Oklahoma Assistant Head Coach Ruffin McNeill Stepping Aside to Care for Ailing Father
By Brendan Balsamo
It's something that you never want to see, but one that every family must deal with in some form or fashion. Now, it's Ruffin McNeill's turn to put his loved ones first.
The Oklahoma Sooners outside linebackers coach and assistant head coach is temporarily stepping away from his position in order to help tend to his father's health, as the school confirmed in an official statement.
Ruffin McNeill stepping away at Oklahoma to help care for his father battling health issues.
— Doug Samuels (@CoachSamz) January 23, 2020
Notes, “This is not retirement for me. I still want to coach.”https://t.co/uLLDByMtjm
McNeill made it clear that he is not leaving for good, as he still has all his passion for football. Instead, he is taking a temporary leave.
"This is not retirement for me. I still want to coach," he said via OU.
#Sooners assistant Ruffin McNeill on his time at #OU, now leaving to take care of his father in North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/5rPdAZEpw1
— Bob Przybylo (@BPrzybylo) January 23, 2020
McNeill made it clear how much he loves the environment in Norman. "I loved where I worked and I loved the people I worked for," he said.
The veteran coach is putting a nearly four decades-long coaching career on hold. His resume includes the assistant coach duties at UNLV, Texas Tech, and Virginia, as well as the head coaching job at East Carolina.
A search to fill the vacancy left by Ruffin McNeill's departure is underway.
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) January 23, 2020
Lincoln Riley: "Ruffin means so much to me and to my family, and his family means so much to him. I know his decision to leave OU was a very difficult one, but was one he felt he had to make."#Sooners
The Sooners are coming off a loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal this year to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers, and are also losing quarterback Jalen Hurts to the NFL. With this latest development, there's an even greater need for head coach Lincoln Riley to reload and rebuild.