Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops: Family’s coaching success is ‘pretty amazing’

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called his family's coaching success "pretty amazing," and credited it to his parents. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops was Arizona’s head coach from 2004-2011, and their younger brother Mark Stoops was hired as Kentucky’s head coach this week.

Another brother, Ron Stoops, Jr., is an assistant coach at Youngstown State.

“We were fortunate to grow up with great parents and a dad that brought us around sports all the time,” Bob Stoops said. “We were around it all year round.”

Ron Stoops, Sr., was a baseball and football coach at Cardinal Mooney High in Youngstown, Ohio, but he also played baseball until he was in his 40s.

When he began struggling to see the spin of the ball, he had to switch to fast-pitch softball.

He also scored high school basketball games.

“None of us knew anything else,” Bob Stoops said. “We were always able to go with him. If we weren’t running around the neighborhood, we were up there in the gym.”