Move the Goalpost: Who Changed Your Opinion Most?

[FishDuck Article]

So many of the “Greybeard” Oregon fans on the Our Beloved Forum recall the days in the 1970s, when both Oregon and Oregon State were equally bad. I was chatting with Mr. FishDuck and pulled him from his fun at sports betting online to ask him who, among our many coaches, changed his opinion most about the direction of the ...

 

Move the Goalpost: Who Changed Your Opinion Most? | FishDuck

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So many of the “Greybeard” Oregon fans on the Our Beloved Forum recall the days in the 1970s, when both Oregon and Oregon State were...

[GeotechDuck]

Very interesting topic.  I think Kelly has to be at the top of that list for me.  It was the first time I truly believed that Oregon had a shot to win a championship when he came in and changed college football forever.

 

However, I was in undergrad for the last 4 years of Brooks and in graduate school during the first years of Bellotti.
 

I honestly believe that Brooks did an outstanding job of recruiting guys that had “it” during the early 1990s.  Those guys were pissed off about losing and went out and did something about it.  I think that helped change the program and set it on the right path.  
 

If you don’t have resources and are consistently recruiting from the back of the pack, that was a very difficult thing to do and is often overlooked.  
 

Brooks may be a quiet second on that list. 
 

Lanning is still TBD, but he could rise to the top of that list very quickly. 

Edited May 21 by GeotechDuck

[Smith72]

Thanks Ryan!  Excellent article for discussion. You make a good point that all were important to move the goalposts.  I don't think we could be where we are without each one of them.

 

I love your summary, "Dan Lanning has returned the hope that was always so prevalent during the Kelly era, but with the recruiting of the Cristobal era, and the likeability of the Bellotti era."

 

Hope, belief in the program, and confidence exudes from every member of the football team.  The coaches and players make me proud to be a Duck!

[Haywarduck]

There is only one guy who should be number one in modern day Oregon Football, IMHO! 

 

He built the ground everyone stood on, whole foundation of coaches support staff the other coaches fed off. He built the soul, the culture of Oregon football  with innovating from Reggie Ogburn to any of the other innovative risky moves. He also showed Oregon supported coaches like no other, stayed with a talented coach with a losing record.

 

Rich Brooks is number one and everyone needs to remember that! I am not going to apologize, but I admit I am extremely passionate about this opinion.

 

 

[Drake]

My vote goes to Phil Knight and his team that helped change the Oregon brand. 
 

Btw…Brooks recruited a local QB named Chris Miller. Miller’s success with an undersized OL in front of him started our string of success. Miller was followed by Musgrave, and ONeil. 

[Charles Fischer]

It is pretty hard, because without Brooks....nothing happens and we are in the fix that OSU is in.  Yet Belotti raised the bar, and Chip made us a household name...and Lanning makes us all believe that the final step is finally achievable.

 

On 5/21/2024 at 8:35 AM, Drake said:

My vote goes to Phil Knight and his team that helped change the Oregon brand. 

Phil Knight was approached often by Brooks and Bellotti, but would not take part until Oregon went to the '94 Rose Bowl and '95 Cotton Bowl on their own.  Winners want to work with winners, and our two coaches had to do it on their own first.

 

Even when he joined...he was not the major donor of the first major project; the Indoor Practice Facility was named and primarily funded by Ed Moshofsky, a former Oregon player who founded a timber company. 

 

Ed Moshofsky

[DanLduck]

Charles, you sum it up well for me.

 

What got me super into believing in our Ducks were the Joey Harrington years.

I know he wasn't a coach, but if he had the ball in the 4th qtr, I believed we could win.

 

I've been believing ever since.

 

Chip raised the bar, but Dan is running away from the Pac!

[Ryan Robertson]

On 5/21/2024 at 8:21 AM, Haywarduck said:

There is only one guy who should be number one in modern day Oregon Football, IMHO! 

 

He built the ground everyone stood on, whole foundation of coaches support staff the other coaches fed off. He built the soul, the culture of Oregon football  with innovating from Reggie Ogburn to any of the other innovative risky moves. He also showed Oregon supported coaches like no other, stayed with a talented coach with a losing record.

 

Rich Brooks is number one and everyone needs to remember that! I am not going to apologize, but I admit I am extremely passionate about this opinion.

