Oklahoma Has Officially Let Go of Another Stoops Brother

By Dave Kovaleski October 8, 2018 at 8:54am

After giving up 48 points in a loss to Big 12 rival Texas, Oklahoma is moving on from defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.

Stoops was fired Monday after a 48-45 loss to the Longhorns on Saturday.

He is the brother of Bob Stoops, the long-time Sooners head coach who retired in June of 2017 after 18 years at Oklahoma.

BREAKING: Mike Stoops out as defensive coordinator https://t.co/SMoUpkH5i2 #Sooners pic.twitter.com/6ecaw6Oyrm

— OUInsider (@OUInsider) October 8, 2018

Mike Stoops was hired by his brother as defensive coordinator in 2012 and had been serving under new coach Lincoln Riley for the past season and a half.

“I have great respect for Mike,” Riley said in a statement posted on Sooner Sports.

“He’s a quality football coach, great man and a close friend. It became time for a change in our program and that happens sometimes in football, but we cannot lose sight of the accomplishments Mike had at Oklahoma.

“He was responsible for a lot of success and deserves the gratitude of everyone associated with Sooner football, not only for his role in the winning, but for coaching with integrity,” Riley said.

Outside linebacker Kenneth Murray publicly thanked Stoops for his support with the team.

All I can say is thank you @OU_CoachMike you gave me a shot when nobody else would and for that I am forever grateful no matter what people say they never know you for the great person you really are and how much you care for your players…Thank You Coach

— K9 (@KennethMurray) October 8, 2018

Stoops first joined the Oklahoma in 1999 and helped the Sooners win the 2000 NCAA national championship.

But some fans said it was time to move on.

This weekend was a tipping point. Mike Stoops was no longer the guy for the University of Oklahoma. With that, I do think we need to realize that Mike was a part of allowing us to win 3 consecutive Big 12 titles and our 2000 National Championship. Wish him luck going forward.

— Sooner Recruiting (@OU_RecruitingHQ) October 8, 2018

It’s safe to say plays like this one from Saturday didn’t help.

https://twitter.com/the_LGG/status/1048624673179803649

Stoops left in 2004 season to become the head coach at Arizona, where he coach through the 2011 season before returning to Oklahoma in 2012.

Riley promoted assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach Ruffin McNeill to serve as the defensive coordinator for the rest of the season.

“Ruffin has an impressive résumé,” Riley said in the Sooner Sports statement. “That’s why I wanted him on our staff in the first place. I have confidence in his knowledge and leadership.”

Caleb Kelly on Mike Stoops. #Sooners pic.twitter.com/KnKHb4Cl2S

— Tyler Palmateer (@Tpalmateer83) October 8, 2018

Riley brought McNeill on staff in 2017 from Virginia where he was assistant head coach for one season.

Before that he was head coach at East Carolina for five seasons from 2010 – 2015.

McNeill has also been defensive coordinator at UNLV (1997-1998), Fresno State (1999), Texas Tech (2008-2009).

OFFICIAL: Coach Riley announces defensive staff changes for the remainder of the season.

Release: https://t.co/4X0oJLXj1D pic.twitter.com/1HRK6q9loU

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 8, 2018

Also, in another shuffle, Bob Diaco will move from defensive specialist to coach the outside linebackers.

Was this move necessary at this point in the season?

Riley hired Diaca in March from Nebraska, where he served as defensive coordinator. Before that he was the head coach at UConn from 2014-2016 and prior to that did stints at Cincinnati and Notre Dame as defensive coordinator.

“Bob has a lot of experience in very good programs and also has a list of accomplishments that will help him step in and make an immediate impact. We are fortunate to have these men in our program. They’ll be ready to get to work in new roles right away,” Riley said.

The 48-45 loss to Texas was the first for the Sooners (5-1). They dropped four spots in the rankings to 11, while Texas (5-1) jumped 10 spots to No. 9.

The Sooners get a bye this week and return to action Oct. 20 at Texas Christian.

Submit a Correction →

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:

NCAA, Texas Longhorns

Dave Kovaleski

Contributor, Sports

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.

Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.

Location

Massachusetts

Languages Spoken

English

Topics of Expertise

Sports