NORMAN, Okla. -- It took a coach who grew up in Ohio and an athletics director from Florida, but the University of Oklahoma is finally embracing its historic past.

And what a past it is. Just stroll into the Barry Switzer Center, tucked behind the south end-zone stands of Memorial Stadium, and you can't help but squint at the reflection from all the hardware.

Six national championships. Three Heisman trophies. Thirty-six conference titles. Twenty bowl championship trophies. All in one room.

This is what new coach Bob Stoops, an Ohio native, got himself into almost two years ago. But he loves it. So does athletics director Joe Castiglione, who made Stoops his first hire some eight months into the job.

Unlike their predecessors, this duo has welcomed the past with open arms, encouraging former coaches like Barry Switzer and players such as Brian Bosworth to come back, address the team, and be part of the Sooner family.

"When you have such a great history and tradition, you need to embrace it," Stoops said. "Our players need to know this is what's expected of them. We've been in 16 Orange Bowls for goodness sake and have won 12 of them. There are 12 Orange Bowl trophies hanging around this place. You don't neglect that."

The history isn't a perfect one, though, with numerous rumors and allegations surrounding the great Sooner teams from the 1980s. That sketchy past includes a stint on NCAA probation.

But Stoops and Castiglione don't let that bother them.

"When I was first hired, people would ask me, 'How are you going to bring this faction and that faction and those people all together,'" Castiglione said. "I told them, 'You can't wait for them to come back to us. You have to make people feel good and have them realize they're wanted around.' In many cases, all they needed was to be asked."

So now people like Switzer pop in on practice. The former coach is also seen on the sidelines and in the press box during games. He's as visible around the program as ever.

"It's great to have this situation again," Switzer said. "It's the first time I've been on the sidelines in 13 years. Joe and Bob have welcomed me. And it's great to see a group of coaches come in here and do such an awesome job."

Stoops encourages the visitors to address the team when they feel comfortable to do so. While Switzer has lectured this year's Sooners about handling the media and understanding the history of the program, Bosworth gave the pep talk prior to the Texas game three weeks ago. Oklahoma won that contest 63-14, their largest margin of victory over the Longhorns since 1908.

"I couldn't believe it," wideout Damian Mackey said. "It was the Boz -- right there talking to us."

It was just as startling for kicker Tim Duncan.

"For me, I was in awe of that situation," he said. "When I was a little kid, guys like Bosworth were my heroes. The room was just silent, everyone was focused on what he was saying."

The Sooners all agree that there is one central theme to Stoops' visitors: No one man is above Oklahoma football. Nobody built this tradition by himself. It was a team effort.

"It means a lot and sticks with us, it really does," senior co-captain Seth Littrell said. "Coach has done a tremendous job of staying with the old tradition and building that of our own. There's a bridge there and a respect for the program."

It wasn't always that way. After Switzer left Oklahoma in 1989, each of the coaches shuttled into Norman, Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger and former player John Blake, were weary of the school's roller-coaster past and the pressures that came with it.

Not Stoops. After seven years as an assistant at Kansas State and three pressure-packed seasons as the defensive coordinator at Florida, the 40-year-old came into the Oklahoma job intimidated by little. He asked that the news conference to announce his hiring would be at the center of campus, where, surrounded by his new team, he could introduced himself to media, students, and fans alike.

"I'm not hiding from anybody or the standards that are set here," Stoops said. "Some don't want a part of it, but when so much has been accomplished, our team should be tied to that."

Stoops has frequently brought in old Oklahoma game film to show his team and will do so this week in preparation for Nebraska. He encourages his players to take a look at the pictures and trophies they walk by everyday in the hallway and learn the stories behind them.

After all, it was Stoops who spray-painted his cleats silver when he was a kid, in honor of former Sooner Joe Washington.

"I thought it might make me a little better player, a little faster, but that was hardly the case," he said.

Though the program has made tremendous strides in linking the present with the past, Castiglione is hardly satisfied. He said there are many more smiles to be exchanged and handshakes to be offered.

"The synergy is special. It really makes me happy when I see all these smiles. But there is still work to be done," he said. "We know this approach works so we're going to keep at it. It's getting to the point where everyone is learning they're welcome to come home."