Mark Thomas Stoops (born July 9, 1967) is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coach and former player. He is currently the all time winningest head football coach in the history of the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

Early life

Stoops, one of six children born to Ron and Evelyn "Dee Dee" Stoops, attended Cardinal Mooney High School in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, where his father was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator. Trotter, Jake. - "Stoops@10: Growing Up Youngstown - A symbol of Youngstown - Blue-collar roots, values define Stoops". - ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...

''. - August 19, 2008. He is the brother of former

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

head coach

Bob Stoops Robert Anthony Stoops (born September 9, 1960) is an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 through the 2016 season, and on an interim basis during the 2021 Alamo Bowl. He led the Oklahoma ...

and former

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

head coach

Mike Stoops Michael Joseph Stoops (born December 13, 1961) is an American football coach and former player, who is the Linebacker, inside linebackers coach at the University of Kentucky. Stoops also served as the head football coach at the University of Ariz ...

. After graduating from high school, Stoops played

for the

Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 22 sports, 8 for men and 14 for women; a 15th women's sport will be added in 2023. The teams partici ...

from

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Coaching career

Stoops was a

graduate assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research respo ...

coach at

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

from 1989 to 1991, and then became the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

and

defensive backs coach In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

Nordonia High School Nordonia High School is a public high school in Macedonia, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Nordonia Hills City School District. Their mascot is a knight. There are approximately 1,300+ students currently enrolled in the high school. The ...

Macedonia, Ohio Macedonia is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,188 at the 2010 census. Macedonia is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The city's name is said to derive from a small joke among divinity s ...

(1992–1995).Cotey, John C. - "USF hires its fourth assistant". - ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

''. - January 24, 1996.Durrenberger, Charles. - "New Influences". - ''

Arizona Daily Star The ''Arizona Daily Star'' is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. History L. C. Hughes was the Arizona Territory governor and founder of the ''Arizona Star'', ...

''. - April 17, 2004. In 1996, when

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

assistant

Jim Leavitt James Pierce Leavitt (born December 5, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head coach at the University of South Florida from the football program's inception in 1997 until 2009, compiling a record of 95–57. ...

was hired as the head coach for the

South Florida Bulls The South Florida Bulls (also known as the USF Bulls) are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, ...

, he hired Stoops as defensive backs coach. Stoops served as the defensive backs coach for the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

from 1997–1999.Gagliardi, Robert. - "Football A Family Affair for Coaches". - ''

Wyoming Tribune Eagle The ''Wyoming Tribune Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Cheyenne and distributed primarily in Laramie County, Wyoming. It is the state's second largest newspaper in terms of circulation, behind the ''Casper Star Tribune''. The ''Tribune Ea ...

''. - September 26, 1998. At Wyoming, Stoops served under head coach

Dana Dimel Dana August Dimel (born October 9, 1962) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head coach at the University of Texas El Paso. Previously he was the co- offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Kansas State ...

. When Dimel was hired at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

, he took Stoops with him to join the

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

as co-

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

(along with Dick Bumpas) and safeties coach in 2000.

Miami (FL)

In February 2001, Stoops was named the

for the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, replacing Chuck Pagano, who left to go to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Arizona

Mark's brother,

Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...

, was hired as the head coach of the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

for the 2004 season. Mike then hired Mark as part of his staff.Moredich, John. - "Mark Stoops joins UA as defensive coordinator". - ''

Tucson Citizen The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''. When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the daily ...

''. - December 1, 2003.

Florida State

On December 11, 2009, Stoops accepted the job as defensive coordinator at Florida State University.

Kentucky

On November 27, 2012, Stoops was hired as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky football program, replacing former head coach

Joker Phillips Joe "Joker" Phillips Jr. (born May 12, 1963) is an American football coach and former player. He is the assistant head football coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State University, a position he had held since the 2021 season. Philli ...

, who was fired after a 2–10 season. In Stoops' first season as the Kentucky Head coach, he went 2-10, followed by back to back 5-7 seasons. After an 0–2 start to the 2016 season, Stoops led the Wildcats to a 7–6 finish after that start and defeated their in-state rival, the eleventh-ranked

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. They lost in the Taxslayer Bowl to Georgia Tech. The 2017 season featured ups and downs and the breakout of star running back

Benny Snell Benjamin Snell Jr. (born February 26, 1998) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kentucky. Snell is the great-nephew of former New York Jets runnin ...

. They finished 7-5, losing afterwards in the Music City Bowl to Northwestern. The 2018 season was a historic one for the Wildcats. Paced by Snell on offense and

Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to: * Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player * Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018 * Josh Allen (defensi ...

on defense, they snapped a 31-year losing streak to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, finishing 9-3–only the fourth time in school history that the Wildcats have won at least nine games. Kentucky defeated

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

in the Citrus Bowl on January, 1st, 2019 giving the Wildcats their first 10-win season since 1977, and only their third in school history. Stoops was named SEC Coach of the Year, the first time a Kentucky coach had won the award since Jerry Claiborne in 1983. The 2019 season was one of overcoming adversity. After a 2-3 start in which they lost all of their Quarterbacks to injury, Kentucky turned to Wide Receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. to take over at QB. With a revamped offense focused on the running game, the Wildcats finished the Regular Season 7-5 routing Louisville 45-13 on Senior Day. Kentucky capped the season with a thrilling win over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, as the Wildcats scored the winning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining for an 8-5 finish. The 2020 season, affected by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, saw Kentucky play a 10-game, All-SEC regular-season schedule. The high point was a 34-7 win at Tennessee their first win in Knoxville since 1984. Despite a 4-6 record, Kentucky was still invited to a bowl game, specifically the 2021 Gator Bowl against No. 24 NC State. Stoops led Kentucky to victory in the Gator Bowl 23-21, making it three straight bowl victories for the team. The 2021 season was marked by key transfer arrivals for both sides of the ball: QB Will Levis and WR Wan'Dale Robinson on offense and LB Jacquez Jones on defense. The aforementioned players' impact was significant; the offense scored 33.3 points per game while the defense allowed 22.1 points per game. The improved play from both offense and defense led to a 9-3 regular-season record, including a historic 20-13 home win against Florida (the last home win against Florida was November 15, 1986). Stoops lead Kentucky to a 20-17 victory over Iowa in the 2022 Citrus Bowl, giving the team its 2nd 10-3 record since 2018, 2nd Citrus Bowl victory in four years and fourth straight bowl victory. The 2022 season marked Stoops' 10th season as head coach, becoming the football program's longest-tenured head coach in its history. Kentucky's Week 1 37-13 victory over Miami (OH) gave Stoops his 60th victory as head coach, tying

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

for the most in program history. He became Kentucky's all-time winningest football coach after beating the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

on the road 26-16 in Week 2. Stoops signed a contract extension on November 18, 2022 that will keep him in Lexington through the 2030 season. He is 66-58 in 10 seasons leading the Wildcats.

Personal life

Stoops is the younger brother of former

head coach

, former

head coach and current

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

assistant

, and Ron, Jr., the oldest of the brothers, who was an assistant coach at

Youngstown State Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

. Stoops and his wife Chantel have two sons, Will and Zach. On January 4, 2021, the couple announced that they will be divorcing.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Kentucky profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoops, Mark 1967 births Living people American football defensive backs Arizona Wildcats football coaches Florida State Seminoles football coaches Houston Cougars football coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football players Kentucky Wildcats football coaches Miami Hurricanes football coaches South Florida Bulls football coaches Wyoming Cowboys football coaches High school football coaches in Ohio Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio Educators from Ohio