Drake Stoops, Brent Venables Reunion Recalls Memories of Family Night, Play Days at Oklahoma

When Venables was a young assistant under Bob Stoops, his sons became best friends with Drake and Isaac Stoops, and now the twins are under his leadership at OU.

NORMAN — Turns out, Bob Stoops wasn’t kidding around about that family night stuff.

When he was a young coach early in his career at Oklahoma, Stoops insisted his coaching staff went home early on certain nights to spend time with their families, and he expanded that to staffers bringing their families up to the Switzer Center on other specified nights to spend time with each other.

The place was crawling with kids.

Brent Venables, wife Julie and sons Tyler and Jake / 2003 OU Football Media Guide

Bob Stoops, wife Carol, and sons Drake and Isaac and daughter Mackenzie / 2003 OU Football Media Guide

In 2004, for example, Stoops brought a pair of young boys and a girl. Brent Venables had two young boys. Bo Pelini had three small children. Chuck Long had two teen daughters and three youngsters. Cale Gundy had a young boy and girl. Kevin Sumlin had three kids, including a young boy. Kevin Wilson had five young children. Bobby Jack Wright had three teenage daughters. Darrell Wyatt had a young boy and a girl. Jerry Schmidt and Matt McMillen brought a total of four youngsters.

Now, they’re all grown — in college, some just out — and two of them, then-toddlers Drake Stoops and Jackson Sumlin, are playing football on the OU football team.

John E. Hoover / SI Sooners

Oklahoma wide receiver Drake Stoops at practice

For Venables, it’s been a new experience to get to coach his old boss’s son.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Venables said of Stoops. “It reminds me of just being around my own sons, knowing what their dreams are, watching ‘em as little kids, pretending they were Mark Clayton, some of those guys. We had some amazing players. It’s a reminder to me, that these are people’s kids. They’re on their journey.”

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma WR Drake Stoops catches one against Kansas

Stoops — along with his twin brother Isaac, who's now a young student assistant on Venables' staff — has fond memories of his youth growing up at the OU football facility. The end of practice, as most players were trudging into the locker room, the coaches’ kids were unleashed. More than a few players stopped to play with them as they jumped on the big tackling dummies or pounded each other with the padded shields.

Ty Russell / OU Athletics

Drake Stoops has emerged as a team leader

“I was best friends with his sons (Jake and Tyler Venables) for a long time,” Drake Stoops said, “grew up together around here. Definitely cool to see him back around here, and I hadn’t seen him in such a long time — since I was a little kid. Now I’m a grown man. It was definitely cool, and I’m excited to play for him.”

Although Stoops hasn’t been around Venables since he left for Clemson in 2012, he said the Sooners’ new head coach hasn’t changed much.

“He’s really similar,” Stoops said. “He’s got that fire, passion. He loves the game. He loves his team, whatever team he’s on. It’s really cool to play for him now. It’s definitely a blessing, and I’m excited to see what he can do.

“He looked pretty similar, and I probably looked a lot different.”

In reality, Venables has changed. A decade spent as Dabo Swinney’s right-hand man would change anyone, and being out of the Stoops nest for that long gave him a broader perspective on the world at large — especially on the kids.

“It’s not all about just winning,” Venables said. “There’s more to it than that, but you can help facilitate all their dreams on and off the field. So for me, it’s a reminder, too, that his dad’s around here. He’s got a statue out here, out front. And he’s the reason I was afforded the opportunity to come in the first place, because of their family.”

Stoops said he’s been impressed with Venables’ coaching philosophies.

“It’s been great,” Stoops said. “I love the way they are doing things, like Coach V and his approach and his approach with the unity and bringing us all together.”

That appreciation goes both ways, Venables said. In Drake Stoops, Venables sees a lot of qualities he saw in his old boss.

‘What I love about Drake Stoops,” Venables said, “one of the most humble, hard-working, tough — he’s a high-performer, he overdelivers with everything. On and off the field. We’ve seen other young people in his position have a sense of entitlement; want something for nothing. And that couldn’t be further from the truth (with Stoops). Just a great person, a great teammate. Thankful that he’s on our squad. He’s a baller.”