Oct 25, 2022·edited Oct 25, 2022Liked by John Canzano
You are absolutely right John! My Dad (UofO '28, Law '31) was a 4 year letterman in Track at UofO under Bill Hayward and taught me early on to respect the long and hallowed traditions of Mighty Oregon. Bill Hayward was still coaching at Oregon (44 years I think) when I started listening in the '40's to Duck Football on the radio with my Dad, who absolutely worshiped the ground his old coach walked on (and had been to dinner at his house in a few times in his student days, I seem to recall!) Although he was the track coach, Hayward was, maybe first and foremost, an athletic trainer. According to my Dad, Bill Hayward still had his hand on the football program and its athletes when I sat as a little grade school kid listening to the Ducks play football. So tenure for Oregon's coaches is no novel concept for me (a '64 grad who played IM sports but not a varsity athlete). In my turn, I have immensely respected coaches like Casanova (doesn't get the credit he deserves as a foundation builder), Brooks and Bellotti. Men who were devoted to building a lasting tradition while they tutored individual young men. Why not Dan Lanning? So far I'd say the prospects look good. But it IS way too soon to say. Only thing for sure is that we need another football coach who wants to follow in the Duck footprints of the giants that this program was founded on! Keep up the GREAT reporting! PS: I've always loved to remind a USC Trojan, when he goes on with a slightly swollen head about "his" team, that John McKay, a founder of their modern success, learned to play football as a Duck playing with Norm VanBrocklin and learned to coach under Len Casanova.
It was magic! The game was played in your head! In some ways, I still prefer listening to Jerry Allen & Mike Jorgenson over the sometimes inane commentary of the TV talking heads. But I have to confess, since I gave up my season tickets (due to late night games and old age), I'm hooked on the visuals of TV. Have tried to listen on the radio with the TV muted, but the time delay of the TV vs. the radio makes it less than ideal!
Well Justin Wilcox played for Bellotti and Chris Peterson was an assistant under him for quite awhile. Without looking it up at the moment, I have the idea that of all the fine coach developers at Oregon over the years, Casanova was one of the most influential. It seems to me that, beside the succession of USC coaches starting with McKay, Cas spun off a few other noteworthy football coaches who had served under him, but I can't name one at this moment. And of course, don't forget that Bowerman was primarily a football player (halfback as I recall) at Oregon at a time when Bill Hayward was definitely the trainer for the football team, which I think is mentioned in Kenny Moore's book, "Bill Bowerman And the Men of Oregon." A "Long Lemon & Green Line" of fine coaches tracing back to the playing fields of Eugene!
I hope, as you put it, Lanning is a "forever" coach, but I don't think such a thing exists anymore. College football is quickly becoming a corporate venture with all that entails. Nothing forever is a part of that world. I certainly hope I'm wrong because Lanning seems to be a great guy and a fine coach.
True. But I hope that Dilly realizes that he still has much to learn about HEAD coaching before he makes that leap himself. I hope that he feels some loyalty to Lanning and UO for this opportunity. I also hope that Oregon (read donors) make it financially attractive to stay and learn for a while before making the big jump.
Absolutely love our new coach, great person, great perspective, teaches and coaches from a place of love and joy. Hope he stays a long, long, long time. I'm sure Dan is going to see this article eventually. Hopefully, this plants an enormous seed in his mind about how good he has it here! Thanks John!
Thanks for this article John...I do hope we have found our forever coach. I know my son and his friends won't forget this anytime soon. I am sure he brushed it off as no big deal and that is part of what makes it a big deal. He wasn't doing it because the camera crew was there or to get anything out of his kind gesture, he was doing it because he is a good person.
Sorry Peter Courtney, but talk is cheap. Oregon could have boosted Cristobal’s pay as he started demonstrating he was the real deal when he won his first conference championship. Instead they opted to leave him decidedly in the middle compared to other PAC 12 HC compensation as his market value skyrocketed. Then you expect him to ignore an offer which earns him tens of millions more than he was going to make at Oregon. Very few rational people are going to do this. Certainly I would love to see you faced with a similar decision, Mr Courtney, to see your choice.
It was reported Oregon's offer matched Miami's... Cristobal was never turning down his alma mater for any amount Oregon threw at him. Money wasn't the issue.
