Monday morning, coach Lincoln Riley and the now-retired Bob Stoops pulled into the Oklahoma Memorial Union parking garage on their way to attend a breakfast in honor of the newly appointed university president, James Gallogly.

As they got out of their car, the president-designate got out of his. The coaches were pretty sure they knew who Gallogly was and vice versa, and once they confirmed it they had a good laugh together.

“We actually were the first ones to meet him and so, yeah, we had a good talk with him there in the garage,” Riley said. “He seemed like a great guy, and I think the university and the regents made a great hire. Loved how personable he was.”

The three then walked into the breakfast together, going in through the kitchen. Shortly after, Riley said he got to listen to the 14th president’s vision for the future of the university, and he’s excited about the leadership going forward.

University president No. 7, George Lynn Cross, once famously remarked, “I would like to build a university which the football team could be proud of,” when asked about why OU needed more funding. Today, Oklahoma is a flagship university. It has the most National Merit Scholars of any school in the country, and it has several of the nation’s best programs — but there’s always room for improvement. And president No. 14 appears to be taking his inspiration from a successful team at the university that has won three conference titles in a row and is fresh off a trip to the College Football Playoff.

“We aspire to greatness, nothing less,” Gallogly said when he addressed the university community Monday morning. “I will push very hard. I will ask a great deal. We know what that looks like on the football field, don’t we?”

Riley’s relationship with OU’s new leader will be important. President David Boren, athletic director Joe Castiglione and Stoops all came to the university around the same time and formed a close bond that helped create an unmatched winning culture in the football program and the athletic department as a whole.

The departure of Boren and Stoops within a short time of each other marks the end of an era, though they leave behind Castiglione. Molly Shi Boren said Stoops’ retirement announcement on June 7 actually inspired her husband’s on Sept. 20, and, as Stoops and his wife walked by Molly Shi Boren at the September event, there were jokes about the two retired men going to get coffee with their still-working friend, Castiglione, tagging along once Boren officially retires at the end of June.

A new chapter in the university now begins with the potential for a new power triangle — Riley, Gallogly and Castiglione.

“I think that’s been a big part of the previous success, was the relationship between Bob and Joe and President Boren and how well they all work together,” Riley said. “And so (Gallogly's) the leader of our university, he’s my boss, and he’s always going to be a big part of what we’re doing.”

Though Gallogly may seem like he doesn’t have much of a sports background coming in, he is a proud member of Sooner Nation. His mother, Margery Gallogly, told The Daily he has playfully fought with his older brother — an Alabama fan — in defense of his Sooners, specifically remembering a time when her older son came over and put an Alabama sign over the top of a wooden Oklahoma emblem she had and sent a picture to Gallogly.

Whether Gallogly and Riley will grow as close as Stoops and Boren have remains to be seen. The football team and athletic department are only one part of the university, as both Riley and Castiglione have pointed out. But, to many Sooner fans, the team and department are an important part.

For now, though, Oklahoma’s football coach is looking forward to working with the new captain of the university.

“From everything I saw today, he’s excited about athletics, excited about our football team,” Riley said. “And we’ll be excited to get him here, let him see the new facility and meet the guys.”