners rank first in the nation in scoring offense (45.2 points per game) and total defense (255.62 yards allowed per game).

In just his fifth season at the helm, Stoops has directed Oklahoma to a 55-10 record (.846 winning percentage), five consecutive bowl appearances, two Big 12 titles and a National Championship (2000).

Stoops was hired at Oklahoma after serving three seasons as the defensive coordinator under Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida. In three seasons at Florida, Stoops helped guide the Gators to a 32-5 mark, including a national championship in 1996. Stoops also had coaching stints at Kansas State (1989-95) and Kent State (1988).

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Stoops attended the University of Iowa where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and a four-year starter in the defensive secondary. After his graduation in 1983, Stoops made his collegiate coaching debut and served five seasons as an assistant coach (both as a graduate and a volunteer) at his alma mater, helping the team to five bowl appearances.

Led by President William Raffone, the Walter Camp Football Foundation annually honors the name of Walter Camp by selecting the premier player in college football along with selecting the nation's most time honored All-America team dating back to 1889. Walter Camp, recognized as "The Father of American Football," introduced many innovations that brought about the evolution of the American style of football.

Stoops, "Player of the Year" award winner Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh) and all of the members of the 2003 Walter Camp All-America team will be honored at the organization's national awards banquet on Saturday, February 14, 2004 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Stoops Named Walter Camp's 2003 Coach Of The Year

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