Bob Stoops and Bo Pelini.
You have to admit, if you examine the similarities, it gets eerie.
But let me start from the beginning.
Both men grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and graduated from the same high school, Cardinal Mooney High (Stoops in 1978, Pelini in 1986).
Both men were defensive players in the secondary for Big Ten schools (Stoops at Iowa, Pelini at Ohio State), where both men got marketing degrees.
Both men began their coaching careers as graduate assistants at Iowa under Hayden Fry, several years apart.
After Iowa, Stoops coached in college football as a defensive coach under Bill Snyder at Kansas State and under Steve Spurrier at Florida. Then Stoops was hired as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma in 1999.
After Iowa, Pelini coached quarterbacks at Cardinal Mooney for a season, then started a successful coaching stint in the NFL with the 49ers (two years, and Super Bowl XXIX victory), Patriots (three years) and Packers (three years). Then Pelini was defensive coordinator under Frank Solich at Nebraska in 2003.
Solich was fired at the end of that season and most speculated Nebraska would offer the head coach job to Pelini. We should have, but at the time we had a moron as an athletic director who passed over Pelini and hired Bill Callahan.
So Pelini coached with Stoops at Oklahoma in 2004 as co-defensive coordinator. Then he spent two years as Les Miles' defensive coordinator at LSU. Nebraska cleaned house of Pederson (athletic director) and Callahan (head coach) and Tom Osborne, interim athletic director, offered him the head coach job.
Both men got their first head coaching jobs at Big 12 schools.
Oklahoma had endured the worst stretch in its storied history, going 12-22 in three consecutive losing seasons under John Blake, before hiring Stoops in 1999.
Nebraska had suffered through one of the most frustratingly bad stretches in its storied history, going a dismal 27-22 in four seasons (two losing seasons) under Bill Callahan (not to mention blatant murder of many traditions), before hiring Pelini in 2008.
Stoops used his younger brother, Mike, as co-defensive coordinator on his staff at Oklahoma. Pelini currently has his older brother, Carl, as the defensive coordinator on his staff at Nebraska.
Both men are defensive-minded and came into programs with defenses that had exceptional struggles.
Oklahoma went 7-5 under Stoops his first season with their first bowl appearance in four years, then won the National Championship the very next year in 2000.
Nebraska should finish 8-4 this year if nothing goes wrong the next couple of weeks. We're already bowl eligible after missing the cut two of the last four years.
With all of their similarities, could Pelini guide Nebraska back into the hunt for the National Championship next season like Stoops did at Oklahoma?
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about 1 month ago
It is quite likely that Bo Pelini will do for Nebraska what Bob Stoops has done for Oklahoma.
One other similarity that you just hinted at was the "blatant murder of tradition". When Howard Schnellenberger came to Oklahoma as their head coach, he turned his back on the traditions of a program going back to 1895. He decided to "start fresh". He ordered the destruction of old football records and memorabilia. He also said that the team he planned to put together would make the "Sooner Nation" forget about legendary coaches Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer. His replacement John Blake didn't do much if anything to revive those traditions. It wasn't until Bob Stoops took over at Oklahoma that the program as a whole was able to embrace a then 104-year old history.
Bo Pelini I know is trying to do the same at Nebraska. Bill Callahan had the same attitude that Schnellenberger had, and unfortunately he was able to do more damage. Bo Pelini has his work cut out for him now. Hopefully he is up to the challenge. If this season has been any indication so far, it looks like he is.
from about 1 month ago
Yah. Callahan/Pederson started turning away alumni and ending long-standing traditions and pissing off Husker Nation. Pelini, having been here in 2003, already had a good understanding of the Devaney/Osborne/Solich traditions that had been in place for decades and has taken the university leaps and bounds toward fixing everything (with the help of AD Tom Osborne himself).
