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'Nobody’s done it better' - Sooners HC Brent Venables details one specific person who needs more praise

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 2:02 AM ET

Some unexpected news happened with the Oklahoma Sooners very recently, news that even head coach Brent Venables may not have seen coming.

It's not every day that your Athletic Director just quits and retires, no word or heads up to anyone but maybe the President of the university. And, maybe he did know about the retirement, but Venables wasn't expecting it to be announced or the press conference to take place when it did, so he and his wife were not available at Castiglione's press conference.

So, instead, he shared some kind words on Castiglione at SEC Media Days, words that are more than deserved.

Brent Venables talks Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione at SEC Media Days

“What more can you say? He’s been at the top of the food chain for a long time,” said Venables on Wednesday at SEC Media Days. “Nobody’s done it better than Joe Castiglione. What he’s done is unprecedented in every way, the level of success. That doesn’t happen by accident.

“He’s represented excellence, humility, and great vision, and he was a great friend. Really fortunate to have aligned with him for a long time. My wife and I celebrated 28 years of marriage, and 17 of those—going on 18 of those years were done here in Norman. The first thing I think about with Oklahoma, though, for me and us, is Joe. None of us would be here today. I certainly wouldn’t, Coach Stoops wouldn’t, if it weren’t for his belief in me and us.”

Joe Castiglione is a huge reason, and maybe the biggest reason, that Oklahoma has had a large part of the success the Sooners have had over the last few decades. Joe C has turned a program that was in debt into an enterprise, as the president of OU said.

And, not many have been able to do what he has done, the hires he has made, and the tough decisions he has made. Joe C deserves all of the praise.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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