ATLANTA (Sept. 28, 2023) – The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, PNC Bank and Peach Bowl, Inc. will celebrate legendary Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops' 20th anniversary of winning the national coaching award on Sept. 30 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during the Sooners' home football game against Iowa State.
 
The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC Bank is the most coveted Coach of the Year Award in college football and celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also representing programs with the highest ideals of scholarship, leadership and integrity on and off the field – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's philosophy.
 
Stoops was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year in 2003 during his fifth season as head coach of Oklahoma after leading the Sooners to the Big 12 Conference Championship, as well as the BCS National Championship Game.
 
As Oklahoma's all-time winningest coach, Stoops posted a 79.8 winning percentage during his remarkable 18-year tenure and led the Sooners to 190 wins, a school-record 18 consecutive bowl berths and 10 Big 12 titles. He also took the Sooners to four BCS National Championship Game appearances, winning the 2000 national title after a perfect 13-0 season that culminated with a win over Florida State. In 2021, Stoops was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and recognized for his loyalty and commitment to the University of Oklahoma football program.
 
"Coach Stoops is an iconic figure for both the Oklahoma program and college football as a whole," said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. "We're proud to honor Coach Stoops' 20th anniversary of winning college football's most coveted coaching award in Norman this weekend and to recognize all of his accomplishments."
 
"It is a privilege to honor a legendary coach like Bob Stoops who took the Oklahoma football program to new heights during his 18 years there," said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. "He embraced the three pillars of The Dodd Trophy and helped mentor his student-athletes throughout his career, both on and off the field."
 
Since 2014, officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. have celebrated the major anniversaries of previous winners of The Dodd Trophy by honoring them during a game on their campus. Coaches such as Vince Dooley (Georgia), Bobby Bowden (Florida State), Bobby Ross (Georgia Tech), Dick Sheridan (NC State), George Welsh (Virginia), Dick MacPherson (Syracuse), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech), Ralph Friedgen (Maryland), Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Lloyd Carr (Michigan) were all recognized at their respective schools.
 
The winner of the 2023 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of this year's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2023 season.