Darrell Royal quit at 52, a milestone that seems younger by the day, but you could see it coming. Exhausted by recruiting and Frank Erwin and Barry Switzer, he looked beaten, battered, bleached.
So what to make of Bob Stoops' shocking retirement at 56?
Forced out because of his record? Hardly. Besides the fact that he beat Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer in career wins with 190, he was riding a 10-game winning streak, including a Sugar Bowl win over Auburn. He would have gone into this fall with a Heisman favorite at quarterback and a Big 12 he'd have been favored to win for the 11th time, a league record.