Sooners' Stoops proud of roots

The inaugural Ron Stoops Sr. award was given to his son, Ron Jr.
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;By BRIAN RICHESSON & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS -- Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops spent Thursday evening revisiting his past, reflecting on his family and resurrecting his hometown's name.
"There's something special about Youngstown," said Stoops, featured speaker during the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation's scholar-athlete awards banquet.
"The camaraderie, attitude and toughness; the will of the people," Stoops said. "It's a close-knit group of people, friends from different sides of town. I feel fortunate to come from there."
Theme night
The inaugural Ron Stoops Sr. Assistant Coach of the Year Award was given to Cardinal Mooney High defensive coordinator Ron Stoops Jr., whose coaching career began in 1979 at South High.
In addition, Ron Stoops III, a Mooney senior who will play at Michigan State, received a scholar-athlete award from the NFF.
"It's incredibly special," said Bob Stoops of the award named after his father and given to his older brother, and of the recognition his nephew received.
"It's something for Ron that's well-earned," Stoops added of his brother. "Ron's done a great job everywhere he's been, and he's had a strong influence on Mooney's resurgence in the last several years."
The awards ceremony gave Bob Stoops an opportunity to reflect on his father's influence. What would Ron Stoops Sr. say about the awards handed out Thursday?
"He would be incredibly proud," Bob Stoops said, "but my dad was such a humble person that he wouldn't like that other assistant coaches didn't have an award in their name.
"He didn't believe in singling anyone out," Bob Stoops added, "and always felt bad for those who weren't."
Kosar supports cause
The Stoops family wasn't the only Youngstown representation at the Executive Caterers at Landerhaven.
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Boardman High graduate Bernie Kosar has pledged $100,000 over five years to the NEO Chapter's scholarship fund.
"This is something I'd like to think I stand for -- the student-athlete, the academic side," Kosar said. "You want to be a role model."
Kosar lives in Florida, where he's involved in business ventures with a teleservices company. He's an active partner in the NHL's Florida Panthers, chairman of the board for the NFL Quarterback Club and a trustee at the University of Miami.
Would Kosar consider working for his former team in Cleveland, which has undergone recent changes in front office personnel?
"The fire never goes out. Football always keeps that competitiveness in you that makes you miss it," said Kosar, who, with wife Babette, is raising four children.
"Part of me really wants to get back in and do it," he added. "But from a family standpoint, you have to really think about it."
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;richesson@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;