Miami (OH) is an Historical Mark Stoops Footnote

Miami, Oh. will soon be the answer to a pair of significant pieces of Mark Stoops trivia. With a loss, the Redhawks from Southwestern Ohio will help Kentucky football make history this Saturday at Kroger Field.

With a Wildcat win over Miami, Mark Stoops will improve to 60-53 at Kentucky and move into a tie with Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most wins by a UK football head coach. Few probably thought this day was possible Sept. 7, 2013. On that date nine years ago Stoops earned his first win as the Wildcats’ head coach, a 41-7 victory over Miami.

“I didn’t even really realize that until you told me,” Mark Stoops said Monday. “It does seem like a long time ago. But, I’m grateful. You know, year 10, that was a long time ago, a much different team.”

The First Win for Mark Stoops 

The Wildcats were in a much different place nine years ago. A week before the Miami win, the Big Blue Nation was treated to a loss in Nashville to Bobby Petrino and Western Kentucky, Kentucky’s second loss to WKU in as many years.

In a short amount of time on campus Mark Stoops’ staff assembled a solid recruiting class, particularly for UK standards. Many of those newcomers were forced into action right away. Neal Brown was calling plays with Maxwell Smith splitting time under center with Jalen Whitlow. Against the inferior MAC competition, Kentucky’s young freshmen shined at Commonwealth Stadium. Ryan Timmons caught five passes for 55 yards, Jojo Kemp led the Cats in rushing with 78 yards, and Jeff Badet caught a 56-yard touchdown pass in the blowout win over Miami.

Stoops Downplays History

Some college football coaches relish while preaching from a pulpit, never wasting a moment to shine the spotlight. Mark Stoops is not one of those coaches.

Saturday will begin his tenth season in Lexington, making Mark Stoops the longest-tenured coach in Kentucky football history. He has more 10-win seasons than any other Kentucky football coach, and soon enough, he’ll have more wins than any other coach. While the BBN praises his achievements, he downplays them, hungry for more.

“I do not spend any time thinking about that (record). I would never want to disrespect the name, Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, and I think everybody that understands football puts that name at the very top. Along, with maybe one other guy right now. So that means something, but it is totally different,” Stoops said.

“I would rather them be comparing me to how many national championships I won. So, you can’t, I would never put my name in the same regard as him. I am grateful for what we have done here, and appreciative, and proud, but certainly not the same thing.”

The college football world will never look at Mark Stoops in the same light as Bear Bryant, but Kentucky football fans will revere their new wins leader like none of his predecessors. The Wildcats’ accomplishments over the last decade are remarkable, unfathomable for most Kentucky fans. It all started with a win over Miami (OH).