OU football: Bob Stoops talks more Iowa

No surprise, the Iowa media’s line of questioning for Bob Stoops during the days leading up to the Insight Bowl has been heavy on his days as a Hawkeye.

Much of it we have already heard in Oklahoma, but not all. Stoops has talked of how he went to job fairs with his business degree and walked away shaking his head, thinking he had no business in that world and deciding to go into coaching. But Stoops gave us a few new deals on Wednesday.

Stoops said when he approached Iowa coach Hayden Fry and defensive coordinator Bill Brashier to ask about becoming a graduate assistant coach, “they were happy I wanted to be, felt I would do well and gave me the chance. Gave me the start.”

Stoops spent five years as a graduate assistant or volunteer coach. He was asked if he starved during those meager-paid days.

“My mother never thought I would get a real job,” Stoops said. But “in those days, you were allowed to be a volunteer assistant as well. I did some things through the foundation (which allowed him to be paid) is why I was listed as a volunteer with football and I worked with the foundation.

“But in the end, it was well worth it. Through those five years after playing, I was with great people. You know the whole lineup of coaches that were there.

“As I said, some of them were very much like father figures. Other guys were like older brothers. And they all really did a great job of taking not only myself, but some of the other graduate assistants under their wing and we learned from the best. All those guys were true professionals in the coaching world.”

One of those older brother-like coaches was Kirk Ferentz, who was on Fry’s staff starting in Stoops’ junior year and now is Iowa’s head coach.