I don't know how many Sooner fans were delighted when Stoops showed up, but I was happy for Oklahoma because it was hard seeing OU where they were. And I was tired of the rivalry game being a guaranteed win, haha
Thanks for the comment and the pick, Jeff!
about 1 month ago
I like it! We can only hope that Bo has similar success. I certainly don't expect a NC next year, but I think we can compete for Big 12 title again in 2-3 years.
But, I think if we are competing for the Big 12 title and winning on occassion we will be in running for the BCS title game. Win the Big 12 and opportunity to play for National Championships should take care of self, if we haven't lost more than 1 game during regular season. POTD
from about 1 month ago
I think we'll win the Big 12 North next year and have a shot at the conference championship, but I'm not expecting a national championship for a few more years (like you said).
It was just a thought-provoking comparison that I caught when I was in Norman for the OU-Nebraska game. And it would be pretty sweet if Nebraska won the national championship next year because it's the last year I have student tickets, haha
Thanks for the comment and the pick, Andy!
about 1 month ago
Oklahoma fans, boosters and players were VERY happy within a few weeks of Stoops showing up. When he started requesting old trophies, photos and documents be put back in place it was a sign that he UNDERSTOOD the program. That he wished to become part of the tradition, not attempt to start a new one.
Am I to assume that the reaction was similar in Nebraska to Bo Pelini?
from about 1 month ago
OH YES. Pederson had replaced pictures around the offices of classic players (Rodgers, Tagge, Frazier, Wistrom--both of them, Brown--many of them, etc) with current players, saying it was better for the program. Fans and boosters disagreed. He moved the trophies down away from prominence and turned away old players like Ahman Green, Grant Wistrom, Eric Crouch and Tommie Frazier from coming around during practice to help out (as was the long-standing tradition). Callahan did away with the walk-on program, allowing only scholarship players or players promised scholarships to be on the roster. He also disgraced the Blackshirt name by ruining the defense.
One of the first things Pelini did when he was coach was to take away the Blackshirts. He said he'd give them back when the players proved themselves WORTHY of the tradition that comes with a Blackshirt. After the Kansas game, he awarded a few, but the players went a majority of the season before he felt they appreciated the tradition enough.
He also restarted the walk-on program. In the 70s, 80s and 90s--when Nebraska was truly great--the Huskers thrived off the walk-on program. Some of the best players were home-grown boys who'd dreamed of playing for Nebraska their whole lives and were given a chance to prove themselves as walk-ons. Nebraska has already seen improvement because the walk-ons have revitalized the program in just one season.
Pelini has also encouraged alumni players to return and be involved in practices and get tickets to games. He's really trying to restore the tradition that was lost.
And I love the way you put it--"he wished to become part of the tradition, not attempt to start a new one." That's EXACTLY what Pelini is doing.
about 1 month ago
Bernie; Well you did it again Monk....ey HAHAHAH
Pat: Yes, very well executed. It was like that movie.. you know.
Bernie: Batman?
Pat: Close.
Bernie: Notting Hill?
Pat: Warmer
Bernie: Talledega Nights?
Pat: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
from about 1 month ago
You never cease to make me laugh, guys. Thanks for the comment.
about 1 month ago
The resembalance is pretty uncanny, SportMonk. I don't know how you found out all this stuff, but nice work on the fact-finding.
As for the Stoops-Pelini comparison itself, I'm not sure. The similarities are pretty cool, but also pretty superficial. He seems like a good coach, but let's not jump the gun. Let's wait until the National Championship trophy is in Lincoln before we start talking about that. But it's good to see Nebraska fans with such high hopes. They deserve a good coach for all the support they give their program.
from about 1 month ago
It was a week or so in the making, so I'm pretty happy how it all turned out.
Haha, believe me, I don't really think we'll win a national championship right away--I just noticed the similarities and thought it was pretty uncanny and hoped it would make an interesting article.
Despite the similarities, they're different guys in different situations. Pelini is doing exactly what he needs to be doing to help Nebraska be successful, so I have high hopes for the future.
