WHEREAS, Bob Stoops was named the 21st head coach of Oklahoma Football in 1998 and led the Sooners for 18 years until his retirement as head coach in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Coach Stoops is the winningest coach in Oklahoma history with a record of 191–48, leading the Sooners to double-digit wins in 14 of his 18 seasons—the most of any FBS coach from 2000–2016—and to at least eight victories in each of his last 17 seasons, which was the longest active streak in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Coach Stoops' victories include 10 Big 12 Conference titles, the 2000 national championship, and a school record 18 consecutive bowl berths; and

WHEREAS, he is the only coach in the BCS era to win the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and the national championship, and he accumulated more victories over his first 18 seasons than any coach in the game's history; and

WHEREAS, during his 18 years at OU, he coached the Sooners to more wins than any other Power Five program during that time span; and

WHEREAS, seven of his teams finished in the AP top five, including each of his last two seasons, while three more finished No. 6; and

WHEREAS, earning the moniker “Big-Game Bob” early in his OU tenure, Coach Stoops' tendency for knocking off quality opponents was reflected in his 61–30 record against AP Top 25 opponents; and

WHEREAS, OU's home record under Coach Stoops was an incredible 101–9 at Gaylord Family—Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, with all 110 of those games being sellouts; and

WHEREAS, among his many coaching honors, Coach Stoops was a six-time Big 12 Coach of the Year, two-time national coach of the year, and last year was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Coach Stoops produced 37 first-team All–Americans, two AP Players of the Year, and 79 NFL Draft picks as OU's head coach; and

WHEREAS, he coached two Heisman Trophy winners—Jason White in 2003 and Sam Bradford in 2008—and seven Heisman finalists, with a number of other players earning honors such as the Nagurski, Thorpe, and Butkus Awards; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his legendary contributions to the OU football program and to the university as a whole, Coach Stoops has been a pillar in the Oklahoma community. Since its inception, the Bob Stoops Champions Foundation has provided over $2 million to organizations that help local children in Norman and Oklahoma City. Just some of the organizations that received support last year include the City Care Whiz Kids Program, Norman Regional Health Foundation, Toby Keith Foundation, Oklahoma Children's Hospital at OU Health, Cavett Kids Foundation, Oklahoma Institute of Child Advocacy Heroes Ball, Sooners Helping Sooners, Norman Public Schools, Norman Youth Foundation, OU Dance Marathon, Citizen's Advisory Board, Oklahoma City Center, Oklahoma City Police Athletic League, Alameda Church of Christ Operation Hungry Santa, United Way of Norman, and Fields and Futures; and

WHEREAS, Coach Stoops has given tirelessly of his time, paying frequent visits to patients at Oklahoma Children's Hospital, and working with Special Spectators to bring seriously ill children and their families to practices and games, fully immersing them in the Sooner football experience and welcoming them into the OU family; and

WHEREAS, in November 2021, Coach Stoops again stepped in to serve Oklahoma Football, returning to the sidelines as interim head coach during the postseason and leading the team to a victory in the Valero Alamo Bowl; and

WHEREAS, throughout his coaching career, Coach Stoops' philosophy has always been to put the best interest of his players first; and

WHEREAS, for more than two decades, Sooner Nation has rallied behind Coach Stoops, inspired by his iconic leadership, unmatched enthusiasm, legendary confidence, and deep loyalty to the University of Oklahoma.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE 58TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:

THAT the Oklahoma Legislature celebrates and commends Bob Stoops on a career of service to the Oklahoma community and success with the OU Football program.