New Boss in Town

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly officially took the reigns today, as spring football began without Mike Bellotti at the helm for the first time since 1995. I want to talk a bit about the Kelly anointment in this piece, as well as what it means to the program. As many of you know Kelly came to Oregon from little known New Hampshire prior to the 2007 season. Kelly was actually recommended to Bellotti by previous offensive coordinator Gary Crowton (who later took the same position at LSU). Bellotti took a chance on the little known Kelly and brought the offensive guru west, to lead the Duck’s spread attack. Under Kelly Oregon’s offense has lead the conference in scoring (over 40 points per game), as well as rushing yards, in both 2007 and 2008.

College football fans throughout the country have had various takes on Kelly getting the head coaching job at Oregon. I believe the two reasons people have questioned this hire are….1) The current trend of the “coach in waiting” process at places like Texas, Florida State, and Purdue has rubbed many the wrong way. The reason these football programs have been favoring this anointment process is because it makes the transition easier when the Bobby Bowden’s, Mack Brown’s, Joe Tiller’s, and most recently Mike Bellotti’s step down at their respective schools. The knock on this reasoning is that the “coach in waiting” process essentially eliminates many minority coaching candidates, and therefore these coaches are not given the opportunity of their voices being heard. 2) I have heard this next argument from all types of college football fans…. “Oregon has the name, recent tradition, and resources that they could have gone after nearly any coach they wanted to”. While I certainly agree with this statement, I find it to be non applicable to the situation at hand. Without a doubt Oregon could have wowed big name head coaches with proven track records (I think names like Jeff Tedford, Chris Peterson, Mike Leach, and even Steve Spurrier are candidates that would have thrown their name in the hat).

The reason I believe this is the right hire is because of the confidence and vote of approval Mike Bellotti has given it. As is stated in a previous article a few weeks back, Bellotti was the one who built Oregon into what it is today. He isn’t going to hand the keys to the kingdom to an irresponsible individual. With Bellotti moving on to the AD position he obviously still has some vested interest in the athletic programs, and he must truly believe that Kelly is the person that can, and will lead Oregon to even brighter days ahead. I must admit, as a Duck fan my initial reaction to this hiring was pure shock. Never once did I question that Kelly couldn’t be a great head coach like many others what I did question initially was the dozen or so other big name candidates that would have been considered for the position. However after thinking it over a bit, I came to my senses and realized Kelly must be the ideal fit for the job…the person that knows the job better than anyone (Bellotti) felt so. Bellotti is much closer to the situation than any of us, and he must know this Kelly fellow is the real deal.

I can’t wait for this next chapter of Oregon football to unfold. I feel like the sky is truly the limit, and behind the relentless work ethic of Coach Kelly great things will undoubtedly happen. Mike Bellotti stated numerous times that his goal was to bring a National Championship to Oregon…his dream will still become a reality in the next few years, but he will be hoisting the Sears Trophy as the AD, and not before Kelly is done gazing at it. (Please let me know what you, Duck fan or not, think of this hire. Thanks!!)