Stoops talks hesitation of opening up with new book
Bob Stoops is an open book.
Literally.
Stoops has penned a book titled ‘No Excuses: The Making Of A Head Coach’ with the help of ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski through publisher Hachette Book Group that details his early life in Youngstown, Ohio, all the way through his retirement as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma.
In the book, Stoops gives very personal and detailed accounts of his path into college athletics through Iowa as a player, through the assistant coaching ranks and onto Oklahoma where he spent 18 years leading the Sooners to national prominence.
It was a book Stoops was hesitant to write because as with anything he has done in his life, the fiery Youngstown native doesn’t hold back. He’s truly an open book.
“I was cautious about that. That's why it took me so long to commit to it because it's just not me to divulge a lot of personal things,” Stoops said. “But I figured you know what? That's OK. I've been out there in this light for so long it doesn't hurt that people know who I really am.
“I have nothing I'm afraid of and I'm proud of where I come from. In the end, what my family and I stand for. So, at the end of the day, why not? Maybe it'll help some people and people will realize that we're really real people and not just a figure that's on the sideline. I thought, you know what? My story through Youngstown is unbelievable. Actually there's 10 to 15 stories that they don't have time for that I can't even hardly get into.”
Through an almost 20-minute phone conversation with Stoops, you still sense the pride he has for what he accomplished at Oklahoma. That certainly comes through in his book.
During the course of our conversation OU's former head coach got fired up about his 2006 team that lost its starting quarterback, Rhett Bomar, after he was kicked off the team by Stoops. A period he details in the book.
And Stoops gets really fired up about the revelation in his book that the Boise State Fiesta Bowl loss isn’t something that haunts him to this day.
“What's so hard to believe about Boise?” Stoops adamantly questioned when I told him I was surprised at that part of his book.
I told him I was surprised he takes that loss so well because most fans hate being reminded of that game every time they show the highlight.
“I hate it too! Don't get me wrong!” Stoops shouted. “At the end of the day you end up third or end up eighth. I mean, is it a big deal?
At that point I thought I should remind Stoops what I’ve always told people about that season. That 2006 team won a Big 12 Championship after moving a receiver to quarterback at the start of fall camp.
“That's what I'm saying! We were so dang lucky to be there and win the Big 12 Championship!,” said a still very excited Stoops. “You know what I think of that year? I think of Paul Thompson on the one-yard line leading us on a 99-yard drive to beat Nebraska in the Big 12 championship.
“Whatever! These people want to… crucify you… oh jeeze it was so... But like I said, if it was the Big 12 Championship I'd have jumped out of the press box. It wasn't. We threw our quarterback off the team to start the year. Seriously!”
Stoops heart and soul is still with OU. But the best part of Stoops writing this book is that OU fans get a piece of Stoops’ heart they’ve never had before. They get to learn about Bob Stoops the person.
“I get asked enough all the way through clinics and things I go to: How do I do what you did? How do you travel through this path? How do you get where you are? I want to do that,” said Stoops.
“So then I was like, let me just put it down on a book what my path was. And I can't tell people just talking to them for 10 minutes. My path has been a long journey. I don't know. I can't just tell you to do this and you can be a head coach. But anyway, there's a lot of good stories in there and philosophies too about how we rebuilt Oklahoma.”
Stoops also told me why he chose ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski to help him write his story.
“Well he's just so clever, so level-headed and honest about everything,” he explained. “So he's just easy to work with. He's just smart, quick and I just have had a long relationship with him. All the way back to Florida days. So I just knew he's the right guy and I just didn't feel it be fair anyone locally. Who's the right guy to go to. Someone would have a problem with it this way. This is a national guy that I've known forever and this is just the right way to go.”
While some book previews made it out to media members such as myself, Stoops says his family will be reading the book for the first time today. In fact, he was having to put together a personal list for the book’s publisher to send copies to those closest to him.
In typical Stoops fashion, he wasn’t really thinking about people close to him reading his book.
“I don't know that I'm excited anyone has to read it to be honest with you,” chuckled Stoops. “I don't look at it that way.”
‘No Excuses: The Making of a Head Coach’ is the most revealing look into the person that is Bob Stoops.
At the end of the day there is just a part of me that took a while to learn… I didn't want everybody to know everything about me,” Stoops said. “As a head coach you've got to be guarded. I don't care what anybody says. You do to whatever degree and I don't have to worry about it anymore.”
It’s full of stories you’ve never heard. It’s full of stories you’ve only heard bits and pieces of through the years.
Even for someone that covered Stoops for almost 18 years on a daily basis, it fills in a lot of gaps to things I’d hear about either from Stoops directly, or those who knew him best.