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Stoops speaks with no regrets on success

Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops signs autographs for fans during the OU Caravan stop Thursday at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 6/26/2009  2:21 AM
Last Modified: 6/26/2009  3:44 AM

 University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops had something to say.

After a 25-minute question-and-answer session with the press, Stoops hung out with the media a little longer, talking heat, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Blake Griffin. Alas, an autograph engagement at Thursday's Sooner Caravan stop at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center caused Stoops to miss by five minutes Griffin's moment as the NBA's No. 1 overall pick.

For nearly an hour after that, the coach endured sweltering temperatures and signed memorabilia.

Finally, under a huge, air conditioned tent and in front of a crowd of several hundred Sooner fans assembled on the campus lawn, he got it off his chest.

"I do apologize about calling you out before the Texas Tech game," Stoops said. "I did not mean to offend anybody. I was challenging you, though. Let's face it: anybody have fun at that game?"

Stoops' challenge last November was clear: OU fans aren't loud enough. They cheer just fine, but they don't punish visitors with an unrelenting crush of noise. His team needed just that, he said, when it was to face the No. 2-ranked Red Raiders in a few days.

Sooner faithful responded to Stoops' challenge with a three-hour wave of commotion, and the Sooners responded to that with a 65-21 victory that ultimately led to a three-way tie in the Big 12 South. That led to another Big 12 Conference title, and that led to another disappointment in the national championship game.

Later, Stoops told the assembly that he would never apologize for finishing second. The Sooners won their third consecutive Big 12 crown — their sixth in 10 seasons under Stoops — but then went on to lose another national championship game, their third in a row, this time 24-14 to Florida.

"To win our third straight Big 12 championship, it's pretty special," he said. "The bottom line is, nobody else has won back-to-back but us, and now we've won three. They're not easy to win. It's pretty obvious, because no one else has even done it back-to-back.

"You look at the history of it, anybody that has (won more than one), I think they have two, and we have six. That doesn't happen by luck.

"I say that because the media would love to dismiss that — 'Well, that doesn't matter; let's just go on BCS games.' Well, I'm not ashamed of that, either. They don't just say, 'OK, you can go to a BCS game.' You earn your way into those games. You earn your way into the national championship. Let me tell you something: you play in a national championship, the other team's pretty darn good, too."

Stoops compared his five consecutive defeats in Bowl Championship Series games (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008) to a statistic he saw at last week's U.S. Open.

"They were talking about Phil Mickelson coming in second five times," Stoops told the crowd. "What bad company he's in: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, (Bobby Jones) and Sam Sneed. They had all come in second four times. That's horrible company, isn't it?"

"If you're scratching, you're knocking on the door, you're after it, they don't let you in those games, you win to get into those games," he said. "And we've won more than our share of games, Big 12 and otherwise, to earn our way, and we're going to keep going after it."

OU defensive end to transfer

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Thursday that defensive end Jonte Bumpus has elected to leave the program.

“That happened way back last spring,” Stoops said during his Sooner Caravan press conference at the OU-Schusterman Center. “He decided he wanted to transfer.

Bumpus, a Tulsa World All-Stater from Muskogee in 2006, played only sparingly last season as a freshman after redshirting the ’07 season.

Defensive end may be the Sooners’ deepest position in 2009. Senior Auston English was preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year last season, but after coming back from injury must win his job back from either junior Jeremy Beal or sophomore Frank Alexander. Also, redshirt freshmen David King and R.J.

Washington were repeatedly lauded by coaches during spring practice.

Terry Franklin, an incoming freshman defensive end from Mansfield, Texas, didn’t qualify academically and reportedly will enroll at a junior college.

Franklin was the first player to send in his letter of intent on National Signing Day in February.

Sooners gain defensive tackle commitment

Oklahoma on Thursday reportedly received its 12th verbal commitment for the 2010 recruiting class.

Torrea Peterson, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle at East Central High School in San Antonio, was quoted on the Rivals network Web site SoonerScoop.com saying he has committed to OU.