Talk is cheap? Is it ever, Cristobal and Taggart showed us that. They also showed us that their signatures are worthless. Good riddance. As for Peter Courtney, you have no idea if he would honor his word or not... no evidence to the contrary... you know something we all don't? Let's face it, college coaching salaries are out of control anyway. Our new man has a contract for six years averaging almost $5 million a year, money is not his priority says the man who knows him the best. He's rock solid and probably earning ten times his wildest dreams ten years ago. Nice guys do finish first often! 😎
Oregon's last offer to Cristobal was $8.5 million per year: $500,000 a year more than he accepted at Miami. Cristobal was going home to be closer to his sick mother before she died earlier this year. His brother is a Sheriff down there too. The family pull, the money, the challenge to re-build UM were more than Oregon could overcome. I think his final Oregon coaching staff (and possibly, his team) knew he was on the move well-before he left Eugene, as the team's performance cratered the last month of his tenure here.
Whether he succeeds at Miami remains to be seen. We all know that he is an A+ recruiter, but his game & clock management are average (at best). After two bad losses this year, the honeymoon in South Florida appears to be over: Cristobal is starting to feel the heat of scathing criticism & unmet expectations. Don't feel too sorry for Mario: he has a ten year contract, so he's not going to be fired anytime soon.
Unfortunately for Miami they may have Jimbo'd themselves to Mario. I don't think even boosters at The U will foot a $70M buyout. They are likely hitched to him for at least 4 or 5 years, good or bad.
Oct 25, 2022·edited Oct 25, 2022Liked by John Canzano
Smith I think is a forever coach, and will be similar to Whittingham's career.
Lanning might, like you said too soon to tell... but if he is consistently winning, I don;t think it will be another FBS team that will pull him, it will be the NFL.
OSU is "lucky" in that the NFL won;t be looking at Smith anytime soon. As they go by record more than performance, which is currently 22-30. Any Beavs fan knows judging Smith by that metric is completely unfair and doesn;t do Smith justice... however Smith knew it would be that way going into the job. He went in to rebuild and stay.
Lanning was given an opportunity he couldn;t turn down and he will have a "winning record" immediately
Jonathan Smith has orange blood. He was exceptional as a QB and he is as a coach. He will retire in Corvallis and be happy about it. He has already turned that program around and now he is going to build it up.
I, for one, am nervous as h3!! about our final game in regular season. Especially if the Ducks are 11-1 entering that game, the Beavers would bite nails to ruin the Ducks season.
I think Oregon is an attractive job and a lot of kids want to play there and get away from all the problems in California. With Thibodeux and Sewell as examples, it's also been a good place to develop NFL chops. Lanning says he isn't that motivated by money and he's actually getting paid as much as anyone would ever need. Why would be want to move to a dump like, say, Auburn, Alabama?
To be fair, there is a big difference between making a few million a year and building generational wealth. College football coaches these days at the highest level have the chance to do the latter. Oregon will be wise to pay Lanning early and often as long as he is winning, and to of course have strong buyout clauses in his contracts. Lanning may not be motivated primarily by money, but when his $4M goes to $8M that changes things. You don't simply say "nah, I'm good" to something like that. I don't care if you are already a multi-millionaire who modestly drives a Tahoe loaner vehicle.
Excellent piece John; we can benefit from being optimistic and hopeful. What a blessing it would be to have the right guy become part of the scenery with the Ducks. Thanks.
Speaking of the Pac12 (we weren't) anyone notice Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of England, is a Stanford Man (MBA '06)?
You are absolutely right John! My Dad (UofO '28, Law '31) was a 4 year letterman in Track at UofO under Bill Hayward and taught me early on to respect the long and hallowed traditions of Mighty Oregon. Bill Hayward was still coaching at Oregon (44 years I think) when I started listening in the '40's to Duck Football on the radio with my Dad, who absolutely worshiped the ground his old coach walked on (and had been to dinner at his house in a few times in his student days, I seem to recall!) Although he was the track coach, Hayward was, maybe first and foremost, an athletic trainer. According to my Dad, Bill Hayward still had his hand on the football program and its athletes when I sat as a little grade school kid listening to the Ducks play football. So tenure for Oregon's coaches is no novel concept for me (a '64 grad who played IM sports but not a varsity athlete). In my turn, I have immensely respected coaches like Casanova (doesn't get the credit he deserves as a foundation builder), Brooks and Bellotti. Men who were devoted to building a lasting tradition while they tutored individual young men. Why not Dan Lanning? So far I'd say the prospects look good. But it IS way too soon to say. Only thing for sure is that we need another football coach who wants to follow in the Duck footprints of the giants that this program was founded on! Keep up the GREAT reporting! PS: I've always loved to remind a USC Trojan, when he goes on with a slightly swollen head about "his" team, that John McKay, a founder of their modern success, learned to play football as a Duck playing with Norm VanBrocklin and learned to coach under Len Casanova.
