A Stoops finally steps up to aid Florida State Seminoles football —and an Aggie, too
In the can’t-make-this-up vault, the Florida State Seminoles football program received a hefty donation from a Delray Beach family.
That’s not the funny thing.
It’s the names of the family that is donating $2.5 million to FSU’s Renaissance Campaign, which is aimed at receiving gifts in support of a championship future for the football program, a press release stated.
The family is Aggie and Jeff Stoops, and the donation means new FSU head coach Mike Norvell will sit in “The Aggie and Jeff Stoops Office of the Head Football Coach.”
FSU doesn’t have a good recent history with Aggies or Stoops. Jimbo Fisher bolted Tallahassee for Texas A&M to lead the Aggies, while former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was widely rumored as a top target in FSU’s recent coaching search.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who is Bob’s brother, was considered a top target in the early days following Willie Taggart’s firing on Nov. 3.
However, the coaching search landed with Mike Norvell, who turned Memphis into an American Athletic Conference power that culminated with the program’s first outright conference title in 50 years this past Saturday.
Memphis won the AAC title in its third consecutive conference championship game appearance under Norvell, and booked a Cotton Bowl spot with the victory.
Norvell penned a letter, which was published Monday, explaining he would not be coaching Memphis in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State.
Meanwhile, Norvell’s new post at Tallahassee just got an injection of funding from the Stoops.
