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Stoops brothers, Bo Pelini deal with upheaval in college athletics
By TOM WILLIAMS
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Ted Everett, 13, of Youngstown was one of hundreds of young football players attending a camp at Cardinal Mooney High School on Monday.
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Coaches and brothers Ron, left, and Bob Stoops look on during the Camp of Champions event at Cardinal Mooney High School on Monday. Bob Stoops is the head coach at Oklahoma, and Ron Stoops is newly-named defensive backs coach at Youngstown State.
YOUNGSTOWN
Had the University of Oklahoma chosen to leave the Big 12 conference for the Pac-10, Sooners football coach Bob Stoops was prepared for the challenge.
But the Sooners’ 12-year head coach is OK with remaining in the Big 12.
“It would have been fine if we had made the change and added on with the Pac-10,” said Stoops who was one of the coaches for Monday’s Cardinal Mooney Football Camp of Champions. “In fact, I thought that was kind of exciting.
“But the fact that we’re still where we are is good, too,” said Stoops who was at the morning session along with brothers Mike (University of Arizona head coach) and Ron (Youngstown State’s new secondary coach).
Three weeks ago, an earthquake rumbled through college sports particularly football when the University of Nebraska announced it was leaving the Big 12 for the Big 10. That was followed by the Big 12’s University of Colorado announcing plans to join the Pac-10.
The Pac-10 also tried to lure Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. Those schools declined, opening the door for Utah to become the Pac-10’s 12th team.
“Good quality schools and coaches,” is how Bob Stoops described the remaining Big 12 schools.
“Truthfully, between us and Texas, we’ve [played] for six of the last 10 national championships, us four and them two,” said Stoops whose Sooners won the BCS Championship game is his second season. “So we still going to have a strong product.”
In January 2001, Oklahoma defeated Florida State, 13-2, for the national title.
Stoops’ other BCS Championship games were in 2004 (LSU, 21-14), 2005 (USC, 55-19) and 2009 (Florida, 24-14).
Mike Stoops, who is preparing for his seventh season as Wildcats head coach, believes more conference realignments are likely.
“Change is probably here to stay,” Stoops said. “I see some constant change from here to where there will be some super conferences in the near future.
“We were trying to go to 16,” the Arizona coach said of the Pac-10. “We made a strong bid. I think [the Pac-10] will continue to explore other options for growth.”
Money is why.
“A lot of this is just driven by money, creating revenue for conferences,” Stoops said. “Trying to create revenue through TV is a big part of what’s going on. We as coaches and players adjust, we have to.”
Bob Stoops agreed that more changes are likely.
“I don’t know that anything is ever finished,” Stoops said. “For right now, I think it will be fine.”
Even though the 2005 BCS loss to Southern Cal has been rescinded, Stoops has moved on. Among the sanctions the NCAA imposed earlier this month on Southern Cal was stripping the program of 14 wins where tailback Reggie Bush played, including the 2005 BCS title game.
Asked how that decision impacts Oklahoma’s record, Stoops said, “I don’t know what it does, but it doesn’t much matter. We’re not claiming anything so it would just be void, I guess.”
Many observers expect the NCAA will eventually rule there was no BCS champion in 2005.
Also attending the camp were Mooney alumni Bo Pelini (University of Nebraska coach) and Michael Zordich (Philadelphia Eagles defensive back coach).
“It’s a matter of giving back, working with youth, giving them a positive experience, that’s what it’s all about at this age,” said Pelini who is the headline speaker at tonight’s United Way Champions Among Us diner at Antone’s Banquet Center in Boardman. “It’s for a good cause.
“Mooney has meant a lot to me and to a lot of other people,” Pelini said. “A lot of us feel like we’re in the position we are today because of the experience we had growing up, being here.”