Mike Gundy Responds to Bob Stoops Retirement

Bob Stoops is out, and Lincoln Riley is in as the head coach of the Oklahoma football program.

Stoops abrupt retirement announcement caught the college football world—including Mike Gundy—by surprise on Wednesday. OSU’s head coach provided a statement to GoPokes.com that read:

“I spent a lot of time with him at Phoenix (Big 12 Coaches Meetings and Fiesta Bowl gathering) out by the pool and talking,” Gundy said. “I knew he wasn’t going to do this forever. He has a really tough job. He has good players but always off the chart expectations from about everybody involved with that school. He’s done a good job but you can tell it has taken a toll on him. It does. He’s had some skin cancer, a knee replacement, and a hip replacement. He has his two sons that are seniors and maybe he wants to spend more time with them and watching them play.

“I did not know he was going to do this now. I was a little taken back by it like everybody,” Gundy added.

Stoops retires a Sooner with a 190-48 overall record in 18 seasons at the helm in Norman. He went 14-4 against Oklahoma State during that time.