Evelyn ‘Dee Dee’ Stoops, mother of Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops, dies
The mother of one of college football’s most well-known coaching families died on Wednesday.
Evelyn “Dee Dee” Stoops, the mother to Bob, Mark and Mike Stoops, was even tributed by Mark Stoops on the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday.
“My mother was a very special person, to me and to so many people,” Mark Stoops said. “And much like my father, she was the type of person who had a great impact on everybody she meets. Everybody she met in her life and certainly her family.
“My father (Ron Stoops Sr.) died when I was relatively young, when I was in college, and my mother has been a rock to all of us. Very special woman. She passed peacefully this morning. We had been anticipating it for, probably since last Friday. She passed peacefully at home with my other brothers and sisters by her side.
“If I know my mom, she would be telling me to do what I’m doing. Get my butt back to work and help try to make this team better.”
Mark Stoops’ brother, Bob Stoops, was the longtime head coach at Oklahoma, where he won the 2000 national championship. Mike Stoops, the former Arizona head coach and longtime defensive coordinator for Bob Stoops, is currently a defensive analyst at Kentucky under Mark Stoops.
The trio of college football coaches are three of six kids from Evelyn Stoops and Ron Stoops Sr.
The trio of college football coaches are three of six kids from Evelyn Stoops and Ron Stoops Sr.
“She was the heart of our family and a constant inspiration to all of us,” Mike Stoops wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are blessed with a multitude of wonderful memories and so appreciative to all of you keeping all of us – my brothers, sisters and their families in your thoughts and prayers.”