Love the history lesson. 1940s... on the radio. That must have felt like magic.
It was magic! The game was played in your head! In some ways, I still prefer listening to Jerry Allen & Mike Jorgenson over the sometimes inane commentary of the TV talking heads. But I have to confess, since I gave up my season tickets (due to late night games and old age), I'm hooked on the visuals of TV. Have tried to listen on the radio with the TV muted, but the time delay of the TV vs. the radio makes it less than ideal!
Who is this? I'm also class of '64...
Bruce Snyder, John Robinson, same thing. Oregon, the cradle of coaches.
George Seifert, Gunther Cunningham, John Marshall, Bruce Snyder ... who else?
Jack Patera.
Well Justin Wilcox played for Bellotti and Chris Peterson was an assistant under him for quite awhile. Without looking it up at the moment, I have the idea that of all the fine coach developers at Oregon over the years, Casanova was one of the most influential. It seems to me that, beside the succession of USC coaches starting with McKay, Cas spun off a few other noteworthy football coaches who had served under him, but I can't name one at this moment. And of course, don't forget that Bowerman was primarily a football player (halfback as I recall) at Oregon at a time when Bill Hayward was definitely the trainer for the football team, which I think is mentioned in Kenny Moore's book, "Bill Bowerman And the Men of Oregon." A "Long Lemon & Green Line" of fine coaches tracing back to the playing fields of Eugene!
Turns out that being jilted by three of the last four head coaches has worked out for Oregon.
Chip gave us an offensive identity and put us in the national spotlight as a championship contender.
Willie proved Frost was wrong, that you CAN get recruits from SEC country to Oregon.
Mario built a recruiting machine that targeted character, discipline, and toughness.
I believe Dan is building on the strengths of the three prior coaches, and might be more successful because of it.
Regardless of how long he stays, now is a good time to be a Duck!
Love this reply. Makes sense!!
I hope, as you put it, Lanning is a "forever" coach, but I don't think such a thing exists anymore. College football is quickly becoming a corporate venture with all that entails. Nothing forever is a part of that world. I certainly hope I'm wrong because Lanning seems to be a great guy and a fine coach.
You might be right.
Now if Dan can hold on to Kenny ….and I mean for the next four or five years ….its going to be a fun ride.
ASU may not let them.
True. But I hope that Dilly realizes that he still has much to learn about HEAD coaching before he makes that leap himself. I hope that he feels some loyalty to Lanning and UO for this opportunity. I also hope that Oregon (read donors) make it financially attractive to stay and learn for a while before making the big jump.
Absolutely love our new coach, great person, great perspective, teaches and coaches from a place of love and joy. Hope he stays a long, long, long time. I'm sure Dan is going to see this article eventually. Hopefully, this plants an enormous seed in his mind about how good he has it here! Thanks John!
What Forrest said!
I hope Coach Lanning is our forever coach. For the sake of the kiddos and the love of the game. Time will tell; it always does.
Time is undefeated.
In all things.
Thanks for this article John...I do hope we have found our forever coach. I know my son and his friends won't forget this anytime soon. I am sure he brushed it off as no big deal and that is part of what makes it a big deal. He wasn't doing it because the camera crew was there or to get anything out of his kind gesture, he was doing it because he is a good person.
Sorry Peter Courtney, but talk is cheap. Oregon could have boosted Cristobal’s pay as he started demonstrating he was the real deal when he won his first conference championship. Instead they opted to leave him decidedly in the middle compared to other PAC 12 HC compensation as his market value skyrocketed. Then you expect him to ignore an offer which earns him tens of millions more than he was going to make at Oregon. Very few rational people are going to do this. Certainly I would love to see you faced with a similar decision, Mr Courtney, to see your choice.
I don't think the money would have kept Mario from going home.
It was reported Oregon's offer matched Miami's... Cristobal was never turning down his alma mater for any amount Oregon threw at him. Money wasn't the issue.
Agree.
Also, his mother was ill and his family ties run deep.
