IRVING, Texas (Sept. 15, 2021) – The University of Oklahoma and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2021 College Football Hall of Fame electee Coach Bob Stoops with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments. The Salute will take place this Saturday, Sept. 18, during the Sooners' football game against Nebraska. Coverage of the game will start at 11 a.m. CT on FOX.
 
"As a son of an all-time, lifelong high school coach, no one appreciates the game of football and the coaching profession more than I do, and so I am truly grateful for and humbled by this honor," Stoops said after the announcement in January. "From my family to my support staff to my assistant coaches to our administration and to our great fans, I had incredible support at Oklahoma for each of my 18 years and am thankful to everyone who played a role in all our achievements. Ultimately, though, the dedication and hard work of the players is what wins, and I am so appreciative of all of the guys who played for me.
 
"In the end, I am so honored to join the College Football Hall of Fame and feel a great sense of humility."
 
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
 
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
 
The 2020 and 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Classes will be officially inducted during the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas Dec. 7 at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas. (The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.)
 
"Bob Stoops is truly a coaching legend, winning nearly 80 percent of his games while returning OU to one of the elite programs in college football," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium."
 
Oklahoma's all-time winningest coach, Bob Stoops is the only coach in history to win a national championship and all four BCS bowl games. He posted a 79.8 winning percentage during his remarkable 18-year tenure.
 
Prior to his arrival at Oklahoma, the proud Sooner program was five years removed from a winning record and hadn't produced double-digit victories since 1987. Coaching at Oklahoma from 1999-2016, Stoops never had a losing record en route to a school record 190 career wins, including 14 seasons of 10-plus victories (the most of an FBS coach from 2000-16).
 
He led the Sooners to four BCS National Championship Game appearances, winning the 2000 national title after a perfect 13-0 season that culminated with a win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Leading OU to a bowl game in each of his 18 seasons (a school record), Stoops claimed nine postseason victories, including wins in the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls. The sixth-fastest coach to ever reach 150 wins (187 games), he guided the Sooners to top 25 finishes in all but three seasons, including seven top five rankings.
 
A two-time national coach of the year and six-time Big 12 Coach of the Year, Stoops led Oklahoma to 10 Big 12 titles while posting an impressive 121-29 (.807) conference record during his career. His teams averaged 10.6 wins per season, and he owned a 101-9 home record, with wins in each of his first 37 games at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
 
Stoops' 2008 team went down as the highest scoring team in college football history, scoring a total of 716 points and averaging 51 points per game. A combined 25-11 against the Sooners' biggest rivals Oklahoma State and Texas, he also posted a 66.7 winning percentage vs. AP Top 25 teams, the best in the country during his reign at OU.
 
Stoops coached 38 First Team All-Americans at Oklahoma, including seven Heisman Trophy finalists and two winners in Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008). He also coached three NFF National Scholar-Athletes, including 2015 Campbell Trophy® recipient Ty Darlington. In 2019, Stoops was inducted into the OU Sports Hall of Fame.
 
A four-year starter at Iowa under College Football Hall of Fame Coach Hayden Fry and alongside fellow 2021 electee Andre Tippett, Stoops excelled in 1982 as a team captain, First Team All-Big Ten selection and Iowa's MVP.
 
The Youngstown, Ohio, native began his coaching career as an assistant under Fry at Iowa, followed by a stint at Kent State. After coaching under Hall of Famer Bill Snyder at Kansas State, he joined Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier's staff and helped the Gators win the 1996 national title as defensive coordinator.
 
In 2001, he started the Bob Stoops Champions Foundation to provide support to children and families in the Norman and Oklahoma City areas. In 2018, Stoops joined with current OU head coach Lincoln Riley and College Football Hall of Fame Coach Barry Switzer to create the HBC Champions Foundation to supply financial contributions, positive experiences and support to ill or disadvantaged children in Oklahoma.
 
After briefly coming out of retirement in 2020 to coach the Dallas Renegades in the XFL, Stoops is currently in his first season as a college football analyst on FOX's "Big Noon Kickoff" college football pregame show on Saturdays.
 
Stoops becomes the sixth OU coach to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Biff Jones (1935-36), Bennie Owen (1905-26), Barry Switzer (1973-88), Jim Tatum (1946) and Bud Wilkinson (1947-63).
 
