OREGON - Smith gone - who will be the interim coach?

very mature response....your posting points out the problems in colligate sports - a toatal lack of perspective and the power of money to hold sway over all....very disappointing....Phil and Al should be hiding under a rock somewhere.

"try to find one oregon distance runner who liked him."

How abut Steve Fein? He moved from Wisconsin with him.

While I don't think that Martin Smith was dealt a fair hand in this whole affair, I also don't think he was the right man to lead University of Oregon track and field. I think most alumni of Oregon track share this opinion, myself included.

University of Oregon has a precedent for removing an abrasive coach in spite of a successful program. See the history of coach Jodie Runge and the Oregon women's basketball program.

Like Smith, Runge also came from outside the Oregon family. Runge's replacement, former Duck Bev Smith, has been a breath of fresh air in the personality department and the community in Eugene loves her.

I wholeheartedly agree with this quote from Oregon AD Moos:

"I'm looking for someone who appreciates the legacy and the tradition of Oregon track and field," Moos said. "Someone who realizes the importance of track and field in this community. Someone who shares the vision of where I would like to see our program go and, for that matter, Track Town, USA - getting that back. "

I think this whole situation is very sad and place's the University of Oregon and it's Alumni in a very poor light.I was pleased to read that Smith contract is being honored.In fact I'll resign right now if they pay me $150,000.00 a year through 2008, hell one year would be just cool with me,ha,ha.Seriously though as a coach I find this somewhat troubling,just my opinion.I am just a outsider watching the big dogs go at.

what are you basing this comment on? fiction? your other comment about UNC is correct.

Scott Shortmeyer wrote:

Look at UNC...they suck and the Athletic Dept does not care in the least. I'd much rather have Oregon on my coaches back.

Hey buttmunch, I studied for the test for a total of 30 minutes and passed it easily several times. You don't have to memorize the entire freakin manual to do the job.

Again, you don't have to know every word in there. If you have a question about an issue, the NCAA actually lets you use the book on the job. The man has been dealing with these same rules for his entire career, it's not like asking him to learn the Chinese language in 10 minutes.

BTW, how clueless do you have to be to not know how to spell clueless? Ass Clown

Flashmile wrote:

You don't have to memorize the entire freakin manual to do the job.

Exactly!

We're not assocaited with this mess in any way other than our family loves track & field. The names Alberto Salazar, Phil Night, Pat Tyson, John Cook and everyone else associated with the OP are Mudd to me.

My 15 year old son asked for an OP shirt last year which I got for him. He brought it to me this morning and said he did not want it anymore. That should tell people something. It certainly hit me like a slap to the face.

James Ing wrote:

We're not assocaited with this mess in any way other than our family loves track & field. The names Alberto Salazar, Phil Night, Pat Tyson, John Cook and everyone else associated with the OP are Mudd to me.

My 15 year old son asked for an OP shirt last year which I got for him. He brought it to me this morning and said he did not want it anymore. That should tell people something. It certainly hit me like a slap to the face.

What does ne not want his Ocean Pacific Shirt and what does this have to do with the price of eggs?

who ever said the bills must be disapointed is an idiot Tyson is Dillengers best freind in the world and he was close with Boweran till he died.

To "The Real Problem,"

In case you weren't kidding, OP stands for (Nike) Oregon Project.

bring on the circus wrote:

The Bill's must be really dissapointed

There is one Bill (Dellinger) who is not disappointed since there was no love lost between he and Smith.

Faux Smith Hater wrote:

Bowerman was the greatest. But Smith did a much better job than Dellinger. You can't even argue that Smiths first 6 years weren't better by far than dellingers last 6 years.

You're probably right about the last point if you're counting team points at the Pac-10's. That's important. But the legacy of Oregon track is really more about individuals. Names like Wilkins, Prefontaine, Centrowitz, Salazar, Chapa, McChesney, Cruz count for more than team scores. And Dellinger coached all of the above distance runners.

H-m-m-m, if a medal winner in the bobsled can be hired as the assistant sprints & hurdles coach or a silver medalist in the hammer can be hired as the throws coach for the U of O with no prior coaching experience other than possibly some volunteering and not mess up the athletes or the program or cause NCAA violations I am sure Tyson will have no problem going from head coach at a high school to a head coach at a university - at least he has been a coach for many years and received payment for his services prior to this and had to produce winners to keep his position and build a reputation as successful distance coach. Guess what? They have paid professionals who know the rules inside and out on staff at the U of O who will teach Tyson or anyone else the rules just like they have others in the past who were inexperienced. They will even answer their questions if they have them. High School coaches and volunteer coaches move in to prime positions all of the time when there are people more qualified who are available. It happens all over the country at all levels. It may not be fair but neither are many things in life. Does anyone remember a pro football team who changed owners and fired the current coach who was loved by the community and hired a college coach who had never coached in the pros. The community and people all over the nation hated the new owner and the new coach and said this is unfair and wrong. This coach has never coached in the pros what right does he have to come in just because he is the owners best friend. Kids would say they hated the team. Parents said what message does this send to the kids? Then the new coach led his team to a Super Bowl. And the new coach and his owner were accepted and loved by the community and the kids. At the end of the day it is networking. It's not always about what you know but who you know that counts. The lesson to be learned is that there are some things we can't control and to spend endless hours speculating over them and griping is futile. I will be interested to see if in 3 years any of this is even remembered or cared about.

Dellinger didn't coach Cruz. He was allowed to compete for the Ducks while Luis De Olivera coached him and the rest of his elite group. I don't know who decided on when and where he raced but he never ran a single workout with the rest of the team.

I'm guessing you weren't talking about Steve Spurrier. Would Kansas hire a high school coach, no matter how good his record might be, to head their basketball program? Not a chance. Going after someone with zero experience at that higher level is strictcly an amateur move, reserved for those who are in a really desperate position.

I can't believe it's been six years since Dellinger retired and Martin Smith has coached Oregon for that long.

quote]Rick Pitino wrote:

I'm guessing you weren't talking about Steve Spurrier. Would Kansas hire a high school coach, no matter how good his record might be, to head their basketball program? Not a chance. Going after someone with zero experience at that higher level is strictcly an amateur move, reserved for those who are in a really desperate position.[/quote]

You are right I wasn't talking Spurrier - that was an example of it not working out. Actually I was talking about Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones and the huge uproar that dismissing Landry caused all over the nation and in the press. It worked out ok at that time. But did you read the other information. Oregon has done it twice under Smith and it hasn't hurt them so why not try it again? Those who are still there who have been in his shoes have the opportunity to help him (if it is Tyson) to not make the mistakes they did. Granted there may be loyalties to Smith that could prohibit that.

True, I remembered that as soon as I posted. De Olivera had a great stable of runners at one point. It was Team De Olivera. Wonder if he's still in coaching? There haven't been any great Brazilian middle distance runners since Cruz.