Talk is cheap? Is it ever, Cristobal and Taggart showed us that. They also showed us that their signatures are worthless. Good riddance. As for Peter Courtney, you have no idea if he would honor his word or not... no evidence to the contrary... you know something we all don't? Let's face it, college coaching salaries are out of control anyway. Our new man has a contract for six years averaging almost $5 million a year, money is not his priority says the man who knows him the best. He's rock solid and probably earning ten times his wildest dreams ten years ago. Nice guys do finish first often! 😎
Oregon's last offer to Cristobal was $8.5 million per year: $500,000 a year more than he accepted at Miami. Cristobal was going home to be closer to his sick mother before she died earlier this year. His brother is a Sheriff down there too. The family pull, the money, the challenge to re-build UM were more than Oregon could overcome. I think his final Oregon coaching staff (and possibly, his team) knew he was on the move well-before he left Eugene, as the team's performance cratered the last month of his tenure here.
Whether he succeeds at Miami remains to be seen. We all know that he is an A+ recruiter, but his game & clock management are average (at best). After two bad losses this year, the honeymoon in South Florida appears to be over: Cristobal is starting to feel the heat of scathing criticism & unmet expectations. Don't feel too sorry for Mario: he has a ten year contract, so he's not going to be fired anytime soon.
Unfortunately for Miami they may have Jimbo'd themselves to Mario. I don't think even boosters at The U will foot a $70M buyout. They are likely hitched to him for at least 4 or 5 years, good or bad.
Great read. The more I learn about Dan Lanning, the more I like him. On & Off the field.
Smith I think is a forever coach, and will be similar to Whittingham's career.
Lanning might, like you said too soon to tell... but if he is consistently winning, I don;t think it will be another FBS team that will pull him, it will be the NFL.
OSU is "lucky" in that the NFL won;t be looking at Smith anytime soon. As they go by record more than performance, which is currently 22-30. Any Beavs fan knows judging Smith by that metric is completely unfair and doesn;t do Smith justice... however Smith knew it would be that way going into the job. He went in to rebuild and stay.
Lanning was given an opportunity he couldn;t turn down and he will have a "winning record" immediately
And that I think is what makes all the difference
Agree on Jonathan. He's locked in.
Jonathan Smith has orange blood. He was exceptional as a QB and he is as a coach. He will retire in Corvallis and be happy about it. He has already turned that program around and now he is going to build it up.
I, for one, am nervous as h3!! about our final game in regular season. Especially if the Ducks are 11-1 entering that game, the Beavers would bite nails to ruin the Ducks season.
I think Oregon is an attractive job and a lot of kids want to play there and get away from all the problems in California. With Thibodeux and Sewell as examples, it's also been a good place to develop NFL chops. Lanning says he isn't that motivated by money and he's actually getting paid as much as anyone would ever need. Why would be want to move to a dump like, say, Auburn, Alabama?
To be fair, there is a big difference between making a few million a year and building generational wealth. College football coaches these days at the highest level have the chance to do the latter. Oregon will be wise to pay Lanning early and often as long as he is winning, and to of course have strong buyout clauses in his contracts. Lanning may not be motivated primarily by money, but when his $4M goes to $8M that changes things. You don't simply say "nah, I'm good" to something like that. I don't care if you are already a multi-millionaire who modestly drives a Tahoe loaner vehicle.
IMHO generational wealth is overrated.
Generational wealth breeds complacency. I agree with Mitch.
I hope so. Based on what you have seen in person, and I have read about he's my kind of guy! He's converted this Canadian into a Ducks fan.
I'm a big MC fan...I love the way he coaches old school football and I think he
would have had great success at Oregon if he had stayed.
However, Lanning brings the Young and Fun factor to the progrum which is very
appealing to HS players and fans. I hope Dan has an OC in mind with the same
philosophy to replace Dilly because lets be honest it's the Dilly Dilly Offense that's
making this season special and why he's most likely soon gone.
Regrets, I negelected to mention that the Prime Minister's wife, Akshata Murty, is a Stanford Woman (MBA '06)
Excellent piece John; we can benefit from being optimistic and hopeful. What a blessing it would be to have the right guy become part of the scenery with the Ducks. Thanks.
Speaking of the Pac12 (we weren't) anyone notice Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of England, is a Stanford Man (MBA '06)?
Well said, John. I've been thinking the same thing.