After all the drama, Chip Kelly is leaving Oregon

Sports

Related Photos

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2012 file photo, Oregon football coach Chip Kelly is shown on the sdieline during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Arizona in Eugene, Ore. The Philadelphia Eagles have hired Kelly after he originally chose to stay at Oregon. Kelly becomes the 21st coach in team history and replaces Andy Reid, who was fired on Dec. 31 after a 4-12 season. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Discussion

January 16, 2013

After all the drama, Chip Kelly is leaving Oregon

Anonymous Associated Press Wed Jan 16, 2013, 03:00 PM CST

PHILADELPHIA — Oregon faces a future without Chip Kelly after all.

After dramatically opting to stay with the No. 2 Ducks a little more than a week ago, the enigmatic Kelly changed his mind and decided to take an NFL job as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelly informed Oregon of his plans on Wednesday morning, shortly before the Eagles made it official.

Following Oregon’s victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, Kelly flirted with three NFL teams: Philadelphia, Cleveland and Buffalo. But after a wild weekend of interviews amid rumors and speculation, Kelly told the Ducks he was staying put.

Ducks athletic director Rob Mullens told reporters at the time that he was obviously “ecstatic” about Kelly’s decision, but Kelly himself never said anything publicly.

Mullens was not available for immediate comment but scheduled a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss Kelly’s decision and plans for the future. The school issued a statement from him on its website.

“I have great respect for Chip, consider him a friend and wish him the best of luck in the NFL. Oregon Athletics has executed two successful head coach transitions in the past eighteen years and each time we continued our ascent. We are focused on identifying a leader who is the right fit to guide Oregon Football,” the statement said.

A person close to the team who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Oregon had not yet formally announced Kelly’s departure told The Associated Press early Wednesday that offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich was still considered the “frontrunner.” Under Oregon state law, the school must also interview at least one qualified minority candidate for the job.

Kelly is 46-7 in four years as head coach at Oregon. The Ducks have been to four straight BCS bowl games — including a bid for the national championship against Auburn two seasons ago — and have won three Pac-12 championships.

He originally came to the Ducks in 2007 as offensive coordinator under Mike Bellotti. Before that, he was offensive coordinator at New Hampshire, where he started devising the innovative hurry-up offense the Ducks are known for today.

Oregon finished last season 12-1. The team was ranked No. 1 and appeared headed for another shot at the national championship until a 17-14 overtime loss to Stanford on Nov. 17. The Ducks wound up No. 2 in the final AP poll after the Fiesta Bowl victory.

The Ducks will likely move forward with hiring a coach quickly, because signing day for football recruits is on Feb. 6.

Shortly after the move was announced, several potential recruits went to Twitter to express their surprise, including Nico Falah, an offensive tackle from Bellflower, Calif., who wrote: “Chip Kelly left?!?! He was at my house 2 days ago.”

Text Only

Sports

Hennessey's Aguirre taking tough times in stride
Car Aguirre looks strange confined to a wheelchair.
The story of how the newly-minted Hennessey grad got there is told loosely through a digital jigsaw puzzle — an accident, a near-tragedy, an outpouring of support, a recovery, all expressed in Facebook posts and internet traffic.

May 18, 2013 2 Photos
Enid’s Harmon 4th at endorser
Top-seeded Tyler Harmon, playing with an elbow injury, had a rough day at the 16-Under Oklahoma District Tennis Association Endorser Tournament Saturday at Oakwood Country Club.

May 18, 2013 1 Photo
Ex-Majors make return to Enid for Alumni exhibition
Saturday was a time for Matt Peck and his former Enid American Legion teammates to set back the clock.

May 18, 2013
Jets reflect on tough season
Raydon Leaton’s ambition was to be the host team for the NJCAA Division II College World Series, which opens next weekend at David Allen Memorial Stadium.
Instead, Leaton’s Northern Oklahoma College Enid Jets went through some growing pains during a 17-39 season.

May 18, 2013 1 Photo
OSU 2nd despite loss to WVU
May 18, 2013 1 Photo
Sooners survive scare
May 18, 2013 1 Photo
Sports briefs for 5-19-13
May 18, 2013
Camp directory for 5-19-13
May 18, 2013
Radio-TV for 5-19-13
May 18, 2013
Glencoe duo makes strong introduction
The last time Nate Melton and Claytin Beaver played together, they left the field losers of a season-ending 12-5 Class A state quarterfinal.
On Friday, each of them in Enid Majors blue instead of Glencoe red, and things went closer to plan.
Melton was the Majors’ opening-day starter, introducing himself to Enid with six strikeouts in three innings, topping 90 mph with a fastball that rarely ended anywhere but Beaver’s mitt in a 7-1 Majors win.

May 17, 2013 1 Photo
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

After all the drama, Chip Kelly is leaving Oregon

Site Map

Contact Us