No OU-Iowa games in the near future
Arizona plays at Iowa on Saturday, which means a homecoming for Mike Stoops. Don’t expect the same anytime soon for Bob Stoops.
Both Stoops boys, and little brother Mark, too, played at Iowa. Bob Stoops rarely shows his humanity so much as when he talks about his days at Iowa or growing up in Youngstown, Ohio.
Stoops repeated the story this week how his family would drive 10 hours through the night to Iowa City, after his dad’s high school football games on Friday, then head back on Sunday morning.
“There was one of us there for 10 years,” Stoops said. Some fan from Michigan or Michigan State once said, with Stoops’ mom overhearing, “is that No. 41 ever going to leave? They’ve been here forever.”
Bob, speculating on how Mike will feel Saturday, said, “in the end, it’ll be fun, going into the stadium, but it gets down to straight business. We’re real oblivious to everything that’s going on.”
Just don’t count on Oklahoma going to Iowa. The Stoopses were and good friends with Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who was hired by the Hawkeyes the same year OU hired Stoops. And Stoops has been consistent in not wanting to play against good friends in the profession.
“I’d rather not,” Stoops said. “I don’t see a lot of purpose in it. Somebody’s got to lose. Unless you’re meeting them in a championship game. Then someone’s got to win.”
Count that among the perks of being head coach. No one will blink that Kevin Wilson went to North Carolina, should the Sooners and Tar Heels be matched or be thinking about it. A head coach can exorcise such veto power.
-------------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. Visit Berry's website here.
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