The Oregon football team filled another coaching vacancy Monday, and it went to the NFL to do so.
Robin Ross, who spent the past two years as the linebackers coach with the Oakland Raiders, was hired as Oregon’s special teams and tight ends coach, according to head coach Mike Bellotti.
Ross returns to Oregon, where he served as the Ducks’ linebackers coach in 1997 and as their defensive linemen coach in 1998.
“The chance to return to work with the development of college players was something I discovered I really missed,” said Ross, whose annual salary of $90,000 will last until June 30, 2002. “I’ve enjoyed the last two years working in the NFL with some of the best football players in the world, but welcome the opportunity to return to one of the best collegiate programs in the country.”
Ross will take over for the departed Tom Osborne, who left to become the assistant head coach and special teams coach at Arizona State.
Ross, 46, helped lead the Raiders to the AFC Championship game, where they lost to the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. He played an integral role in guiding a tough Raiders defense that finished the 2000 season ranked ninth in the AFC in total defense at 328 yards per game, and fourth in rushing defense at 97 yards per game.
“We’re very excited to have Robin rejoin the Oregon football family,” Bellotti said. “He did a great job in his previous stint two years ago in a variety of positions, and I know he is very excited to take on the challenges of special teams and tight ends.”
Ross has had numerous stops on the college coaching trail in his 24 years of coaching. He began coaching the defensive line at Long Beach State from 1977-83 and then moved up to the defensive coordinator position at Cincinnati in 1984-85.
After that, he was the defensive line coach for Washington State in 1986 and the defensive coordinator for Iowa State during the years of 1987-93. Ross was then the defensive coordinator at Western Washington (1994-95) and Fresno State (1996) before landing with the Ducks in 1997.
“He possesses the traits as an excellent technician and recruiter, with a tremendous work ethic,” Bellotti said. “It’s a positive step for our program to have a coach of his caliber, experience and talents want to return.”