Mike Bellotti resigns as Oregon Athletic Director, joins ESPN as analyst
by jtlight on Mar 19, 2010 11:57 AM PDT
in ATQ Site News
Email
PrintMike Bellotti has resigned effective April 5th as the Oregon Athletic Director, continuing what has been the most tumultuous offseasons for the Ducks in recent memory. He will be joining ESPN as a college football analyst, and his debut for ESPN on April 17th at the Auburn spring game.
Bellotti was the winningest coach in school history, with a 116-55 record, and stepped down as football coach at one of the most promising times in school history. During his press conference, stepping down from the head coach of the football team was the hardest decision he ever made.
It had been rumored for some time that Bellotti had not been entirely happy as the Athletic Director, and there were many rumors that he would eventually move on to commentating, after his stellar work for OSN during the 2009 season. This move will allow him to get back to what he loves: college football. While he could have continued in his capacity as Athletic Department for some time, his heart was with college football, and you can't blame him for that.
While it's sad to see Bellotti go, if his heart wasn't totally in the AD job (Ivan Maisel has a good take on that topic), then it's likely best that he moves on. However, he did a solid job taking over from Pat Kilkenny, and pushing the program forward in the past year in a time of economic uncertainty. His most important act as Athletic Director will be the firing of Ernie Kent, a move that wasn't easy to make, but was unfortunately necessary.
While this is obviously not ideal timing, the University will be fine moving forward. They are bringing in a outside firm to conduct the coaching search, and it is the same firm that conducted the search for Pac-10 commissioner when Larry Scott was hired.
Good luck to Mike with ESPN. His contributions to the University will not be forgotten. This is an excellent opportunity for him, and I look forward to hearing his commentary reach a much wider audience.
65 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Bring back the 'stache!
~ How much for the little girl? Your women - how much for the women? The little girl your 2 daughters, sell them to me, SELL ME YOUR CHILDREN!~
by My Name is Bryce on Mar 19, 2010 12:01 PM PDT reply actions
This amazing tin foil hat comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and we're offering it for a limited time in green AND gold.
NOW how much would you pay?
by HoodRiverDuck on Mar 19, 2010 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
Good Luck Coach Bellotti!
He really did an amazing job for Oregon and I think this will help promote the Oregon program on a national level.
Each game he commentates will have “former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti” and I think people will both respect his opinions and associate them with the program (or vice versa).
"No one ever rises to low expectations." - Chip Kelly Head Coach at the Univ. of Oregon.
by SouthOfTheBorderDuck on Mar 19, 2010 12:14 PM PDT reply actions
I'm actually thrilled about it.
I listened to him do radio for a couple Ducks games this year and thought he was fantastic. It’ll increase Oregon’s national exposure to have him on ESPN. I don’t have any idea how to assess whether he was a good AD or not, and at the time of his ‘promotion’ to the post I thought it was kind of unusual in the first place.
Agreed. As soon as he started doing the commentary for OSN, it seemed almost inevitable that he’d be gone sooner rather than later.
Obviously with the coaching search, the timing could be better, but I don’t think this would stop a good coach from wanting to come to Oregon, and they have enough competent people around that they’ll likely get a pretty good coach.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
HOPEFULLY Oregon doesn't promote him to AD
but they can’t be that crazy can they?
"I used to play sports. Then I realized you can buy trophies. Now I'm good at everything." - Demetri Martin
OREGON WILL BE JUST FINE
People need to chill out. Not so much on this board, but other sites (Oregonlive Duck Football board, ESPN’s site) fans are claiming conspiracy or "Oregon’s screwed" blah blah blah, folks it’s fine. The Casanova Center will be ok, and Oregon athletics is much bigger than one person. 10 years ago maybe not so much so, we were very dependent on a handful of folks. If Bill Moose or Bellotti would have left in the mid 90s, than maybe things don’t happen the way the cards have fallen. Oregon football, and certainly the entire athletic department is bigger than one person (ok, maybe besides our owner Mr. Knight).
This is a great move for Bellotti and his family. I’m not sure if he will take them out to Bristol, and they’ll buy a home there or he will do that awful commute from little old Eugene’s Airport to NYC metro. Being back east, it’s a pain to get to Eugene for the Holidays and other times of the year from NYC/DC. I think him being on ESPN as an analyst is great, and he will be heard by all the power brokers in the sport. At the end of the day, this is great for the program.
