He went to Wearside and took Sunderland to the FA Cup final in 1973 where they upset the odds to beat red-hot favourites Leeds United.
Yet ... Steve Bruce has admitted his Newcastle roots may have had a helping hand in getting him the sack at Sunderland.
As far as I know, Stokoe never got stick for his Geordie connections (perhaps some Sunderland fans can correct me), but I certainly don't remember any hostility.
So what has changed? Why do they hate us more these days?
Or was it simply the fact Stokoe got it right at Roker Park ... and Bruce failed at the Stadium of Shite?
Steve Bruce: "We lost against Newcastle in our second game - our first game at home - and that set the tone.
"We got off to a difficult start, and we had the top teams early on.
"The Geordie thing unfortunately came out. I supported Newcastle as a boy and lived in Newcastle and left when I was 15.
"I went to Sunderland and said, 'listen you know where I'm from, you know who I supported as a boy, but it was years ago.'
"But that's the one thing that came out towards the end."
"I rang Martin O'Neill and said that of all the people out there, I'm glad it's you.
"I do like Martin. He's a very talented manager as we've seen, and I do genuinely wish him well."