 

 

Just wanted to say that I was definitely not trying to minimize RB in the article! He is probably the most important coach of any department in school history. You don't have modern football the way it is in Eugene without him, and I removed him from the conversation simply because he didn't have the backing that the other coaches enjoyed, so from an outside perspective he is "less accomplished".

 

I don't agree with that at all, because taking the program from not good to respectable was a massive feat, especially with UW being what they were in the 90's, USC being an ever-present threat, and there not being a massive amount of local talent. I like Brooks so much I made him the cover photo, that says a ton!

 

[Ryan Robertson]

On 5/21/2024 at 8:35 AM, Drake said:

My vote goes to Phil Knight and his team that helped change the Oregon brand. 
 

Btw…Brooks recruited a local QB named Chris Miller. Miller’s success with an undersized OL in front of him started our string of success. Miller was followed by Musgrave, and ONeil. 

I definitely think that PK is the most important person in the history of the athletic department, I was just trying to explore the coaches here. And I would never try to downplay the accomplishments of Brooks! He was an incredible coach!

[Mike West]

Get ready to laugh guys...

 

Dumb (Willie Taggert) and Dumber (Mario(o) Cristobal) had the greatest impact on the program.

 

Taggert broke the glass ceiling ( no no that one), when he declared Oregon CAN  recruit elite talent.  He assembled an ensemble that recruited well, and to top it off, brought in a DC that could coach the elite talent they brought in.  He was DUMB ENOUGH TO WALK AWAY FROM THE #3 RECRUITING CLASS NATIONWIDE TO PURSUE HIS ULTIMATE  DREAM.

 

Cristobal, one of the key recruiters on Taggert's staff, salvaged a decent recruiting class, then butchered one of the best, if not the absolute best offense in Oregon History.  Furthermore, in an even DUMBER MOVE, Mari (o) left one of the best Oregon Defenses in history to dry because he abandoned Taggert's offense.  Cristobal was even dumber to follow Taggert's path and pursue HIS Ultimate Dream, after also recruiting better than Oregon ever had before.

 

Ironically, both dummies built enough talent to EACH earn a Natty, as both had enough talent on both sides of the ball to win a title their  second year.

 

Brooks started it. Belotti enhanced it.  Chip changed the entire sport ( and got some damn bad calls in his title game), Helfrich held on. And Lanning recognized what a damn good opportunity he was walking into.

 

Dumb and Dumber changed the paradigm.  They brought the talent.  When everyone said Oregon couldn't. Enough talent to take down the SEC like nobody but USC had done (yes the talent was that good- an NFL caliber QB that killed it his sophomore year, that was left hanging to dry-combined with a salty defense with enough talent to not only slow down teams, but to help that ridiculous Gulf Coast Offense pad the score).  

 

IMHO, Lanning is going to bring a title to Eugene.  I highly doubt he would have even thought of OBD if it weren't for the "foundation" Dumb and Dumber laid- proving Chip was wrong about recruiting elite talent to Eugene. 

[Ryan Robertson]

On 5/21/2024 at 9:10 AM, Charles Fischer said:

It is pretty hard, because without Brooks....nothing happens and we are in the fix that OSU is in.  Yet Belotti raised the bar, and Chip made us a household name...and Lanning makes us all believe that the final step is finally achievable.

 

Phil Knight was approached often by Brooks and Bellotti, but would not take part until Oregon went to the '94 Rose Bowl and '95 Cotton Bowl on their own.  Winners want to work with winners, and our two coaches had to do it on their own first.

 

Even when he joined...he was not the major donor of the first major project; the Indoor Practice Facility was named and primarily funded by Ed Moshofsky, a former Oregon player who founded a timber company. 

 

Ed Moshofsky

Charles,

 

I definitely agree on the importance of Coach Brooks, I just left him off the board in the conversation because it is tough to compare his accomplishments to those who came after. Not having PK as a major part of the program was tough to overcome, but he eventually did. I think he stands atop the list, but I would argue that he came along before the program itself was modernized.

 

He reminds me of the first guy to realize that when you combine Iron, Copper, and Tin that it creates steel. Sure, his steel was probably the weakest in physical strength, but I will never hold it against him for figuring out the recipe. Everyone who came after had the recipe for steel and went on to figure out how to make it stronger and stronger over time.

[David Marsh]

Based on the question as to what has changed my opinion on the program the most... 

