OU football: Dan McCarney, Bob Stoops meet again in Miami
Sooner boss, Florida assistant have a long history
BY BERRY TRAMEL
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Published: January 6, 2009
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — One of Bob Stoops’ best friends will be on the opposing sideline Thursday night when Oklahoma plays Florida for college football’s national championship.
But never fear. Dan McCarney and Stoops have competed before. The Florida defensive line coach spent 12 years as the head coach at Iowa State, where four times his Cyclones played Stoops’ Sooners. Before every meeting — all won easily by OU — Stoops talked of how close he was to McCarney, an Iowa assistant coach during Stoops’ playing days as a Hawkeye. And Monday, during the BCS title game media day at Dolphin Stadium, McCarney said the same. "He’s an extremely close friend,” McCarney said. "Really proud of him.” Stoops was proud of McCarney, too, for the job done at Iowa State, where McCarney took the Cyclones to five bowl games in a six-year span, 2000-05. Then Iowa State went 2-10 in 2006 and McCarney was fired from the previously downtrodden program. McCarney spent 2007 as assistant head coach at South Florida, then was hired by Florida. He would like to be a head coach again, but Urban Meyer jokes that he hopes McCarney has to wait a little bit longer. "Let me have him for a little while first,” said the Florida coach. Meyer said the 55-year-old McCarney’s maturity has been instrumental in the Gators’ rebound from a 9-4 season in 2007. "What he did at Iowa State, I think that’s similar to what Coach (Bill) Snyder did at Kansas State.” Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham said he doesn’t know McCarney’s age, "but seems like he’s a young guy. He’s a high-intensity guy. You call tell he was a head coach.” McCarney said if another head-coaching job comes along, "great. If not, I’ve got the best job in the country for an assistant. I wake up every day, can’t wait to get to the office. ”
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I'm just glad to hear of one more name in Stoop's fat Rolodex. The man can pull good assistants!
McCarney's, expeirenced, motivating, focused, etc. that Stoops knows, and go to other
schools and bring their "suspect" part of their team up to championship standards, why
they didn't come to OU and replace the "suspect" member of the staff, after being such
good buddies with Stoops. When McCarney left Iowa State, Stoops could have sent his
"little buddy" packing or back to a lesser position, moved his staff around and made
room for McCarney or Pellini, again, a Co. something like Mike and Brett. If Florida
shuts down OU and McCarney is motivated to do it, are the Sooner Fans and supporters
going to throw another $$$$mil. at Stoops or make him accountable. The fans are
going to have to do it, Costiglione doesn't have the "juavo's" to do it. When Switzer
was having some accountability problems in the early 80's the then OU Pres.W.Banowsky,
put Barry on a one year contract, long story short, worked, '84-88 OU was leading
the nation(top 5) in stats. and wins & BOWLS. Whats it going to be Sooner Fans?