Univ. Of Oregon Names Mike Bellotti To Succeed Kilkenny As AD

Bellotti Will Assume Role Of Senior Counselor To Kilkenny Until Replacing Him As AD

Univ. of Oregon (UO) football coach Mike Bellotti has stepped down in order to replace Pat Kilkenny as AD effective July 1, according to Gary Horowitz of the Salem STATESMAN JOURNAL. Bellotti will "assume the role of senior counselor to Kilkenny until replacing him." Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly, who was designated as Bellotti's successor last fall, will "take over the football program March 30, the first day of spring practice" (Salem STATESMAN JOURNAL, 3/14). In Portland, John Hunt noted Bellotti earned more than $2M as coach last year, but he said that he "has not yet discussed his salary as athletic director." Bellotti: "I expect I'll be paid, in all honesty, commensurate with the national level and the Pac-10 level for athletic directors." Hunt noted Kilkenny earned $500,000 per year, though he "gives nearly all of it back to the university" (OREGONLIVE.com, 3/14). In Oregon, George Schroeder reported Bellotti will study the "A.D. 101 manual -- an actual, real document Kilkenny has been preparing -- and try to soak up as much information as he can during the next three months." He will pay "special attention to fund-raising, and the care and feeding of donors." Bellotti also figures to "lead like a CEO, delegating responsibility to others, trusting them to get things done." He listed "gender equity, racial diversity, relationships with the academics side of campus and managing finances in a grim economy ... as his essential priorities" (Eugene REGISTER-GUARD, 3/14).

LEAVING HIS MARK ON THE FIELD: The OREGONIAN's Hunt noted Bellotti was the "dean of Pacific-10 Conference coaches and although he may never have escaped the shadow of USC coach Pete Carroll, he raised Duck football to a level that predecessor Rich Brooks thought unattainable." Bellotti took UO to 12 bowl games during his 14 years as coach (OREGONLIVE.com, 3/13). In L.A., Chris Dufresne wrote if Bellotti "is as competent an AD as he was a coach, Oregon athletics is in good hands" (LATIMES.com, 3/13). ESPN.com's Ted Miller noted Bellotti's "ultimate legacy at Oregon is ... he made Duck football matter" (ESPN.com, 3/13).