After 16 years at Oklahoma, defensive assistant coach Bobby Jack Wright is walking away from coaching. With changes happening all over Bob Stoops' program, it was just time for Wright to step away after talking with his wife, Bee, and contemplating the change for some time.

"I think actually I've been struggling if you will, guess that's a good word, we've been kicking it around, knocking it back and forth for probably almost a year," said Wright to a group of reporters inside the Adrian Peterson Team Meeting Room. "We finally in the last week kind of - it just felt right for me. You know, it's time."

Wright walks away from a profession that is all he's known for the last 42 years.

"I appreciate somebody putting that in there because I had lost count of how many actual seasons it has been," said Wright, who remains one of the biggest characters in Norman. "42 years, that's a long run. It's been a good run, a fun run. It has been a great, great profession to be a part of.

"Certainly the 16 years here at the University of Oklahoma have been very, very special to me, my family."

When Bob Stoops came to Norman in 1999, he had brother Mike and Brent Venables in tow. But the next hire he made was Bobby Jack Wright.

"I didn't know Bobby Jack at all," said Stoops. "Mike and Brent at the time knew him from being on the road recruiting, and running into him. I really, more than anything, had trust in Brent and Mike that he was a great fit for us. At the time, I had nobody else."

Wright's departure leaves Oklahoma and Cale Gundy as the lone coaching assistant who has remained in Norman since 1999. Strength coach Jerry Schmidt also remains a part of Stoops' staff from his first season.

"He's been a committed, loyal guy all this time," Stoops said of Wright. "He's been very valuable to me, personally and professionally. I say it a lot. Everything has its time, and this is a good time for him."

College football won't see a lot of coaches like Wright anytime soon. During Wright's 16 years, he's served in several capacities. He's also served as OU's recruiting coordinator.

Wright has coached defensive ends, he's been the secondary coach, he moved back to coach defensive ends and finished his OU career as cornerback's coach.

He was Stoops' ultimate utility man.

"When I hired him, I told him, 'I don't know where I'm gonna put you. It may be offense; it may be defense.'" Stoops remembered. "He said he didn't care. He's done both. He's coached receivers before, and at the time, I was very unsure because I didn't have anyone else put together outside of the guys who were from Kansas State.

"I just said, 'Come on, we'll get you somewhere and let's go recruit.' Until I got further down in the hires, I didn't know where I was gonna put him to coach. I just knew he could go either way."

Wright says he's not planning on riding off into the sunset with his retirement. His three daughters all graduated from OU and now he has grandkids in the area.

"We're planning on sticking around for a while," he says.

Wright also isn't shooting down the idea of working in the football profession again, but he's not looking for a coaching job.

It's been rumored for quite some time Wright could continue to make an impact on the OU program in an administrative role. But that's something that hasn't been discussed at this point.

"That's something I'll have to visit with my administration first on and see what those possibilities are," said Stoops. "I'm not in a position yet to know that.

"Definitely, he's a guy that I'll have to think through because he would be a guy to continue to help us in a positive way, for sure."

"I don't know if I'm riding off into the sunset," added Wright. "I'm certainly stepping away from the coaching part of it. Who knows where it's going to go? I haven't had time to wrap my head around it yet. Maybe something down the road may be available. If it fits me, great. But we'll see."

Wright says he'll be sticking around the offices for the time being. He won't be out on the road recruiting Thursday when the dead period ends. But he will be here to help transition some of his duties and responsibilities to others already and staff, and possibly those joining the staff soon.

"I'm actually going to go up in my office and hang around for a little while. I've been in that office for 16 years. I'm trying to clean it out and get it ready for the next guy in because I've got a lot of stuff," said Wright. "I'm trying to get it ready for the next guy to come in.

"I'll just hang around and there's still some things I need to help guys out with as far as the recruiting and transitioning myself out of that and working with other guys taking over my guys and that kind of stuff. So I'll still be around."

Talking with reporters, Wright was hesitant to go into players he's coached and recruited. He didn't want to leave anyone out. He jokingly told the media they could read all his best stories when he writes his book.

Right now his main concern is warmer temperatures and better weather.

"He's a lot better golfer than me, so he's ready to get a little golf in," said Stoops of Wright, the coach most people openly recognize as the best golfer on the staff.

In fact, when Wright's golfing buddies started hearing word of his retirement, he said the most messages he got were concerning his favorite pastime.

"I got a lot of text messages early this morning, I guess after people read the newspaper, that were letting me know they had tee times for this weekend," Wright laughed.

Bobby Jack Wright has been as much a part of Oklahoma football as anyone in the Stoops. He's done everything he's been asked over the past 16 years. He's been a task master and a disciplinarian. His personality really is as big as the state of Texas.

Bob Stoops says he can hit every high school in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio without the use of a map.

Wright has been invaluable to the start of a great era in OU football under Stoops.

"He's been a great coach, great recruiter and a mainstay for me for a long time," said Stoops.

Maybe he will be again in another capacity.

If that time comes, Stoops won't have to look hard. He'll just have to check the local golf courses.