Oregon men’s basketball assistant coach Fred Litzenberger announced Thursday
he will retire from the University
effective Aug. 1.
Litzenberger leaves Oregon after four seasons working beside head coach Ernie Kent. The 58-year-old was also an assistant coach with the Duck women from 1995 to 2001, during which time Oregon led the Pacific-10 Conference in defense three times.
A search for his replacement will begin in the near future.
“Fred has done a tremendous job for us in terms of the experience and tactical expertise he brought to the table,” Kent said. “We’re going to miss that. On a personal level, I’ve known Fred since 1987 when we were both assistants under Boyd Grant at Colorado State. That’s an 18-year relationship, and I am certainly going to miss having him in the gym with us.”
“Litz” has been part of 10 consecutive winning seasons at Oregon, including the men’s trip to the Elite Eight in 2002.
Before arriving in Eugene, Litzenberger held several men’s head and assistant coaching jobs, including the head coaching position at Western State College of Colorado (1994-95) and the associate men’s head coaching spot at Northwestern State (1993-94). His first coaching job came in 1966 at Berthoud High School
in Colorado.
Litzenberger said he plans on remaining active in the coaching profession.
“I love coaching basketball,” he said. “It’s what I’ve done for 40 years. At the same time, I think it’s time for me to look at some other things and find some
new challenges.”
— Jon Roetman