Thanks for the comment, Tim.
about 1 month ago
Wow, I had no idea the similarities between these two. And the pic is awesome!! Great job as always :)
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Kristin! And thanks for the pick!
about 1 month ago
Ha. While this comment will be nowhere near as entertaining as Bernie and Pats I shall try.
Monk,
This article was really bad. Underdeveloped. Lack of detail. No I'm kidding. Although I bet your facial expression was funny. That was a skit from some of the comments I've been reading here on B/R lately.
Anyway, great job on the article. While the SEC is my home, I did know that these two guys had some similarities but not quite this much. To answer your question, you never really know about National Championships. I never in a million years thought Alabama would be looking at even thinking about them 2 years into a coach. However, like Saban said "You build your best teams from knowing your past successful teams." It could happen. I can see the headline now..."#1 ranked Alabama Up Against #2 Nebraska in National Championship. Someone get the tractor, this could be a hay of a game." Ok...maybe the headline needs work, but it's the thought that counts right? :)
Again, great job on the article.
ROLL TIDE,
Cameon
from about 1 month ago
Yah, I was thinking of not talking to you anymore until the "No I'm kidding" part. haha
Thanks for the encouraging words, Cameon! But I think No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Alabama would be MUCH happier. ;)
from about 1 month ago
haha. I think that would be a difference in opinion. Maybe we should agree to disagree. :)
from about 1 month ago
Sounds good. We can both agree who would win that future matchup, though. ;)
from about 1 month ago
Well Alabama of course. ;)
from about 1 month ago
Hmm... Uh... No? Haha
about 1 month ago
Nice pic dude. It is possible for it to happen. But remember, many thought Ricky Williams would be the next Earl Campbell.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks. I made it myself in Photoshop, haha. Good counterpoint, though.
about 1 month ago
Great article! Lot of commons between these too although herez hoping Pelini never shares one thing with Bob Stoops: his bowl record!!! :-P
from about 1 month ago
I second that! Thanks for the comment, RedRaider.
about 1 month ago
Good article Monk, I didn't realize they had so much in common. Very nice.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Scott! I appreciate the read.
about 1 month ago
Great work Monk. The article shows you put a lot of work into it. Five stars and POTD.
Blake was not a particularly good coach but he was a heck of a recruiter. The last former Husker coach left the cupboard bare of speed and with underdeveloped talent; it really showed against OU, Missouri, Texas Tech and OSU.
As you have acknowledged next year is not likely to produce a championship team. If Nebraska lands about ten immediate impact players with unreal speed it would be more realistic.
from about 1 month ago
Haha, true that, Peter. Thanks for the pick and the comment!
It sounds to me like Pelini has hit the ground running with recruits, though--thanks in part to some contacts left over from LSU. We've got some high-profile kids to sign on already and the coaches have proved they can take the "bare cupboard" players and make something out of them, so imagine what they could do with these fresh recruits.
I have high optimism for the future, but don't expect a national championship.
about 1 month ago
monk, wow. nice job. i had no idea the similarities, or even the crossing of paths, that these two coaches have.
it's a good idea...rarely do you hear about the coaching trees in college football, like you do in the nfl. i'd be curious to see how some of them look.
very interesting...
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, Daniel!
Maybe you should write a story on coaching trees from the NFL. I'd read it.
about 1 month ago
Monk, great work on this one! The similarities are interesting, and you did an excellent job of pointing it out. I miss Nebraska not being in the chase. They has some great teams. POTD
from about 1 month ago
I miss them not being in the chase too, Gray. We'll be back soon, though. Thanks for the comment and the pick! I look forward to your next write.
