Kentucky coach Mark Stoops pays elegant tribute to late mother Evelyn 'Dee' Stoops

A somber Mark Stoops spoke with resonant passion about his mother during Wednesday's SEC coaches' weekly Zoom.

Evelyn 'Dee' Stoops passed away late Tuesday night.

"My mother was a very special person, to me and to so many people," Stoops said. "And much like my father, she was the type of person who had a great impact on everybody she meets. Everybody she met in her life and certainly her family.

"My father (Ron Stoops Sr.) died when I was relatively young, when I was in college, and my mother has been a rock to all of us. Very special woman. She passed peacefully this morning.

"We had been anticipating it for, probably since last Friday. She passed peacefully at home with my other brothers and sisters by her side. 

"If I know my mom, she would be telling me to do what I'm doing. Get my butt back to work and help try to make this team better."

Mark Stoops is one of six children from the late Evelyn and Ron Stoops. His brother, Bob, is the former national championship-winning head coach at Oklahoma, and Mike Stoops is a defensive assistant on the Kentucky staff. 

The FootballScoop staff and coaching community extend their condolences to the Stoops family