Yesterday the Oregon football team welcomed the return of assistant coach Tom Osborne who will be replacing Neal Zoumboukos as the team’s special teams and tight ends coach for next season.
Osborne was the special teams coordinator at Oregon for six years prior to fulfilling the same duties at Arizona State after the 2000 season.
His special teams unit ranked second in the country in kickoff returns (26.42 yard average) and second in the Pacific-10 Conference in net punting (37.24).
Osborne’s hiring will allow Zoumboukos to step away from his 27-year coaching career at Oregon to act in an administrative role in the Athletic Department, assisting recently hired Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny in his adjustment to the department.
“His value to me will be immeasurable, not only within the athletics department but in helping me become familiar with the different constituents on campus,” Kilkenny said.
Zoumboukos said that he didn’t have the motivation to coach special teams claiming that a coach needs his “hair on fire”.
“Obviously I wasn’t qualified for that – at all,” Zoumboukos said, who is bald.
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti called Zoumboukos his “confidant” and “sounding board for every decision regarding this program”.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more qualified to help Pat Kilkenny as he embarks on his tour of duty as athletic director,” Bellotti said.