At about 6:00 p.m. on this upcoming September 4th, there
should be a small yet very welcomed desert breeze blowing
in off the hills around Tucson, yet despite being the
early evening, the temperature will still most likely be
hovering in the ‘90s, and the bottled water at Arizona
Stadium will be selling faster than a lizard running to
find that last patch of shade under a flat rock.
I can imagine Mike Stoops standing at the 40-yard line
surrounded by the navy blue, white, and hints of red on
the clashing helmets during pre-game light contact
drills. Dare I suggest that Mike will be grinning from
ear to ear underneath his legendary stoic, almost
"Grudenesque" glare? It won’t be the biggest game of his
career…or will it be?
Even though the game will be against Northern Arizona, rather than
Texas or Nebraska, it will be the most anticipated game of
the year by the people filling the seats at Arizona
Stadium, as well as alumni and fans of the University of
Arizona all across the country. As the clock strikes
7:00 p.m.,
everyone, including his brother Bob, head coach at
University of Oklahoma, will hold their collective breath
as the opening kickoff of the University of Arizona's
season sails through the air. The 2004 season for the
Arizona Wildcats will be underway.
Mike Stoops is now officially a head coach, a designation
which has been earned. Stoops has paid his dues and
proven his leadership abilities; he has certainly come a
long way since his playing days at Iowa.
Stoops began his coaching career at Iowa
in 1986 as an Iowa graduate assistant coach for one year.
It must have been then as a graduate assistant that he saw
how much he liked coaching because after two seasons, he
returned as a volunteer assistant coach (linebackers,
defensive backs) for 4 years. After becoming Kansas
State’s defensive ends coach in 1992, Stoops started
catching his bigger breaks in 1996 when he became
co-defensive coordinator, eventually being named an
assistant head coach for the 1998 season.
In 1999, Mike’s brother, Bob Stoops, was named head coach
of the University of Oklahoma. Apparently, being the
family man that he is, Bob Stoops ensured that his
brothers Mike and Mark would have jobs under him with the
Oklahoma Sooners. During his tenure with the Sooners,
Mike Stoops created one of the most stifling and
smothering defenses in the nation. Since 2000,
Stoops’ defenses have ranked among the best in every key
statistical category. In recognition, he was a
finalist for the 2001 America Football Conference
Association Assistant Coach of the Year Award. His
achievements at Oklahoma
were more than enough to ease the minds of all Arizonians
and Wildcat fans across the country when Mike was named
their new commander.
Mike Stoops’ first press conference for the Wildcats
started off with a flaring zip, a feisty demanding "get
after it" attitude, fitting the coach himself. He
immediately crooned about rebuilding and raising the
University of Arizona football program back to the likes
of 1990s’ nationally-known "Desert Swarm" defense.
Judging by the conviction with which Stoops spoke, I don't
believe anyone could doubt that it will happen.
During his opening statements, he exuded that
Stoops Brothers passion by stating "We will expect to win,
we will win, and we will do it in a very quick way."
After 5 straight losing seasons, several under the
stressful and problematic reign of John Mackovic, the
words and passion of Mike Stoops are certainly welcomed by
players and fans alike. The 41-year old Stoops will be
the 28th head coach in Arizona’s
104 year-old history. If he lives up to even half of his
promises, he’ll seem like their last for a long while.
Arizona Wildcat and Oklahoma Sooner fans are certainly
looking forward to a Stoops-Stoops meeting in the National
Championship game sometime in the future. Mike Stoops has
surrounded himself with a strong coaching staff to help
achieve that goal. Mark Stoops, former defensive
backs coach at Miami, joins his brother as defensive
coordinator. Steve Spurrier Jr. has come from the
NFL where he coached under his father, joining Arizona
as wide receivers coach. Mike Canales, most recently
wide receivers coach for the New York Jets, is already
well known and highly regarded from his quarterback coach
and offensive coordinator days at Brigham Young. You’re
likely to hear more of his name as he begins his tenure as
offensive coordinator at Arizona
under Stoops. This coaching staff, including two
Stoops' and a Spurrier, names that now are synonymous with
College Football, coupled with a good recruiting class
makes the possibility for an All-Stoops National
Championship game in the not too distant future plausible.
Although the Wildcats don't have a swarm of names you'll
recognize on their 2004 recruiting class list, some of
these players, based on their high school numbers and
rankings, should make you raise an eyebrow or two.
James Alford, LB
— 6'3", 225 lbs., earned Louisiana 45 honors out of high school and
is listed the No. 24 prospect in the state.
Yaniv Barnett, DT
— 6'6", 285 lbs., awarded San Antonio Express-News Defensive Player
of the Year honors, 5A Texas football.com 1st-team
all-state honors, and a list of other notable awards.
B.J. Dennard, CB
— 6'1", 175 lbs., from Phoenix, ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the
state of Arizona, was awarded all-state honors, and was
recruited by several schools as a wide receiver.
Dillon Hansen, OL
— 6'5", 290 lbs., from Las Cruces, New Mexico, was awarded the
Associated Press first-team all-state honors as a senior
and was Rivals.com No. 51 offensive line prospect with a
3 star rating.
Mike Stoops is no "ho-hum" hiring. Some may
criticize the fact he has no head coaching experience, but
he's a Stoops. You have only to look at his record to see
he's the real deal. "We will put a defense on the field
that will attack offenses and swarm to the football,"
Stoops has said. "It will resemble what we did at
Oklahoma." Anyone familiar with his accomplishments does
not doubt his assertions but the doubts lay on the
offensive side of the field. To that, Stoops has said,
"We will spread out the field and make people defend the
entire field. We believe there are players in place to
give us that opportunity."
The University of Arizona alumni and fans have to be fired
up and drooling over this hiring. I am not alone in
having no doubt that Mike Stoops will succeed in Arizona
and that his name alone will draw some of the top recruits
in the country in years to come. During Stoops’ tenure,
I’m certain that while looking back fondly to the old
"Desert Swarm" of the ‘90s, Arizona fans will see them
overshadowed by the "Shock and Awe" of this millennium.
