The Iowa connection
Jay Norvell’s return to the OU staff reinstates the Iowa connection that once was so prevalent among Bob Stoops’ coaches. For a month in 2002, Stoops’ staff was awash in ex-Hawkeyes. The Stoops brothers, ex-Iowa safeties. Chuck Long, the Hawkeyes’ great quarterback from the 1980s. Jonathan Hayes, a tight end teammate on those squads. And Norvell.
One by one, all the Hawkeyes left. Hayes went to the Cincinnati Bengals, Norvell to the Oakland Raiders. Then Mike Stoops went to Arizona and Long to San Diego State. Suddenly, the Iowa connection was gone.
Stoops has been criticized for surrounding himself with cronies. People from his past. Two things: 1. many coaches do that; it’s standard procedure. 2. It’s not true in Stoops’ case.
Look at Stoops’ hires in recent years. Kevin Wilson? No connection to Stoops. James Patton? Connected to Wilson, but not to Stoops. Chris Wilson? An OU grad, but long before the Stoops days. Kevin Sumlin? No connection.
In the last five years, Stoops’ only hires who had a history with Stoops were Bo Pelini and Josh Heupel. Pelini grew up with Stoops in Youngstown, and Heupel I assume you know about. Now Norvell again. Seems to me a wide range of coaching backgrounds. And only a very small connection to Iowa.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Comments
Please, Berry, let me hear back from you. I believe this subject (both subjects) deserve a FAIR anb balanced debate both with you and the Oklahoman in general because there are definite animosities towards OSU in general that (whether you will freely admit it or not) do exist and should be addressed.
I heard Berry Tramel on the radio today talking about Boone Pickens’ . I would like to know how much financial support the Gaylord family and The Daily Oklahoman have contributed to OU athletics over the past 10 years? I want Berry to give me a dollar amount. I submit to you it is equal to or in excess to the $160 million that Boone has contributed and I also submit to you that David Boren, Joe C. and OU in general are more of a slave to the Gaylords and their wishes than OSU is to Boone. Also, if Sean Sutton were to be removed as OSU BB coach, I believe that there are appx. 15 coaches of teams rated in the top 25 right now who would be very interested in the OSU job and would be serious candidates. Several comments were made by Mark Matthews and others today on the sports animal radio show indicating that in the top 20 to 25 BB programs in the nation that very few would be interested in the job. I do agree with Bob Barry Jr.’s comments today on the sports animal that it would be a coaching job that many would be interested in this job with the facilities, money available and total support of the program by students and fans alike—far more support than the OU BB program receives. I know that Berry was not involved in that conversation but would agree with the Mark Rogers thoughts–I know this because Berry usually, almost always, takes the negative approach to anything to do with OSU. Thank you. Respectfrully, Steve Litz, Edmond, Ok.