Twenty-two former Sooner players are also in the Hall: Brian Bosworth (1984-86), Tom Brahaney (1970-72), Kurt Burris (1951-54), Tony Casillas (1982-85), Rickey Dixon (1984-87), Forest Geyer (1913-15), Keith Jackson (1984-87), Tommy McDonald (1954-56), Jim Owens (1946-49), Steve Owens (1967-69), Greg Pruitt (1970-72), Claude Reeds (1910-13), J.D. Roberts (1951-53), Lee Roy Selmon (1972-75), Rod Shoate (1972-74), Billy Sims (1975-79), Clendon Thomas (1955-57), Jerry Tubbs (1954-56), Billy Vessels (1950-52), Joe Washington (1972-75), Jim Weatherall (1948-51) and Waddy Young (1936-38).
 
The 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Harris Barton (North Carolina), David Fulcher (Arizona State), Dan Morgan (Miami [FL]), Carson Palmer (Southern California), Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois), Kenneth Sims (Texas), C.J. Spiller (Clemson), Darren Sproles (Kansas State), Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame), Andre Tippett (Iowa), Al Wilson (Tennessee) and coaches Rudy Hubbard (Florida A&M) and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma).
 
The 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Lomas Brown (Florida), Keith Byars (Ohio State), Eric Crouch (Nebraska), Eric Dickerson (SMU), Glenn Dorsey (LSU), John "Jumbo" Elliott (Michigan), Jason Hanson (Washington State), E.J. Henderson (Maryland), E.J. Junior (Alabama), Steve McNair (Alcorn State), Cade McNown (UCLA), Leslie O'Neal (Oklahoma State), Anthony Poindexter (Virginia), David Pollack (Georgia), Bob Stein (Minnesota), Michael Westbrook (Colorado), Elmo Wright (Houston) and coaches Dick Sheridan (Furman, North Carolina State), and Andy Talley (St. Lawrence [NY], Villanova).
 
The accomplishments of both classes will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
 
Including the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame Classes, only 1,038 players and 223 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.47 million who have played or coached the game during the past 151 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
 
   
Date – Honoree (Hall of Fame Class) – School (Opponent)

• Sept. 18 – David Pollack (2020) – Georgia (vs. South Carolina)
• Sept. 18 – Coach Bob Stoops (2021) – Oklahoma (vs. Nebraska)
• Oct. 2 – Darren Sproles (2021) – Kansas State (vs. Oklahoma)
• Oct. 2 – Michael Westbrook (2020) – Colorado (vs. Southern California)
• Oct. 9 – Eric Crouch (2020) – Nebraska (vs. Michigan)
• Oct. 9 – Carson Palmer (2021) – Southern California (vs. Utah)
• Oct. 9 – Al Wilson (2021) – Tennessee (vs. South Carolina)
• Oct. 16 – Harris Barton (2021) – North Carolina (vs. Miami [FL])
• Oct. 16 – Jason Hanson (2020) – Washington State (vs. Stanford)
• Oct. 16 – Coach Dick Sheridan (2020) – Furman (vs. The Citadel)
• Oct. 16 – Bob Stein (2020) – Minnesota (vs. Nebraska)
• Oct. 23 – E.J. Junior (2020) – Alabama (vs. Tennessee)
• Oct. 23 – Cade McNown (2020) – UCLA (vs. Oregon)
• Oct. 30 – E.J. Henderson (2020) – Maryland (vs. Indiana)
• Oct. 30 – Coach Dick Sheridan (2020) – NC State (vs. Louisville)
• Nov. 6 – David Fulcher (2021) – Arizona State (vs. Southern California)
• Nov. 13 – Steve McNair (2020) – Alcorn State (vs. Prairie View A&M)*
• Nov. 13 – Coach Andy Talley (2020) – Villanova (vs. Stony Brook)
• Nov. 13 – Andre Tippett (2021) – Iowa (vs. Minnesota)
• Nov. 26 – Kenneth Sims (2021) – Texas (vs. Kansas State)
• Nov. 27 – Lomas Brown (2020) – Florida (vs. Florida State)
• Nov. 27 – Eric Dickerson (2020) – SMU (vs. Tulsa)
• Nov. 27 – Glenn Dorsey (2020) – LSU (vs. Texas A&M)

* Tentative
 
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
 
 
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About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.