Mark Stoops jokes about running into Eli Drinkwitz on vacation: 'He was sitting on my private beach'

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops and Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz have seen a lot of each on the field with their annuals meetings in the SEC East. But this summer, they unexpectedly ran into each other while both trying to relax and enjoy some time off at the beach.

Drinkwitz first told the story at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, joking that he told Stoops the “Kentucky sucked.” Stoops then joined the Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday to offer his side of the story, throwing his own playful jab back at the Mizzou head man.

“My house sits right there so it was private beach that he was sitting on, my private beach, No. 1,” Stoops explained. “I told him I’m gonna boot him out of there next time I see him.”

Continuing, Stoops told a hilarious story about what he was doing prior to running into Drinkwitz, saying he’s simply glad the Tigers coach didn’t catch him moments earlier.

“No. 2, what he didn’t talk about is when I walked out, I was walking out of the water and he was just sitting right there,” Stoops said. “I was like, ‘did you just see that?’ He was like, ‘see what?’ My oldest son and I were actually in the water full blown wrestling. He’s going into his junior year and he thinks he’s real swole. He loves lifting and playing ball and all that stuff.

“So we were in the water and I was trying to show him who’s still dad, who’s still boss. We were having a full scale wrestling and I’m like tired and out of shape. My lip’s bleeding and I walk out and right in front of me, Drink’s right there. He’s like, ‘hey.’ I said, ‘did you just see that?’ And he goes, ‘no, what?’ I’m like, ‘oh good.’ Because you know Drink, he would’ve filmed it and put it out there. That would’ve really been a bad sight to see.”

Going head to head against each other, Stoops currently holds the advantage. Missouri won the two head coach’s first matchup during the 2020 season but Kentucky has taken the past two. Both of those were close contests, with the Wildcats winning by a combined 11 points.

No doubt, both Drinkwitz and Stoops are competitors with one another. Their annual game is quite an important one in the SEC East, fighting to climb up the standings. Neither is going to want to drop the 2023 matchup as both programs are entering important seasons.

Even so, the pair have great respect for each other. Speaking on a more serious note, Stoops expressed gratitude for the relationship not only with Drinkwitz, but other coaches across the SEC as they can all relate to the high-pressure challenges that come with the job.

“Coach Drink’s a great guy and you have a lot of admiration for the coaches that are in this league,” the Kentucky coach said. “They do things right. We all, at times, could do things better. I’m the first one to say that. But we all go through very similar struggles. I have a lot of respect for coach Drink and the job that he does. We always have close games and he does have a unique sense of humor. He always will keep you entertained.

“It was really good seeing him. We just visited for 10-15 minutes. We were there laughing. He has young kids and he offered me a cigar. Of course, I had some good, fine Kentucky bourbon. We’re on vacation so we went our separate ways, but it was good seeing him.”

Stoops and Drinkwitz will meet again in a few months when the Wildcats and Tigers face off on Oct. 15 in Lexington.