Quotes from Bob Stoops

I'm thankful that my career at Oklahoma was marked with consistent leadership in president David Boren and director of athletics Joe Castiglione.

The coaching life is like a relay race and I'm thankful for my turn and am confident as I pass the baton.

Our players are educated. They know. If you knowingly break the rules, we're going to move on. We'll find someone else to play quarterback.

You've got to put the work in every week. You can't take anything for granted.

I've got great respect for all the teams in the SEC as well as the Big 12, the Big Ten, on and on.

I'm very fortunate to work with a great group of guys that are great coaches, great motivators, excited about what they do, have a lot of enthusiasm and are excellent coaches.

They said 'the SEC this, the SEC that.' I said, 'You talk like all 14 teams are this, that and the other thing.' I said, 'You have to give credit to the first one or two that have won the national championship, but don't act like they're all doing that.'

I think proximity in recruiting matters the most.

If you keep hanging on to something, you've got an opportunity to keep getting hurt by it.

You know, if I've done anything right, it has been hiring the right people.

It's impossible to remove agendas.

The characteristic that every college football coach should look for in a wife is independence.

I remember embracing our championship tradition, telling our players that this is what we should expect to be; this is what Oklahoma is supposed to be. And we're going to do all we can to be that. And if we don't, there will be no excuses. You either do or you don't.

I've always believed if a young guy has a chance to play, why would you explain where his weakness is? The only reason would be to help the other team, or to help a gambler.

Coach Spurrier was just an amazing competitor. I felt I learned to really love the competition of it all from watching him and being around him. All his assistant coaches were great recruiters, very professional in how they handled their business. So as a young guy, I got to see that all the time.

The fact is I gave everything I had to Kansas State when I was there.

Coach Snyder was just a determined guy. I was at the ground floor at Kansas State. I learned a lot from that experience.

I think all coaches look at it as a major part of our job: to build young men, not just ball players. To put the right things in front of them, and help them mature as men, not just as players.

I'm especially thankful for being able to coach so many talented young men over my 18 years here. It has been so rewarding to see these players come to OU and mature over a four- or five-year career, and not just on the field. To play a small part in their growth is what I will always cherish the most.

Just being in the locker room as a young person growing up was something I've always enjoyed, without ever having it forced upon me.

It's very rewarding when you know you're affecting a young person in a positive way, when you know you're helping influence them in the right direction. Teaching them by example, giving them examples, showing humility and respect and love for your child and wife.

Football is all about repetition. The trick for a coach is to be innovative when you ask for it.

At the end of the day, if someone tries to conceal something they will, and when you find out, you deal with it. That's it. We can't possibly know everything that happens.

Spend a day around my players, around my African-American players, my Hispanic players, my Polynesian players, and you'll see the true beauty of who they are.