We have no quantifiable way to measure his success or lack off as an athletic director, but it seemed obvious this was not a long term deal. Some love the job coming from coaching, look at Barry Alvarez in Madison- he’s done a great job at Wisconsin. I think his legacy will be judged with the Kelly transition and Kent firing.
Moving forward it sounds like an external firm, the same organization that hired our current Pac-10 commissioner, will take care of the men’s basketball hire. I trust they’ll make the right decision, and we can get back to the NCAA Tourney with consistency.
Great job Bellotti, I respect your move to ESPN and wish you the best of luck. Oregon’s in great hands, and the Casanova center wont burn down or forget to pay the utility bills. Great things to come in 2010 for the Ducks. See you in Knoxville.
by WashingtonDCduck on Mar 19, 2010 1:12 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
O-Live + ESPN = Troll Central
Really, I’ve stopped going. It’s pointless. It seems like once upon a time reasonable people commented there, but I think they all migrated to ATQ.
by HoodRiverDuck on Mar 19, 2010 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions
So True.
Even a year ago there seemed to be some good discussion on ESPN between Pac-10 fans. Then Oregon blew through the league this year, and all the Beavs and Fuskies went crazy. The humbled Trojans either disappeared, or decided their new purpose was to hurl bitterness at the new reigning champs. Add to that an ever-increasing mob of general D-bags and every Ted Miller blog post has now devolved into a flame war, with no reasonable Ducks bothering to stick around through the ridiculousness. The few who enjoy that kind of mud-fest and nominally stick up for the Ducks don’t really help the cause. Which is unfortunate, because I really used to like following Ted’s blog and the discussion there.
False.
The U of O: Where idle hands are the devil's workshop.
by ProbablyMonty on Mar 19, 2010 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Ivan Maisel... not Ted Miller...
for whatever reason he was linked into the PAC – ten blog.
Tough break for you guys
Definitely not what you needed at the moment
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
basically it was a nice gesture and ‘promotion’ for our best coach so we could keep Chip Kelly around. not sure how many people around the school thought he’d be there for a long time. shouldn’t the AD have a CEO-like resume? build programs, win, generate revenue, repeat…
Life is about growth. People are not perfect when they're 21 years old. - Bill Walton
well on the bright side
it can only go up from here!
Tough to see Bellotti leave,
But he will be a very good analyst for ESPN.
This off-season officially sucks for SEVEN(!!!!!!!) reasons and counting...
Its win win in all honesty.
Loved MB, loved RB, love CK but when it comes to AD I’d take a Moos or a Kilkenny as it is a corporate job and not one for coaches. I am afraid if things go south with this but I am just as optimistic that we could land a great BB coach and an awesome AD that will take us to the permanent top 10.
Hoover: They confiscated everything, even the stuff we didn't steal!
Oregon AD address
One Bowerman Drive
Beaverton OR.
We are now leaving ATQ. Did you go potty and take your medication?
You selfish sonofabitch.
Benzduck for Oregon Historian.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 19, 2010 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Easy boys, you can share it
Just be sure to make the right basketball hire (wink wink, nudge nudge)
by Brian Floyd on Mar 20, 2010 12:48 AM PDT up reply actions
You're both hired. Everyone is hired.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 20, 2010 5:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Fucking socialist.
everything is history, eventually.
by benzduck on Mar 20, 2010 12:03 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I prefer Marxist, but thank you Sean Hannity.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 20, 2010 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Interesting, this makes me a giant, anatomically correct but leathery pussy.
I’m not sure how to feel about this, but my first take is that it’s not a good thing.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 20, 2010 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Not so much.
At least you didn’t say “thank you Glenn Beck.” No snappy comebacks there.
everything is history, eventually.
Let's just say they all suck.
Holy cow what a terrible decision for guys like Colmes and Juan Williams to take a paycheck to go on Fox and be the punching bag.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 20, 2010 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Seriously,
I always felt a little bad for Colmes, but was still a tool anyways.
This off-season officially sucks for SEVEN(!!!!!!!) reasons and counting...
I really don't know if he's a real life tool or not, I just know they set him up to look horrible.
Hire a strong willed, forceful conservative guy and pit him against a soft spoken liberal guy, guess which argument is going to get the upper hand?
