Bob Stoops is content with his decision to retire as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma.
When Stoops, 57, announced in June he was retiring, it was a surprise to the college football world.
But Stoops felt it was the right time and made that point again Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
"I always felt, 'Why does something have to happen for you to take control of your life and doing what you want to do?' " Stoops said. "I wanted to be in charge of my own time, my own space and what I am doing. I'm not afraid of the future and what's there. I look forward to it.
"By no means do I intend to coach at the college or pro level. If that was my intention, I would have said so. That's not me. I loved it. I felt like for the last 30 years, I didn't have to work.
"It was the right time for me."
Stoops was 190-48 in 18 seasons at Oklahoma. He led the Sooners to a national championship in 2000 and won 10 Big 12 Conference championships.
During his speech, Stoops reflected on his playing career at Iowa and his coaching career, with stops as an assistant coach at Kansas State and Florida before arriving at Oklahoma in 1999.
Oklahoma went 7-5 in Stoops' first season in 1999, but he said the turning point for the Sooners was in that season when they defeated Texas A&M 51-6 in Norman.
"We were turning the corner," Stoops said. "We're not going to get the heck beaten out of us anymore. We're starting to get somewhere with these guys."
In 2000, Oklahoma went 13-0 and won its seventh national championship, defeating Florida State 13-2 in Miami.
This season, Oklahoma is 5-1 and ranked ninth in The Associated Press and coaches' Top 25 polls.
Lincoln Riley, who was Stoops' offensive coordinator, was named head coach in June. Stoops is high on Riley.
"I felt the right guy was in place to take it over," Stoops said. "Lincoln Riley has got a great, great future. I had an experienced team that could handle it.
"Oklahoma is not going to miss a step."
Other highlights from Monday's Touchdown Club luncheon:
• Stoops on quarterbacks Layne Hatcher of Pulaski Academy and Jackson Bowersock of Little Rock Christian, who were named the All-Arkansas Preps players of the week: "Those are better than Baker Mayfield's stats." (Hatcher passed for 757 yards and 6 touchdowns in Pulaski Academy's 86-56 victory over Little Rock Christian on Oct. 6. Bowersock threw for a school-record eight touchdown passes.)
• Stoops on Rex Nelson's college football recap, which went over the Arkansas Razorbacks' game at Alabama and the other state schools: "For a minute, I thought I was at an Alabama touchdown club."
• Stoops on his father, who persuaded him not to quit the football team at Iowa: "A little bit of tough love can go a long way."
Sports on 10/17/2017