OU football head coach Bob Stoops laid to rest any doubts that he would not be around next year to defend the school's seventh national title.

Stoops' announcement drew the largest ovation of the day and a smattering of mock Florida State Seminole chants from the Lloyd Noble Center crowd that had gathered to watch the OU men's basketball team play Kansas Saturday.

"I want everybody to know that I still believe it's a privilege to be the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma," Stoops said. "We've got the very best administration in the country. We've got the best fans in the country; I'm fortunate I've got the best assistant coaches in the country and I get to coach the best players in the country.I plan on being at OU for a long time."

Speculation surrounding Stoops' future at OU began to surface after the NFL's Cleveland Browns fired head coach Chris Palmer Thursday. Browns president Carmen Policy is a native of Stoops' hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, and is a longtime acquaintance.

Several reports from the Cleveland area newspapers and radio stations mentioned Stoops as a candidate to fill the vacant coaching position.

One of Stoops' assistant coaches, offensive coordinator Mark Mangino, said there was never any doubt in his mind as to Stoops' plans.

"If there was anything of substance to these rumors, Bob would have talked to me," said Mangino, who was named the top assistant in the country Friday. "I have complete faith in Bob as a coach and a person."

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said that while he is not surprised that anyone would want Stoops for a head coach, the Browns never contacted him for permission to speak with Stoops concerning the head coaching vacancy.

In a press conference held only moments after Saturday's halftime ceremony, Stoops echoed the sentiments of his mid-court address to a gathering of reporters.

Stoops, who will make $1.957 million with incentives from OU this year, admitted to reporters that the Browns and Policy had left messages on his voice-mail earlier in the week, but refused to elaborate on what kind of contact he had with the Browns.

"I'm not getting into that," Stoops said."That's personal. Whether I did or not or whether I will ever or will not doesn't need to be discussed anymore.I'm fortunate to be the head football coach here."

This marks the second time in the two weeks since winning the Orange Bowl and a national title that Stoops has been linked to other coaching vacancies.

When Ohio State University fired head coach John Cooper a day before the Orange Bowl, speculation surfaced that the Buckeyes may pursue Stoops due to his ties to the state of Ohio.Stoops responded to the speculation quickly and said following his Orange Bowl victory that he would not talk to Ohio State if contacted.

Thirteen OU football recruits were at the basketball game as part of their official weekend visits and heard Stoops' speech firsthand.

"It hasn't affected recruiting one bit; in fact it enhances it," Stoops said."I think all of those recruits recognize that when the NFL is calling that this is a quality staff."
hello there & you too