SI Names Stoops On "Most Powerful" List

Sports Illustrated ranked OU head coach Bob Stoops No. 13 on its "Top 20 Most Powerful People in College Football" list released Tuesday.

Only three head coaches were named to the list with Penn State's Joe Paterno at No. 11, Stoops at No. 13 and Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham at No. 19.

The list is dominated by conference commissioners, school presidents and media moguls the magazine deems the most powerful players in shaping the college football world.

[ View the List Online ]

Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops
From the 2003 OU Football Media Guide

Old school? It depends on the definition. Bob Stoops might not mind that label. College football's most grizzled legends likely would nod in agreement with his no-nonsense approach.

However, if stoicism or tired coaching philosophies constitute even a secondary meaning of the phrase, forget it.

Toughness may be his calling card, but fun is still very much a part of his repertoire.
Rarely have football's most tried and true values been so intertwined with genuine emotion and the willingness to take a chance. Perhaps that explains why there rarely have been coaches like Bob Stoops.

A mere four seasons and 52 games have yielded a national championship, 43 victories, four bowl appearances, three bowl victories, two BCS game wins, two Big 12 titles, a seemingly endless stream of player honors, 40 consecutive weeks in the polls and on and on and on.

By any standard, it is an overwhelming list. It's also incomplete in measuring Stoops' impact on OU. By embracing the rich tradition at the school and penning his own chapter in Sooner lore, Stoops has authored a restoration that reaches far beyond the record book to the hearts of OU fans.

Given the fact that this program predates Oklahoma's statehood, the significance of that accomplishment should never be underestimated.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

SI Names Stoops On "Most Powerful" List

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