I thought one of the best things I ever did in my career was getting my first staff together at OU... That's exciting to me. The opportunity to put it together and help it grow.

There was a period of time where the two most wanted guys in the state of Oklahoma were me and Josh Heupel. Me for suggesting that you could throw the ball at Oklahoma and in the Big 12. And Josh Heupel for having the temerity to play quarterback and not be able to run faster than 5 flat.

If you're winning and can stay on the field offensively and move the ball, that's what we want.

I'm big on that: In life, everything has its time.

Depending on where you're at or the ownership you're working for, some of the college jobs may be better than some in the NFL.

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.

When I grew up, and I've said this a lot, but I was a long time Oklahoma fan. I always followed them all the way while growing up in Ohio.

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.

We could fill up a whole hour's television show talking about coach's recruiting stories, I love them, they're the best.

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

I have incredible respect for Coach Switzer.

I just love to play football and enjoy it.

Boomer Sooner!

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.'

No one wants to hear that, but life changes. If it changes, you have to change with it, to whatever degree.

I think proximity in recruiting matters the most.

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.

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

Sometimes with these big long guys who are really athletic, you don't know when they're going to stop growing.

There has to be measures for players to know the consequences for their actions.

I've been with some great head coaches, but also some great assistant coaches, too.

I've just been around a lot of just quality coaches that I've learned from.

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.

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

I appreciate the history and tradition of Notre Dame. I also appreciate the history and tradition of Oklahoma, and I have been part of building that tradition here.

Team chemistry is what really matters, your team chemistry and team toughness.

I have been very fortunate to coach a lot of very good secondary players through the years.

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.

I love Jim Tressel. I think he's a fabulous guy. He's overall been a strong example for all coaches.

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.

It's impossible to know what everyone does behind closed doors. Even in families, you don't know sometimes what's going on.

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.

Anytime you win 10 games, let's look around the world, the country, and there's not a lot that do it consistently.

No, I'm never pleased if we don't win some type of championship, meaning Big 12 or national.

It definitely gives you a boost away from home and being down and coming back.

You don't really want to play your brother. You want to play your brother in a championship game because not only does someone lose, someone's going to win a championship, too. To me, that's the only time you're really looking to do it.

Every now and then a little bit of change never hurts.

Surely, AP or the coaches are all aware everybody has agendas. Anybody who's on TV has one. You know, that's viewership and ratings and those kinds of things.

It's impossible to remove agendas.

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

Carl Pendleton's the absolute best. He's everything you want in a student-athlete.

No matter how angry people on the outside were when you don't perform well, a coach is 10 times what anyone else is feeling. Nothing digs at you more. But that's part of our business.

This game we play is the ultimate total team game. Quarterback by himself isn't winning it. You got 11-12 coaches, you've got a lot of people that have a hand in it.

I'm not looking to coach in Chicago.

Everyone wants you to define your life until the end of your life.

In the end, everybody's life's different. Some things fit certain ways for people, and it's right, and maybe it isn't for others.

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

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

I was an undersized, undertalented defensive back. I knocked myself out multiple times running into people. I ended my career without an anterior cruciate ligament. I still don't have one. At a certain point, you realize: I've used up all I've got.

I have this routine where on Fridays I sign balls that need to be autographed. One time, after my fortieth or fiftieth ball, I looked over at my secretary and said, 'Who is Bob Stoops, anyway?'