 

Chip Kelly because it was the blue offense that made me interested in football. Before that I didn't care about football. 

[JabbaNoBargain]

Based on the structure of the question was definitely Mike B for me. Accurate expectation or not, I expected to win every game starting with Bellotti.

 

However I love the point that PK was not involved, and was actually estranged with the UO for a period of time. He didn’t get involved until after Brooks broke through, and more specifically, after the Cotton Bowl beat down.
 

Beavis loves to gloss this over. We actually accomplished something prior to PK being involved.

Edited May 21 by JabbaNoBargain

[Santa Rosa Duck]

Thanks Ryan, this one is fun. My vote goes to Len Casanova. I am a grey beard and was there for his last year. He started with virtually nothing and created a team with heart. Great coach and high integrity guy.

 

In more modern times, I vote for Chip Kelly. He created real excitement and the Oregon brand became well known nation wide.

[DUCati855]

To me it would be Bellotti. It was his tenure that took the fanbase from hoping to believing. That is such a HUGE step that it simply can not be ignored.

 

That being said, everyone of the coaches discussed had strengths that we must appreciate... even Willie (that's hard to say).

[Charles Fischer]

On 5/21/2024 at 10:39 AM, Mike West said:

  I highly doubt he would have even thought of OBD if it weren't for the "foundation" Dumb and Dumber laid- proving Chip was wrong about recruiting elite talent to Eugene. 

OK...that is a very legit point.  Where would we be without superior recruiting?  Where would Lanning be without the portal?  The rebuild would have taken twice as long...

 

A conversation like this demonstrates the impact that each coach made to the future of Oregon football, and THANKS to Ryan for the fascinating topic!

[GODUCKS15]

My vote is for Chip. His offence brought excitement to the game. Trickery or not it was a blast to watch him blowout teams. There was time during his tenure that I almost always felt like we would win every game. It was like being a Tide fan where you just never lose. 

 

He's the only coach out of all of them that gave me that feeling. I still don't have that feeling with Lanning yet. 

 

Between PK and CK they turned CFB on it's head with the blur offence and the millions of uni combos. Gameday was a regular event it seemed and there was this swagger that the Ducks had that made them so much fun to watch. The teams weren't full of 4*-5* players either. 

 

It was the Glory Days for me. 

 

Lanning may just be the new guy on his way to being the all time great. 

[Cacker Guy]

Great article, Ryan!  Thank you -- I enjoyed it very much.  You really highlighted the contributions of all our recent head coaches.  Boy we have been fortunate!

 

I am partial to Coach Bellotti -- I think he changed my opinion of the program the most. 

 

However, I think Chip had the greatest effect on the direction of the program.  He changed the national perception of UO football, and that has greatly aided recruiting ever since.  We have heard so many players say that Oregon was their dream school, or that they grew up loving Oregon football.  Current players say this (Tez, Matayo, etc .) and I figure that the past five or six or more recruiting classes grew up loving UO during Chip's tenure.  That had made a real difference in recruiting!

[Ryan Robertson]

Alright, I guess I will weigh in on the article that I wrote, and my answer is going to be contrarian.

 

The coach who changed my perspective on the program the most wasn't Mike, who was the guy during my childhood, Chip, who made me see what was possible, or even Dan, who makes winning feel inevitable. My choice is Mario.

 

I know, I know: not the most popular guy. I don't even think he was a good coach on Saturdays. BUT what he did Sunday through Friday changed my perspective on the entire program. While Chip made it feel like we could win big, and that we would have won it all had he stayed, but Mario made me feel like we should be winning at the highest level. If we could recruit how he could, win conference championships with some of the worst playcalling I have ever seen, then all we needed was someone who could recruit and coach then we would win it all.

 

During his tenure I didn't feel like we could win, because I didn't think he was good enough on the sideline to beat the best coaches in the country. But that just made me mad, because I felt like we should have been winning big. All the pieces were there, so there was no excuse not to win it all.

[Ryan Robertson]

On 5/21/2024 at 12:36 PM, Cacker Guy said:

Great article, Ryan!  Thank you -- I enjoyed it very much.  You really highlighted the contributions of all our recent head coaches.  Boy we have been fortunate!

 

I am partial to Coach Bellotti -- I think he changed my opinion of the program the most. 

