Mark Stoops says credit players, staff for success at UK and not him

Mark Stoops (UK Athletics Photo)

If there is one thing about the Kentucky football program and its success that coach Mark Stoops does not like to talk about it is himself.

“Because it’s not about me. It’s about our program, it’s about our kids, our staff, there’s a lot of things that go into it,” said Stoops.  “I’m just the guy holding down the seat for right now.”

Maybe but he is also the guy who went 2-10 that first year and in the last 63 games now has a 39-24 record to raise his overall record at Kentucky to 51-50 in his ninth season. The win over Missouri puts his UK record above .500 for the first time.

Stoops didn’t know the 39-24 record was the best winning percentage for a 63-game stretch by a UK coach in over 60 years.

“Those are the kind of stats you like to hear. So, we’ll continue to try to do that,” he said.

Not everyone thought Stoops would have a stretch like that after getting off to a 12-26 start that had some wondering if athletics director Mitch Barnhart had made the right hire. Stoops wasn’t about to gloat, either, because he’s focused on the next 10 games starting with Chattanooga on Saturday.

“I’m not just saying this to be boring. I’ll give you a couple of clips here and there and I try to make your job fun too. I am what I am. It’s day to day, it really is,” the UK coach said. “It’s week to week. And that’s how I look at it.

“I like my job, I like what I do, I like our team, I like where our program is right now. But it’s truly one day at a time. You know, and I know, how quickly that can be flipped.”

But does he maybe at least feel a little bit “smarter” now that he has an overall winning record at UK?

“There are a lot of things I could say,” Stoops laughed and said. “But I really don’t (feel smarter). I really don’t. Just continue to do what I know, the best I can. I promise you, it’s always been that way.”