Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for, the XFL has announced it’s first Head Coach/GM.
Press gathered at Globe Life Park in Arlington TX, home of the upcoming XFL Dallas franchise. First they were greeted by Jeff Williams, the Mayor of Arlington. Williams said he was happy to add the XFL to list of great sports franchises in Dallas, even going as far as saying that they will be the best one. He mentioned how hungry the Dallas fans are for more football, and talked about the job opportunities it is going to open up when the XFL starts playing next year. Williams said tourism has gone up 40% over the last few years, and is looking forward to the impact that the XFL will have on that number.
CEO and Commissioner, Oliver Luck then came out and before making the big announcement he did a recap of the development of the XFL over the last year since it was announced by Vince McMahon. Luck, also brought up a few notable items that have not been revealed yet.
- XFL plans to finalize and publish rule book in late summer
- A vast majority of players will have College and NFL experience
- First supplemental draft to occur late summer early fall
- Top priority at this point is to hire Coaches/GM’s for each franchise
Luck went on to speak about Bob Stoops accomplishments
- 34 years of coaching experience
- Head Coach of Oklahoma Sooners for 18 years
- Only coach to win National Championship and every BCS bowl game
- He led the Sooners to 18 consecutive bowl games
- 10 Big-12 Titles
- 19 coach of the year awards (8 at national level)
- Fastest coach to 100 wins
- His 190 victories make him the winningest head coach of Oklahoma
- He is a National Champion
Bob Stoops then came out (looking pretty sharp I might add). Stoops thanks Luck and the Press for joining him for this announcement. He jokingly said he is a lot less nervous to take this job then he was to take his first. He appreciated the opportunity to be the first Head Coach/GM of any XFL franchise. He thanked his wife and spoke about she was a big part of the decision making process.
Stoops said he was excited to coach in a city that has football-crazy fans. He is also excited to be a part of something that is starting from the ground floor. He wanted to be the boss of his own time, after a couple years he realized he a bit too much time on his hands. He is intrigued by the challenge of being both a coach and general manager, hiring the right staff and bringing on the right players. He is hopeful he can jump start the team in franchise using the experience doing the same of OU. He thanked Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck one more time and mentioned that he’s looking forward to being on the field this time next year.