 

However, I think Chip had the greatest effect on the direction of the program.  He changed the national perception of UO football, and that has greatly aided recruiting ever since.  We have heard so many players say that Oregon was their dream school, or that they grew up loving Oregon football.  Current players say this (Tez, Matayo, etc .) and I figure that the past five or six or more recruiting classes grew up loving UO during Chip's tenure.  That had made a real difference in recruiting!

Bellotti was definitely a tone setter. It wasn't like we needed everything to go perfect to compete at the highest level anymore, because he made the program itself capable of turning out good players. Plus, I would argue he was the greatest HC at hiring assistants in school history.

[noDucknewby]

Rich Brooks had the vision for improving the facilities and he sold it.  Back then our only chance at 4-5* athletes was to pull them out of California and he lobbied hard for better facilities to impress the recruits.  If I'm remembering correctly, the weight room back then was stuck in Mac Court. Uggh.

 

That said Bellotti was the first coach to make the Ducks competitive on a national level, so he would get my vote.  He was robbed of championship appearances twice and during the Joey years the program achieved its highest ever ranking at #2 after throttling Colorado.

 

Chip had the flash to be sure, but he got the keys to an Indy car ready to race.  Love the Chip years, but he didn't ELEVATE the program (except national attention) to the extent thay MB did.

 

Helfie is a tough one, you can't ignore the Heisman Trophy or an appearnace in the very first CFP natty.  He'll get a lot of the blame for the program's tumble but part of that is on Mullens for not paying for a top level DC when we desperately needed one.  Love Don Pellum, but he wasn't the guy sorry and Hoke was a joke as a DC.

 

Slick Willie and Mario helped the program somewhat inadvertently IMHO.  They took our recruiting chops to another level then left the progum to someone who's the whole package, albeit still learning game-day coaching.  When it's said and done I think DL will be the most successful coach in Oregon history.

[Jon Sousa]

OK, I'm going to wade into the water here.

 

The goalposts were moved incrementally. The guy who moved them the most was Rich Brooks. It took a LONG, LONG time, but Rich Brooks took the Ducks from VERY BAD to bowl eligibility, to the Rose Bowl. If he didn't jump to the NFL, there is no telling what he could have accomplished over the next few years.

 

Rich Brooks moved the goalposts from "We just want to beat the Beavers" to "We want to be in a bowl game every year". That move was MASSIVE. 

 

Bellotti moved the goalposts from "We want to be in a bowl game every year" to "We want to be in a good bowl game every year."

 

Chip said his goal was to play football in January every year. That meant New Years Six or better. He moved the goalposts (in our minds) to "We want Alabama!" Later we realized that we didn't have the dudes in the trenches to regularly take on the 'Bamas of the world.

 

With the goalposts so close to as far as they can go, all of the heavy lifting of moving them had been done.

 

MC moved the goalposts closer by proving that you can recruit to Oregon and did a great job of doing so.

 

DL has moved the goalposts as far as they can go. The goal is to be the National Championship hunt every year and win it all on at least a semi-regular basis.

 

Not only does the Oregon fan base believe this, but the rest of the CFB world is starting to expect it too.

[Haywarduck]

Ryan let me step back and say great article and something which is a great ponder point. I also appreciate all you did in writing a nice piece of analysis of the coaches.

 

I then read your take on MariØ and was going to puke, but, again, you made some great points. You actually shared some feelings, something my wife says I am not too good at. You also did it in a way that was relatable, well done. I don't agree with what you wrote, but I can completely understand where you are coming from and have the utmost respect for your opinion, just not mine.

 

I actually think it is great to read some younger peoples perspectives on the Ducks. We all are influenced by our experiences.

 

I suppose that is why I defend Brooks so strongly. I know many have no perspective on what Rich Brooks did and the miracle it was.

 

I also love how Charles brings clarity to Phil Knights impact. Oregon was just fine without the PK money. We just weren't ever going to be elite in football.

 

Elite is what PK wants now and that is what we are seeing. I am enjoying it, but do still love those memories of Reggie Ogburn doing things nobody had ever seen on a football field, and the so many other unique things Brooks brought to us.

 

I now look forward to seeing what has never been done, yet, as the Oregon Football Program. That will make Dan Lanning the greatest mover of the goal posts at Oregon because they will get ripped out of the ground, or do they still do that!