Mark Stoops

Mark Stoops (born July 9, 1967) is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Kentucky, a position he assumed in November 2012. Stoops previously served as defensive coordinator at the University of Arizona from 2004 to 2009, and Florida State University from 2010 to 2012.

Early life
Stoops, one of six children born to Ron and Evelyn "Dee Dee" Stoops, attended Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio, where his father was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator. He is a brother of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

After high school, Stoops played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1986–1988.

Coaching career
He was a graduate assistant coach at Iowa from 1989–1991, and then became the athletic director and defensive backs coach at Nordonia High School in Macedonia, Ohio (1992–1995).

In 1996, when Kansas State assistant Jim Leavitt was hired as the head coach for the South Florida Bulls, he hired Stoops as defensive backs coach.

He served as the defensive backs coach for the University of Wyoming Cowboys from 1997–1999.

At Wyoming he served under head coach Dana Dimel. When Dimel was hired at the University of Houston, he took Stoops with him to join the Cougars as co-defensive coordinator (along with Dick Bumpas) and safeties coach in 2000.

In February 2001 he was named the defensive backs coach for the University of Miami Hurricanes, replacing Chuck Pagano, who left to go to the Cleveland Browns.

Mark's brother Mike was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats for the 2004 season. Mike then hired Mark as part of his staff.

On December 11, 2009, Stoops accepted the job as defensive coordinator at Florida State University.

On November 27, 2012, Stoops was hired as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky football program, replacing former head coach Joker Phillips who was fired after a 2–10 season.

Personal life
Stoops is the younger brother of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, former Arizona head coach and current Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, and Ron, Jr., the oldest of the brothers, who is an assistant coach at Youngstown State.