Players come and players go, but to ensure a program’s success you need to have a solid foundation.
That is what head coach Mike Bellotti has brought to the table at Oregon.
Bellotti enters his 10th season at Oregon and has amassed a 75-34 overall record and a 45-27 record in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Better yet, he has made the Ducks the winningest program in the Pac-10 over 1995-2004 and has led Oregon to a winning record all of his nine years. Compare that with the 31 years before Bellotti became head coach when Oregon had only nine winning seasons total.
He currently has the longest tenure of any coach in the Pac-10 and his conference winning percentage ranks 15th in history.
Autzen Stadium has treated Bellotti well, especially against non-conference foes. Bellotti hasn’t lost at home against a non-conference opponent in 19 games, including last year’s victory over then No. 3 Michigan.
His 75 victories also has him eight wins short of passing Len Casanova on the all-time list at Oregon and could become Oregon’s winningest coach with 17 more victories, passing Rich Brooks’ all-time mark of 91.
He also led Oregon to its highest national ranking ever at No. 2 in the nation in 2001 after beating Colorado handily in the Fiesta Bowl.
His career record of 96-59-2 gives him the 24th-highest winning
percentage among active coaches.
The numbers go on and on.
Winning isn’t easy in college football with players having four years of eligibility and graduating.
Over the past decade, Bellotti has been able to reload each team he has put on the field. He has helped continue Oregon’s great tradition of quarterbacks that includes Dan Fouts, Chris Miller, Danny O’Neil, Tony Graziani, Akili Smith, A.J. Feely and Joey Harrington. This season, Kellen Clemens looks to be on his way to adding his name to the list.
Not only do his players see success on the collegiate level, but Oregon has been able to send its players to the NFL.
Players like Harrington, Maurice Morris, Onterrio Smith, Feeley and others have gone on to the NFL and enjoyed some success.
With all the accolades, Bellotti still feels nervous before the season.
“After ten years of coaching the butterflies are still there and the need to play is still there,” Bellotti said. “My biggest questions are still about which young players are going to step up.”
Bellotti said the actual game doesn’t make him lose sleep anymore.
“I don’t lose sleep over scheme, because our coaches do a good job on the schematics of football,” Bellotti said. “I lose sleep over personnel and injury.”
Bellotti said he does admit his role has changed over the years.
“With the evolution of the media and the role that it plays I don’t get to spend as much time watching film as I would like,” he said.
Yet he keeps finding ways to
just win.

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