Urban Meyer at OU to interview Landry Jones. Hope he made it by Stoops' office
Published: 6/20/2011 7:48 PM
Last Modified: 6/20/2011 7:48 PM
Urban Meyer was on the Oklahoma campus Monday. He interviewed Landry Jones for a half-hour in the Switzer Center, Jones showing up in crimson OU golf shirt and flip-flops, no doubt a salute to Sam Bradford.
I assume Meyer made it over to Bob Stoops’ office for some shop talk. Gotta think the names Mack Brown and Nick Saban came up. Jim Tressel as well.
Stoops: “So…. You want that job?”
Meyer: “Me? Naaah… You?”
Stoops: “Shoot…. No…. So anyway…”
You know what would be cool is if the two Buckeye boys swapped stories about the grunt work they did at their first jobs. Now that would make a great segment on College Football Live.
The Tampa Tribune's Joey Johnston wrote one of the more compelling stories leading up to the OU-Florida national championship. Here’s how it started:
“Twenty years ago they were just starting out, soaking up knowledge, working insane hours, doing anything to get ahead, maybe even fetching coffee for other staff members. Now they are college football's coaching emperors…
“Once, Stoops was an anonymous volunteer coach at his alma mater, Iowa. Once, Meyer was a faceless graduate assistant at Ohio State.
“Now they are arguably the most powerful men in their profession. They are examples of why many high-profile college coaches no longer must join the NFL to reach football's pinnacle. They are $3 million-a-year CEOs of unmistakable brands - Sooners, Gators - and celebrities in their adopted home states.”
Johnston got a great quote from Meyer’s wife, Shelley, about an early assistant’s job at Colorado State: “I remember counting up the hours Urban put in one week - and it was 118. Those were crazy days. I had to have a job, there was no choice, and we were living paycheck to paycheck.”
Sort of a telling statement, given the mess Meyer became after that championship season.
Here’s another that Johnston pulled from Jay Norvell, the OU assistant who used to play at Iowa with Stoops:
"I used to like looking around, looking into everyone's eyes. Bob was always straight ahead, never flinching. He had this conviction that just separated him from other people.
"This is a guy who played his whole senior season at Iowa with a fractured foot. He could hardly walk. But he played every Saturday. He was my leader even back then. I looked up to him - and I still do.''
If Meyer found Stoops in the office Monday, I’ll bet they swapped hours of stories. That would have been rich.
Here’s a question: You think Meyer would have walked out of the Switzer Center missing his old job, or relieved for the break? Think Stoops would have envied his old Ohio pal’s suddenly stress-free existence, or felt sorry for him for missing out on all the fun?
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
