Oklahoma Gives Bob Stoops Big Bonus for Interim Coach Duties

After Lincoln Riley left the Sooners high and dry, Stoops was asked to take on the duties of interim head coach until Joe Castiglione can find a permanent replacement.

Stoops gets one-time bonus

The University of Oklahoma will pay Bob Stoops a one-time $325,000 supplemental income for his work as OU’s interim football coach.

That’s according to the OU Board of Regents agenda, which was published Wednesday ahead of this Friday’s regents meeting in Norman.

Stoops began his duties as interim head coach officially effective Nov. 29. He fills in for Lincoln Riley, who left Sunday to become the new head coach at USC.

Stoops’ bonus will include his postseason participation and will be in addition to his current $325,000 annual salary.

Stoops retired from coaching in June 2017. He had just begun to move into his new office in the renovated Switzer Center when he stepped aside and handed the reins to Riley. He’s been on staff as a special assistant to OU athletic director Joe Castiglione.

“He has been engaged in a lot of things that have helped us generate new revenue to be able to connect with our alumni, donors, fans, friends,” Castiglione said, “and it’s been special to continue to work with him during this time. Didn’t know that this was gonna be one of those details that was on the job description as other duties that might be assigned. Doggone glad that he was here.”

When he was reintroduced on Monday as interim coach, Stoops’ message to fans, players, recruits and their families was uplifting for Sooner Nation.

“Give it a little bit of time,” Stoops said, “and you're going to see, this is just a little bump in the road. There's not one guy, one person in the history of this program that's bigger than the program, coach Switzer, myself, or Lincoln Riley. And what I told the players is, they are the program, players throughout these decades, they are OU football, not us as a coach. I'm getting in the Hall of Fame because of them

OU announced several other adjustments within the athletic department:

• Larry Naifeh, a long-time associated athletic director and long considered AD Joe Castiglione’s right-hand man, gets a title change from Executive Associate Athletics Director to Executive Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer. His annual salary will climb from $290,000 to $315,000, effective Jan. 1.

• Zach Selmon, son of Sooner legend Dewey Selmon and widely considered a rising star in athletics administration, gets a title change from Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration and Development to Deputy Athletics Director for External Engagement and Advancement. Selmon gets a salary increase from $205,000 to $240,000.

• Chris Watson gets a title change from Athletic Trainer to Head Trainer for Football and will receive a raise from $72,000 to $100,000.