Bob Stoops

“There has to be measures for players to know the consequences for their actions.”

“No matter how angry people on the outside were when you don't perform well, a coach is 10 times what anyone else is feeling. Nothing digs at you more. But that's part of our business.”

“I think proximity in recruiting matters the most.”

“Coach Spurrier was just an amazing competitor. I felt I learned to really love the competition of it all from watching him and being around him. All his assistant coaches were great recruiters, very professional in how they handled their business. So as a young guy, I got to see that all the time.”

“When I grew up, and I've said this a lot, but I was a long time Oklahoma fan. I always followed them all the way while growing up in Ohio.”

“When people ask me where I'm from I say I'm from Oklahoma.”

“If you keep hanging on to something, you've got an opportunity to keep getting hurt by it.”

“Big 12 Championship is, to me, it's always your primary goal to start with because it's not easy to do.”

“Surely, AP or the coaches are all aware everybody has agendas. Anybody who's on TV has one. You know, that's viewership and ratings and those kinds of things.”

“I'm especially thankful for being able to coach so many talented young men over my 18 years here. It has been so rewarding to see these players come to OU and mature over a four- or five-year career, and not just on the field. To play a small part in their growth is what I will always cherish the most.”

“Coach Snyder was just a determined guy. I was at the ground floor at Kansas State. I learned a lot from that experience.”

“You've got to put the work in every week. You can't take anything for granted.”

“Coaches around the country are influencing the next generation of men in a positive way.”

“Just being in the locker room as a young person growing up was something I've always enjoyed, without ever having it forced upon me.”

“It's a life issue more than anything when you're dealing with racism anywhere... It's a life issue - bigger than sports, bigger than football.”

“Yeah, I've never tailgated.”

“Boomer Sooner!”

“They said 'the SEC this, the SEC that.' I said, 'You talk like all 14 teams are this, that and the other thing.' I said, 'You have to give credit to the first one or two that have won the national championship, but don't act like they're all doing that.'”

“It's impossible to remove agendas.”

“I have this routine where on Fridays I sign balls that need to be autographed. One time, after my fortieth or fiftieth ball, I looked over at my secretary and said, 'Who is Bob Stoops, anyway?'”