“That’s not a rumor, I just committed to Oklahoma,” Peterson told the site. “Oklahoma has been at the top of my charts for a while. I’ve liked Oklahoma for a long time.

Peterson — second cousin to former OU running back Adrian Peterson — chose OU over offers from Oklahoma State, Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, USC, Arkansas, LSU, Auburn, Tulsa and others.

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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13 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
gba, (6/26/2009 4:30:50 AM)
compare it to golf,gloss it over,try to change the subject
still can't win the big one
3 ntl championship losses
not good !
Report Comment
Graybeard, Tulsa (6/26/2009 6:44:09 AM)
3 NCAA losses, but 7 NCAA trophies, gba. You have to get to the title game for the opportunity to win.....and that is what every team plays and hopes for.....the chance to win the National Championship.
GO BIG RED!
Report Comment
lovethemsooners, Fayetteville (6/26/2009 7:12:53 AM)
Can't win the big one?! Have you seen the size of our trophy case?! We've won plenty, and we'll win more. Sure it sucks to have lost the last few, and having to live with a loss for 8 months isn't fun either, but I wouldn't trade being a Sooner for anything! Come on September 5!!!

Boomer Sooner Baby!!
Report Comment
2curious, Tulsa, OK 74104 (6/26/2009 7:17:49 AM)
I'll take playing in the game and losing every year...to never getting to the game. Every time.

Boomer!
Report Comment
Okierat, Bartlesville (6/26/2009 10:25:27 AM)
gba is right, this is unacceptable. Lets bring back John Blake or Howard Smellingburbon!!!!!!!!
Report Comment
Shirley S, (6/26/2009 11:15:20 AM)
You've got to love Medium Game Bob. At least if you're an OU fan. Who else, except Castiglione, would buy into his analogies. His unapologetic responses are what makes him so loveable to his fans and so egomaniacal to everyone else.

But Bob, how do you compare your lack of bowl success to Lefty's prowess? If Lefty is in the last pairing but fires an 88, he doesn't finish second. And neither have you, ever! When you get thrashed by USC or WVU, you drop way down and leave the Big XII embarassed.

You could take a page from Phil by viewing his comments after Winged Foot. A little contrition may put your huge annual raise at risk but it might look good on you for once.
Report Comment
KansasSooner, Prefer the country (6/26/2009 11:45:20 AM)
gba, Okierat and Shirley S - put down your crack pipes!
Report Comment
SUEA, MESQUITE (6/26/2009 12:54:19 PM)
Sooners 7 National titles..........Steers 4...........who's counting ???? I'm counting....end of discussion....
Report Comment
Okierat, Bartlesville (6/26/2009 1:10:20 PM)
KS, have you seen my profile. NO CRACK HERE ONLY HOMEBREWED BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Comment
keithfromBA, BA (6/26/2009 8:10:35 PM)
Gba and everyone who agrees with him are either narrow minded impossible to please sport junkies or they are just trying to get a rise out of the sooner nation.

To bad i am a OSU fan or i would be ticked!

OKIERAT....you smoke crack you know it. Good call KS. LOL
Report Comment
RSK, (6/27/2009 9:28:28 AM)
For all of those ripping on Coach Stoops for the recent bowl losses, what would they say if he would be winless in EIGHT straight bowls? Oh wait, there was a coach that had that record. His name was Bryant. Man, I bet Alabama fans couldn't wait to see him go!
Report Comment
wk, (6/28/2009 10:59:27 AM)
mgb (medium game bob) is still in the top 10 of all current college coaches. Doesn't crack the top 5 but still in there.
Report Comment
Steff M, Claremore (6/29/2009 10:12:17 AM)
Top ten? I can think of 1 or 2 that an argument could be made for them being ahead of Bob but that's about it. The list is not based on how many losses in the National Title game but rather # of wins, conf. champ., BCS appearances, final ranking, recruiting class rank, etc. As long as the best hs players in the country keep picking OU over most everyone else and he keeps giving them a chance to win the big one during their career his place in history will be firmly cemented. Also, Shirley, if he's embarrassing the Big 12 what's that say about the rest of the conference? To quote the great Carl Lewis, "Uh oh".
 

 
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