Is Mark Stoops related to former Oklahoma HC Bob Stoops? How much success did the veteran achieve coaching at Kentucky?
Kentucky Wildcats coach Mark Stoops comes from a family of football men. He is the younger brother to former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Kentucky inside linebackers coach Mike Stoops.
Mark Stoops has led Kentucky since 2013 and has accrued the most wins of any coach in the Wildcats' history.
His eldest brother, Bob Stoops, is best remembered for his tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners from 1999-2016. He won the 2001 Orange Bowl against the Florida State Seminoles for the national championship.
Bob Stoops also won 10 Big 12 conference titles during his reign and was known as "Big Game Bob" due to his propensity for winning games against ranked opponents.
The Stoops' legacy doesn't end there. Bob's son, Drake Stoops, plays wide receiver for the Oklahoma Sooners while his twin, Isaac, was a volunteer analyst for the Sooners in 2021-2022.
Their eldest brother, Ron Jr., was an assistant coach at Youngstown State University but is now retired. Their father, Ron Sr., was a defensive coordinator for Cardinal Mooney High School and he died during a game against his eldest son, Ron Jr's team.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops on his nephew Drake Stoops:
"I can't tell you this sense of pride that our whole family has watching him play ... Just the way he plays the game is a way that we certainly respect it, how hard he plays and the sacrifice he makes."
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The Stoops have even had a public back and forth earlier in Mark Stoops' formative years as a head coach. He responded to comments made by his brother, Bob, about the competitiveness of the Southeastern Conference.
"Yeah, I certainly understand Bob defending his conference," Stoops said. "I don't think any of us need to defend what's going on here in the SEC. The success we've had in the SEC speaks for itself."
Mark Stoops' legacy
When his elder brother, Mike Stoops, was hired to coach Arizona, he hired Mark on his staff. Afterward, Mark departed for Florida State as the defensive coordinator.
Mark Stoops returned the favor by hiring Mike as the Wildcats' linebackers coach in 2022.
In 2019, Stoops led the Wildcats to just the third 10-win season in their history by winning the Citrus Bowl against Penn State.
Mark Stoops has won the most games in the history of Kentucky's football program and led them to four consecutive bowl wins from 2018 to 2022. He has a 66-59 record at Kentucky's during his 10-year tenure.
Mark Stoops' Wildcats are set to have one of the most difficult and punishing schedules in college football in 2024 after the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC.