Sooners’ Stoops unexpectedly calls it a career in Norman

The biggest question is, well, why?

Why would Bob Stoops decide the first week of June to call it a career at Oklahoma?

WWLS Radio in Oklahoma City reported that Stoops said he is not retiring because of his health and was to meet with the team at 2:30 p.m.

That makes the decision stranger and will almost certainly guarantee the rumor-mongering to go into high gear. No one — and I mean NO ONE — saw this coming.

Even Barry Switzer, who was caught totally off guard.

All he was doing was winning at Oklahoma, winning a national title in 2000, getting 10 Big 12 titles and recording 14 seasons with 10 wins or more, including an 11-2 record last season.

So the biggest question is why?

Overall, Stoops, who turns 57 on Sept. 9, is the winningest coach in OU history with a 190-48 record (.798 winnng percentage). He has gone 121-29 in Big 12 play and has taken the Sooners to bowl games in every one of his 18 seasons — going 9-9, capped with last year’s 35-19 victory over Auburn.

But he did just purchase a $2.25 million mansion on the Gold Coast area in Chicago. Before you ask, it’s not even the biggest one in the neighborhood.

His 190 victories ranked fourth among FBS coaches behind Brian Kelly (230), Bill Snyder (202) and Nick Saban (205).

In addition, he coached two Heisman Trophy winners — quarterbacks Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008).

Oklahoma has scheduled a press conference at 5:30 p.m.

“Now is simply the ideal time for me and our program to make this transition,” Stoops said in a prepared release.

He will hand over the reins to offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach in 2015, will become the youngest head coach in FBS.

The Sooners have fared well with Riley as offensive coordinator. During his two seasons at OU, the Sooners are one of just two two FBS teams — along with TCU — to average over 300 yards passing (313.1) and 200 yards rushing (229.4) per game over that span.