It’s been a little over three months since former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops announced his sudden retirement after 18 seasons in Norman. Stoops handed over the keys to the OU program to his offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley, who got his first statement win as the Sooners’ head coach by beating No. 2 Ohio State 31-16 on Saturday night.
Retired Bob Stoops had the most fun celebrating OU’s win over Ohio State
He got to see his successor win big firsthand.
Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Luckily, Riley’s old boss was in attendance for the game in Columbus, and Stoops was able to see his successor’s victory firsthand. After the win, Stoops got to celebrate in the tunnel with his former players and Riley, which was an awesome sight to see:
Having Stoops in attendance for Riley’s win made an impression on the first-year head coach, too, as he pointed out during his press conference on Monday. Riley was OU’s offensive coordinator for two seasons before taking over as head coach.
Stoops wasn’t sporting the traditional visor and headset look this time. Instead, we met the casual Stoops look, which consisted of a pink button down, navy pants, and Nike Flyknit sneakers. A now-retired Stoops pulled off the look well, to be honest.
Picking Riley as the team’s next head coach was an easy decision for Stoops:
Riley, 33, a native of Muleshoe, Texas, has been at OU for two seasons.
“Great young coach, the program’s in great shape,” the source said. “Good recruiting class. Got a great young coach that anybody would want to have, ready to go. He’s as good a coach as there in America, at this stage in his career.
“And Bob got to do it in his way. Doesn’t get any better than that.”
Not having Stoops on OU’s sideline still feels a little weird, but it’s safe to say that Riley is picking up right where the program’s winningest head coach in Oklahoma history left off.
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