By Pat Dooley
Staff writer
Former Florida coach and current UF ambassador Steve Spurrier hired Bob Stoops at Florida in 1996, a move that helped the Gators win a national title.
Stoops, who is building a house in Crescent Beach, served as defensive coordinator from 1996 to ’98. Spurrier also owns a home in Crescent Beach.
Stoops, 56, announced his retirement Wednesday after leading Oklahoma to 10 conference championships and a national title in 18 seasons.
Spurrier said the surprise decision was no surprise.
“He’d been rumoring it for a while kinda like I was rumoring it (at South Carolina),” Spurrier told the Sun on Wednesday. “He called me right before it came out. He’s always maintained he was not going to do it for a long time. He’s not a lifer coach.
“He had an amazing run. He had an amazing run here, too. His defenses in the last two years might have been better than our national championship team. But he wants to watch his sons play football.”