about 1 month ago
As a Sooner fan, I hope that Nebraska can get back in the annual hunt for a the conference championship. It was very painful going through the years between Switzer and Stoops, and I am sure it the same is true for you with and the Huskers. I always thought Tom Osborne was a class act and felt bad for him this decade. I want to see "all boats" rise for the conference as a whole. Maybe this season is just the ticket, with four Big 12 teams in the top 10 most of the season, to get fans and recruits back to the Big 12. All these match-ups on national television between two highly rated teams will get a few top prospects thinking about this conference and not the SEC, Big 10, or PAC-10. You take just 10 more of the top 100 prospects and switch them to the Big 12, then that changes everything. Then secondary players who would have gone to OU and Texas might trickle down to Colorado, Baylor, A&M, ISU, KSU, and the whole conference gets a little bit better. This season is setting itself up as the perfect recruiting storm for the Big 12, just one more thing is needed: to get into the BCS-Championship Game and then win it. That is the best recruiting tool you can get for the conference. Money doesn't hurt either, getting some alumni with some money, like T. Boone Pickens for OSU, really helps. I hope that each and every Big 12 school can find a guy like that to really get behind the program (of course drooping oil & gas prices are making Pickens uncomfortable, he put his Pickens Plan on hold because of it). With the type of season the Big 12 is having, I hope that the marketing department of the Big 12 is working right now to have a national ad campaign worked up for the BCS bowl series and for the month of January. If the Big 12 wins the National Championship, I would like to see a Big 12 ad on the Superbowl and during nationally televised Big 12 basketball games showing this seasons football highlights and showcasing how good the top 6 Big 12 teams and their match-ups where. Just give the conference 10 more of the top 100 recruits and they'll show you the world. They will rival the SEC as the premier college football conference. Keep you fingers crossed. Go Big 12 and Go Sooners...!!!!
from about 1 month ago
Yah, the Big 12 is doing very well for itself this year. I hate to say it, but the trickle-down effect has helped Nebraska dig itself out of the hole (never thought Nebraska wouldn't be a "premier" program in the conference...) and back to winning games.
It's nice to see schools like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech doing well this year (but I hate Texas so much I wish they'd lose every game every season), and programs on the rise like Nebraska and Baylor. Schools like K-State, Iowa State and Colorado need to pick up the slack, though.
about 1 month ago
Great comparison, Monk! I didn't realize that they went to the same high school, and started their coaching tutelage under the same coach at the same program. That's crazy!
I'm gonna argue that Stoops was defensive coordinator under better coaches than Pelini. Les Miles is a great recruiter (He was able to lure the Woods brothers to a basketball school like Oklahoma State. That takes some persuasion skills.), but not a great coach. Yes, LSU won a national championship, but Miles benefited from talent at every position that came from Saban's recruiting. Ohio State also didn't belong in the national championship that year. And while I love what Bob Stoops has done to resurrect the OU football program and I think he's a very good coach, I think the early success had a lot to do with his coaching staff: Leach, Mike, and Bob Stoops. The cupboard is getting dry, and it's why the Sooners are no longer achieving what they are capable of.
Bob Stoops, on the other hand, was DC under Bill Snyder, an amazing recruiter and coach (he made a national contending program from nothing), and before that, Steve Spurrier, who was ahead of his time. That's pretty hard to beat. But I will agree that both Pelini and Stoops are defensive-minded people and studied under quality coaches.
I will also argue that OU will suffer longer than Nebraska. OU's suffering started at the hands of one of their winningest coaches: Barry Switzer. Switzer let the program slide into probation status, and so OU wasn't allowed into bowl games (ala Alabama) during the end of his tenure. Then came the 90s. The horrible 90s started with Miami's Schellenberger promising that books and movies would cover his time at OU. He didn't last long, and it just got worse with Gibbs and Blake. Time of OU sucking: 1989/90-1999
Nebraska's problems, I believe, started when they got embarrassed in the Rose Bowl against Miami. That most definitely hurt recruiting. Pederson hired Solich, who was pretty good, but not up to Nebraska standards. Then they hired the wrong guy, though he gave Husker Nation false hope early on (Zach Taylor, anyone?). Callahan did disgrace the Husker reputation on and off the field, but he didn't drive the program to probation/hooligan status. It isn't as bad and it won't be as long. Time of NU sucking: 2004/05-? (It's only been, at most, 5 years.)
