Associate Director of Track and Field Dan Steele had a lot of people grasping for an explanation Tuesday. Why, after all, would any expert track coach want to leave Track Town USA and the Oregon program?
 
And for Northern Iowa, no less? A program that has never finished higher than No. 11 (men) and No. 64 (women) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships?
Granted, the men have won four of the past five conference titles … in the Missouri Valley Conference, where most of the athletes would not be looked at by Oregon.
 
Steele is leaving behind (or forsaking) men’s and women’s track and field teams that posted runner-up finishes at last year’s NCAAs and may be poised to repeat or improve upon the feat this season. He is waving goodbye to star pupils Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen, the reigning national title-holders in the decathlon and the heptathlon.
 
None of that information may be of use to you, though. According to a media release from Northern Iowa, Steele said the following at his introductory press conference:
 
“Northern Iowa and I are a great fit. Originally from the Quad Cities (Moline, Ill.), I also know Cedar Falls/Waterloo is the perfect place for raising a family. UNI’s proud and impressive tradition of athletic and academic excellence falls in line with my professional standards and expectations. Coaching is teaching; I am a passionate teacher. With my modern vision and leadership, UNI will remain relevant at the NCAA level and be a perennial Missouri Valley Conference championship-caliber team.”
 
Steele is striking out on his own, branching out beyond Vin Lananna’s formidable shadow to run his own program and raise his two sons. Reading into it any further is wrong and unnecessary.
 
One thing Steele does leave behind as he leaves to join the Panthers is a conundrum for Lananna, officially an assistant athletic director but also the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams. Lananna needs to make a new hire, and fast. To be sure, Lananna likely has a Rolodex stuffed with names and numbers. I have no doubt he can attract one of the finest track coaches in the nation to run the daily operations of the track team — if he so chooses. But with cross country season underway and the Ducks’ increased focus on the indoor track season (Steele was the primary coach for indoor track), the timing couldn’t be worse.
 
In a media release from the athletic department, Lananna spoke of a “national search” for a qualified candidate, scores of which he will no doubt find or know. His ideal hire will likely be pushed through by athletic director Mike Bellotti, who knows of the importance of track and field to the University of Oregon.
 
But will anyone be available with such short notice?
 
Most likely, Lananna himself will assume Steele’s duties for the 2010 indoor and outdoor track seasons, relying on the help of as many paid and volunteer assistant coaches as he can hire according to NCAA rules. Known for grand gestures, Lananna could use the 2010 NCAA outdoor championships as a stepping stone for hiring another bright coach.
Recruiting and defection from assistants also have become immediate issues — Steele’s talent for getting kids to come to Oregon netted quite a bit of the young talent in the hurdles, sprints and multi-events. Lananna may choose to let a few go, which could reflect poorly on him. Track Town USA has certainly gotten used to winning after the men won two national championships with a runner-up finish in the last academic year. The women also recorded two runner-up finishes in national meets and have great potential for years to come.
 
Steele is replaceable at the end of the day, but this is what passes for adversity in the Lananna era, and his response to Steele’s departure with regards to time, may incite more questioning than it should.
 
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