Mike Bellotti will be retiring as the head coach of Oregon football before March 30, and will pave the way for the 3rd head coach of Oregon football in my lifetime.
He retires as the most prolific coach in the history of Oregon football. He coached the best team in Oregon history, and was the most consistent coach in Oregon history. In 15 seasons, he posted 14 years with more wins than losses. He led Oregon to their first 10, and 11 win seasons. He brought in some of the best players to don the green and yellow. Ted Miller passed along an interesting statistic: Mike Bellotti has had a hand in 28% of Oregon's 558 victories as a football program.
While he has endured his share of criticism, he has been great for the University of Oregon. He took the reigns from Rich Brooks, and led Oregon to heights unimagined 15 years ago. With his recruiting skill, he has put Oregon in a position to compete for the Pac-10 title for the foreseeable future.
I am sad that Mike Bellotti will no longer be standing on the sidelines on Saturday's, arms crossed and looking intently on the field. Under him, the Oregon football team was always on an even keel and he was constantly in control.
Because of this, he will be a great AD. He has always delegated well, and been a great manager, and he will take those skills upstairs, to help lead Oregon to even greater athletic glory.
Thanks for the memories Coach Bellotti. You'll be missed, but we're excited to see what you can do in the bigger office.