Tulsa World: Stoops, Pelini go way back

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Stoops, Pelini go way back
But it's all business Saturday for the OU and Nebraska head coaches, who grew up together.

CROSSING PATHS
Bo Pelini: Grew up in a large football family in Youngstown, Ohio, as did Bob Stoops.

By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 10/31/2008 2:14 AM
Last Modified: 10/31/2008 3:22 AM

But it's all business Saturday for the OU and Nebraska head coaches, who grew up together.

NORMAN — Last June, Bob Stoops and Bo Pelini spent a weekend teaching football, playing bocce and just catching up, as they always do at the annual Cardinal Mooney High School fundraiser. There was just one thing that was a little different.

"I did chuckle," Stoops said. "Bo and I were hanging out with everybody and said, 'Isn't it ironic? Two guys from the south side of Youngstown end up coaching at Oklahoma and Nebraska, with the rivalry that it is.' It's just unusual."

A source of pride is what it is.

"The people here at Mooney and all around Youngstown, all they've been talking about is this game since the summer," said Don Bucci, who coached the four Stoops boys and the five Pelinis during his 34-year run as Mooney football coach. "Everybody is aware of the fact that Bo and Bobby somewhere down line were going to meet."

It really did seem inevitable, for reasons beyond the relationship between two coaches at two traditional powers.

No, this is more about the relationship between two families.

"He's one of eight kids, I'm one of six. And we were all intertwined," Stoops said. "We all went to school together."

To Mooney, that is. Growing up, the Stoopses and Pelinis competed against each other in different grade schools. Which served them pretty well when they joined forces in high school and played for Bucci and Ron Stoops, Bob's father and Mooney's defensive coordinator for 30 years.

Take a look at the Mooney Hall of Fame. Stoops is enshrined along with Class of '78 buddy Vince Pelini. There's Mike Stoops, Class of '80. And Mark Stoops, Class of '85. And Bo Pelini, Class of '86.

Vince went into business and eventually found his way back to Youngstown. The rest of the lot immersed themselves in coaching and started crossing paths.

Bob Stoops was in his first year as Kansas State defensive backs coach in 1989, when he took in Carl Pelini, Bo's older brother, as a graduate assistant.

"We were newly married. It would be me, my wife and Carl, sitting around and watching TV or having dinner," Stoops said. "We had a lot of fun having him around. If I was out busy recruiting, my wife enjoyed having someone to talk to."

In 1991, Mike Stoops worked with Iowa's linebackers and defensive backs as a volunteer coach. That also happened to be Bo Pelini's first year in coaching. He spent it as a grad assistant, naturally, with Mike at Iowa. His fellow grad assistant? Mark Stoops.

The next decade or so was spent in somewhat different circles. Bo Pelini hopped NFL staffs. Carl Pelini spent time at Kansas City-area high schools known as Blue Valley and Winnetonka. Bob and Mike Stoops wound up together at OU.

When Mike got his first head coaching job at Arizona in 2003, though, Bob had a pretty good idea who to call.

"Bo had excellent experience and was, as at the time, a perfect fit," Bob said. "I know what kind of guy and person he is on top of the success he's had as a coach. It made it easy."

"After what happened at Nebraska," Pelini said at the time, referencing his departure as Husker defensive coordinator along with Frank Solich's staff, "I wanted to be around a good friend and a stable place."

Both parties got much more than that.

Pelini helped coordinate a defense that ranked in the top 15 nationally in rushing, scoring and total defense.

"He was terrific," OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "He really meshed things that he believed in with things that we did. It couldn't have gone any better."

Pelini could say the same thing, particularly regarding the lessons he learned from the old family friend who was head coach.

"I think (Stoops) is a leader, he's tough, his teams play physical and aggressive," Pelini said. "I think he does a great job maintaining a balance in his life. But at the same time does a phenomenal job coaching. There's a lot of things I took out of that year. It was a great experience."

It's no coincidence that comparisons have been made between Stoops' first year at OU and Pelini's first at Nebraska. Both used work and discipline, primarily, to restore pride to tradition-dripping programs.

"He's made a great impact," Stoops has noticed of Pelini. "You can tell the defense is drastically different than it was a year ago."

That the Huskers' road back to national prominence leads to Norman, and through an old family friend?

Nothing personal, both coaches insist.

"He's a friend," Pelini said of Stoops. "When the game's over, it's over. There's nothing you can do about it either way. It isn't going to change my personal feelings towards him."

"It's never exciting going against your friends, but I don't look at it that way at all," Stoops said. "I don't take anything in my business as personal. It's all about programs and teams."

Well, try telling that to the folks back home. After all, they know well the two families behind the two coaches who will be on opposite sidelines of Owen Field on Saturday night.

"It's been a hot topic of discussion around here," Bucci said. "I've had lots of former players coach against each other in high school, but not college. Not like this. We're just glad our playoff game is Friday night so we can watch Saturday.

"We're all so proud. We look at it as a win, either way."

Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer

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