Former HC Mark Helfrich doesn’t get much love from a great portion of the Oregon fan base. He was the last of the decades-long tradition of continuity at Oregon, and in 2014 he was the man in charge when Oregon reached its peak (though we all hope to see Dan Lanning surpass that mark soon). In 2014 the Ducks won ...

https://fishduck.com/2025/07/how-should-duck-fans-remember-mark-helfrich/

Mark H was a really good man with a very good offensive mind. He was a victim of circumstances, somewhat beyond his control. I thought his removal was premature, especially with some of the young talent he had amassed..........but it was a matter of "what have you done lately". I was sorry to see him go but the program did improve.....as it might have had Mark stayed as coach.

3 minutes ago, FG Lumber said:

I was sorry to see him go but the program did improve.....as it might have had Mark stayed as coach.

I think it would have improved in 2017. I'm sure Hoke would have been fired and Mullens (and Knight) would have had say in the new DC if they opted to keep Helfrich.

The reality was that the old guard of the Oregon staff was fast approaching the end of their ability to keep up with all the changes in college football.

I had another article almost done on the Taggart year and I have one I started on Cristobal. Those have been interesting to reflect on as well.

Nice Man. An example of The Peter Principle. I wish Coach Mark nothing but the best. One of two Oregon coaches who coached in a national championship game and won a Rose Bowl for OBD.

Although the Rose Bowl win was 'this close.' Right, Jameis. 😃

My lasting image of Helfrich is that the chair he sat in for their post game interviews was too big for him. He wasn't hired because Oregon thought he was a great head coach; he was just as close to Chip as there was going to be. It was unfair but Helfrich took the job, and it worked for a while, but the gas ran out and was running on fumes. He might have been able to get it going but I think it was the right decision to move on.

Helf was a true Oregonian and a fellow coastal boy at that! He coached our only Heisman Trophy winner and led us to the NC game with a massive win over FSU. That may have been our most talented team ever.

That said, he whiffed on two DCs and not many coaches survive that. That was not entirely his fault IMHO, I feel like Mullen was being too much of a bean counter instead of just bucking up for the best. Seems he learned that lesson with the hires of Leavitt and Lupoi.

Our recruiting was deteriorating as well. Great man, great football mind, but just not a great HC. If he were coaching the rodents he'd still be there. We just have a higher standard.

Nostalgia can be an addictive drug. What I periodically think about is where Oregon would stand in recruiting today if Taggart hadn't shown the Ducks could recruit nationwide, and Cristobal showed it wasn't just a Taggart thing.