OU Adds Bruce Kittle to Coaching Staff

Kittle was formerly the On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator for Sooner football.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:09 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Jan 14, 2011 6:1 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Okla. – Bruce Kittle, Oklahoma’s On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator, has been added to the OU coaching staff as the tight ends and tackles coach, OU coach Bob Stoops announced on Friday.

Stoops said Kittle understands the game well and has great intensity and focus.

“He was an offensive captain as a tackle on our (1982) Rose Bowl team at Iowa so I’ve known Bruce’s quality for a long time,” he said. “Over this year, I’ve watched him interact with our players off the field and it’s obvious that he understands how to build relationships.”

James Patton will continue to coach OU’s interior linemen, while running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Cale Gundy will also coach fullbacks.

Stoops said Kittle sat in on team meetings all year and won’t have much of a learning curve with the offense.

Kittle coached in high school for two years in Iowa before joining the OU staff.

He said coaching at OU is a dream come true for him.

“The opportunity I had here over the last year was a great one, but my heart was to be on the field,” Kittle said. “The good news is that I don’t have a lot to learn in terms of how we do things and I feel like I can mesh well with this staff. And I am honored to be on a staff the caliber of this one.”

Kittle graduated from Iowa in 1983 with a business degree, and obtained his law degree from Iowa in 1989. He then received a master’s in divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1998.

He will now become part of an offensive coaching staff that will retain one of the top offensive in college football on a team many are picking to start the 2011 season at No. 1

“I’ve had a lot of great learning and professional experiences and I feel privileged to put those to use at Oklahoma, which is obviously at the pinnacle of college football,” Kittle said.