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 20, 2010 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I totally agree,
And of course Fox News set up Colmes to look weak and powerless (because on Fox News, debates are not about facts or opinion, “debates” are about whoever can talk over the other louder). I just find it strange to say the least, that any liberal would take a job on Fox News.
Wait, football season is HOW long away?
$$$$$$$
Progressives like to talk like money isn’t the most important thing in their lives, but the sad fact is that not everyone can be a tenured liberal arts professor. And your family can’t eat enough Principle to satisfy the RDA of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Why is it any stranger for a liberal to take the best offer on the table than a conservative? You might as well ask why Joe Scarborough takes MSNBC money.
everything is history, eventually.
In this case, the liberal made a bad career decision.
Who’s arguing that anybody shouldn’t take money or the best offer on the table?
Simply put, the best money is not always the best offer, and this is one of those cases. What did Colmes do before that show? Radio. And now? Radio. Joe S’s current paycheck and job has ten times the long term value, because he’s not being set up by his own employer to look like an impotent ass on an everyday basis, he’s supported and looks like he has a valuable, commanding point of view. He’s retained upside and potential for raises, additional shows, better offers, etc. There’s no question that it’s stupid, long term, to work for an employer that doesn’t support you, or worse attacks your entire belief system as part of it’s sales pitch and it’s revenue strategy. This is particularly true on TV where your image is everything. “Hey, let’s hire that guy that Fox made look like a douchebag to host our political hour”… hmm, no. Nice short term paycheck, career sabotage.
And let’s be clear, these guys are not remotely making decisions based on feeding their family, that statement is irrelevant to the discussion of Colmes or Scarborough. This is about the better car, house, or more extravagant item. If you don’t need a paycheck to eat or aren’t retiring after this paycheck, then it’s a bad long term move to allow yourself to be made into a joke for the sake of short term pay. I’m sure Colmes thought he could overcome any obstacle, or thought his employer cared about his long term value, he was just wrong, or porn.
Dunno, like I said, I think all those guys on both sides of the line are douchebags paid to yell and sell ideas rather than actually discuss them, I just think the progressive one we were discussing screwed himself.
If you’re more generally jabbing at a progressive philosophy, well, I’ve written enough already, so have at it, but I think that first paragraph is chocked full of hyperbole.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 20, 2010 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions
You guys are getting there, but you’re still not quite Statler and Waldorf.
Defending maligned chants since 2009
Ha ha ha. Gorby, LAWN!
Oh and PS, look who’s talking. You might be younger but you’re twice as crusty.
My parents don't believe in Canzano either.
by Bill Musgrave on Mar 21, 2010 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions
it’s a bad long term move to allow yourself to be made into a joke for the sake of short term pay.
You just described anybody who takes the NJ Nets job next year
Hire Ben Jacobson!
Addicted to Quack
by Matt Daddy on Mar 21, 2010 2:27 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m a pseudo-liberal shitmonger, myself.
I just like wearing the other side’s itchy wool shirts on occasion.
If there’s one thing I can do, it’s chock the hyperbole.
I wasn’t seriously trying to contrast Joe S and Colmes. That’s comparing apples with something that doesn’t taste like apples. If Colmes had his own talker, or if Joe was placed in a point/counterpoint idiot windstorm with a forceful and dominant person on the other side of the table, that would be different. Sort of. They’re all gasbags.
BENZDUCK FOR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR!
Why the hell not?
This is a possible outcome nobody's mentioned yet.
what if bellotti is to replace lou holtz? maybe? dear god i hope so.
. . . just so long as Holtz doesn't come to Oregon in return.
Life is a sport: Watch other people play it.
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
by HoodRiverDuck on Mar 20, 2010 6:47 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bellotti > Clownzano
Hey John Canzano. Mike Bellotti, with no media experience outside of giving interviews and the Coach’s show, just got your dream job. Looks like Bellotti’s national relevence just jump 1000% and yours continues to be limited to the State of Oregon, where Duck, Beaver, Blazer, (and soon Timber) fans all hate you.
by moatman on Mar 20, 2010 8:23 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I'm a Timbers fan and I already hate him
I know what you meant though :P
by HoodRiverDuck on Mar 20, 2010 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Addicted To Quack
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