All that said, I believed and still believe that Pelini was always the right guy to bring Nebraska back to national prominence. I'd love to have the rivalry between OU and NU to the level where the national championship/Big 12 title is on the line. It's great for the Big 12, and great for college football.
Totally with you on the wishing Texas would lose every game line of thought.
from about 1 month ago
Oh, I'll agree with you on the point that Stoops was under better coaches, which lent a lot to his success like you said.
And I don't know if the beginning of Nebraska's current demise was 2001. I think Nebraska was still relatively well-off until 2003 when Solich was fired. I agree he should have been fired (people on the inside think the university discovered his drinking problem, which has come to light at Ohio recently, and asked him to resign because of it--it certainly wasn't because he had a 9-3 season) but I don't agree with the next move. Nebraska decided to pass over interum head coach (and now current head coach) Bo Pelini and give the job to a moron who failed miserably in the NFL. Callahan did his very best to destroy Nebraska from the inside out and very well could have if he'd have been allowed to stay longer. Pederson really set his bed with Callahan when he gave Callahan a big extension near the beginning of last season. This meant that Pederson had to go before Callahan could be fired and no one agreed with the direction the program was going or anything that Pederson/Callahan were doing.
It was a bad time in Nebraska football history.
And I think that's a great point--a lot of people have said the best way for the OU/Nebraska rivalry to be reborn is if both consistently dominate their divisions and meet year after year in the Big 12 championship. That would make it AMAZING.
Thanks for the comment, Daniel! I really appreciate your insight and thoughts!
from about 1 month ago
Oh, see I didn't know those things about Solich. That makes much more sense then.
I am amazed at little Nebraska players I can think of that have gotten in legal trouble. Either Nebraska is excellent at teaching discipline to young players, or your media is good at keeping it in the Cornhusker State.
I could definitely see that, if Callahan had been given the chance to, we'd start hearing about players suspended on drug possession, and further down the path would be program-wide corruption leading to NCAA sanctions. Luckily for the Nebraska football legacy, that didn't happen. Sooner Nation still answers to those past sanctions from other team's fans.
By no means was Nebraska awful after 2001. They were consistently ranked up until 2003. But they won those years from previous recruits. The talent pool at Nebraska dropped significantly by 2004. Though Nebraska was still a good team, they were no longer conference title contenders due to that recruiting lapse. And then the bottom fell out after Callahan was fired.
from about 1 month ago
That is a great point. Solich was a pretty good coach, but a terrible recruiter. The 2001 team was juniors and seniors from Osborne's last recruiting class and the talent in 2003 was some of the last pure talent Nebraska had. Of course, players now like Nate Swift and Roy Helu Jr. show that Callahan was actually a decent recruiter, but a terrible coach. Luckily for us, Bo is the best of both coaches--a great recruiter and a great coach. We're lucky to have him.
Actually our players have been fairly disciplined consistently. We had some trouble in the mid-90s with a few guys getting in legal trouble, but Osborne was all over it. As part of the Nebraska media, I would say we care more about getting the information out there than keeping it under wraps for the betterment of the program. I would venture to say we've done a great job uncovering stuff they want hidden (there just hasn't been much of it), and we'll try to get to the bottom of the Cody Glenn suspension.
about 1 month ago
Well congrats because it's getting even harder to keep players out of trouble. That's a huge testament to the values of the Nebraska program.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks! Oklahoma's come a long way from those Switzer days and avoided the death penalty. And if Oklahoma is THIS good with all the sanctions in place, I can only imagine how much better they could be without any restrictions on the program.
about 1 month ago
Solid read here... man looks I have some catching up to do on your stuff... I was away for a few days here, came back, wrote something and just trying to catch up on those that stopped by my page, including yourself.
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