College Football: 10 coaches who would make good politicians
By John Scimeca
6. Mark Stoops, Kentucky — U.S. Vice President
Fifty-one-year-old Mark Stoops is fresh off a 10-win season with the Wildcats in which the Youngstown, Ohio native won the SEC Coach of the Year in his sixth season.
Stoops is an ideal name to add as a running mate for a number of reasons.
Ohio, a state with 18 electoral votes, has been won by the eventual presidential winner in every election since 1960, when Republican Richard Nixon bested a young John F. Kennedy in the Buckeye State. Sometimes, the margin can be razor-thin.
Stoops has a famous older brother: Bob Stoops, a coaching legend at the University of Oklahoma who won one national title and 10 Big 12 titles during his time in Norman.
Lastly, Stoops isn’t afraid to back down from a challenge or a clean-up effort (though don’t accuse him of a “drain the swamp” message yet unless it’s a visit to Gainesville). Kentucky, in its previous 14 seasons before Stoops’ arrival, had only been bowling four times.
With these qualifications, Stoops would be a no-brainer for a president looking for a political boost late in election season.