In his first year of eligibility, former Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

“As a son of an all-time, lifelong high school coach, no one appreciates the game of football and the coaching profession more than I do, and so I am truly grateful for and humbled by this honor,” Stoops said.

“Football is the ultimate team game with so many pieces that must be put together, and nobody can have success by themselves. It takes everybody contributing. Certainly, that was the case for me. From my family to my support staff to my assistant coaches to our administration and to our great fans, I had incredible support at Oklahoma for each of my 18 years and am thankful to everyone who played a role in all our achievements.”

Stoops has the most wins in OU football history. He won an unprecedented 10 Big 12 Conference Championships and the 2000 National Championship.

“Ultimately, though, the dedication and hard work of the players is what wins, and I am so appreciative of all of the guys who played for me,” Stoops said. “I felt a great connection to our players from my first year in 1999 all the way through my last season in 2016, and if I did anything right it was always connecting wholeheartedly with them. To me, that’s probably the most important thing for a coach — being able to connect with and relate to your players.”

Stoops coached 38 first-team All-Americans and 83 NFL Draft picks while at OU, and coached Heisman Trophy winners Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008) and seven Heisman finalists. The 2008 Sooner team was the highest-scoring team in college football history, totaling 716 points and averaging 51 points per game.

Stoops has the most wins in Oklahoma history (190). His overall record is 190-48 (.798) career record and his Big 12 record is 121-29 (.807). He averaged 10-plus wins a year and won more games in his first 18 seasons than any college coach in history.

Stoops took OU to 18 consecutive bowls games and he is the only coach to win a BCS national title plus wins all four BCS bowl games. He played for the national championship four times and won once.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have traveled this road. All the stops along the way were such positives for me and led to the extraordinary opportunity at Oklahoma. The coaches I worked under were the best of the best: Hayden Fry at Iowa, Dick Crum at Kent State, Bill Snyder at K-State and Steve Spurrier at Florida. I feel amazingly blessed that I was around so many remarkable coaches and people.”

Stoops is the sixth OU head coach in the College Hall of Fame, joining Bennie Owen (1905-26), Lawrence “Biff” Jones (1935-36), Bud Wilkinson (1947-63), Jim Tatum (1946) and Barry Switzer (1973-88). OU has 22 former players who are in the College Hall of Fame.

Stoops had a 25-11 (.694) combined record against rivals Oklahoma State (14-4) and Texas (11-7). Stoop won his first 37 homes games in Norman and went 101-9 overall at home.

Stoops finished with more Big 12 titles than home losses.

Seven of his teams finished in the AP top five, including each of the last two, while three more finished No. 6.

A four-year starter at safety for Iowa under College Football Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry, Stoops was a team captain, first-team All-Big Ten selection and Iowa’s MVP. He began his coaching career under Fry at Iowa and followed with a time at Kent State. After coaching under Hall of Famer Bill Snyder at Kansas State, he joined Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier’s Florida staff and helped the Gators win the 1996 national title as defensive coordinator.

In 2001, he started the Bob Stoops Champions Foundation to provide support to children and families in the Norman and Oklahoma City areas.

In 2018, Stoops joined current OU head coach Lincoln Riley and Switzer to create the HBC Champions Foundation to supply financial contributions, positive experiences and support to ill or disadvantaged children in Oklahoma.

After briefly coming out of retirement in 2020 to coach the Dallas Renegades in the XFL, Stoops serves as a special assistant to the athletics director at OU.