http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/reg ... st=orlocal
University of Oregon track coach resigns
3/18/2005, 7:20 p.m. PT
The Associated Press
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EUGENE, Ore. (AP) â€â€
Oregon Head Coach Resigns
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http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/ ... .0319.html
Emotions mixed over departure
By Bob ClarkÂÂ
The Register-Guard
What could they say?
Eric Mitchum, Oregon's all-American hurdler, didn't know his head coach had resigned until he was asked to discuss it with reporters Friday afternoon.
"We heard rumors, but rumors are rumors," Mitchum said. "Sometimes they're true and sometimes not."
Similarly, basketball player and track athlete Jordan Kent was left wondering who he should meet with about his plans for his spring sport now that Martin Smith is no longer the head coach for track and field.
"This was pretty shocking, I didn't know this was coming at all," Kent said. "I'll just have to find out who's in charge and make sure all the coaches know I am coming out."
In the remake of the track and field coaching staff for this season, all of the assistant coaches will continue to supervise their individual areas, and the male distance runners, who had been coached by Smith, will be parceled out among the assistants. In overall charge of track and field will be Gary Gray, an associate director of the department who had been the administrator responsible for track and field, while also supervising compliance and academics.
Gray will now spend part of each day in the track and field offices, in what he said would be "a more prevalent role as an administrator," with his primary duties being "to make sure things move as smoothly as they can and make sure this is a positive and quality experience for the athletes."
Both Kent and Mitchum said the lack of a head coach shouldn't drastically alter the way the men's portion of the team is run, nor impact its goals of contending for the Pac-10 title and placing high at the NCAA outdoor meet. Mitchum said hurdlers and sprinters met with Smith only "once a week," an example of track and field being unlike most sports in its method of the individual athlete working with his particular coach.
"If people focus on what they can do and their individual accomplishments, then together it's going to make the team that much better," Kent said. "You don't want to lose your coach - and it's going to be a lot harder now without him, without having a person in charge - (but) we've all been through it long enough that we should be able to figure out what needs to be done."
The topic of the coaching change probably won't be discussed with the entire team until spring term begins, after this week's break from classes, Gray said. Though the Ducks have the Oregon Preview meet today at Hayward Field, several of Oregon's top athletes won't compete or be in attendance.
"They're pretty scattered right now, and I'll try to get with them as quickly as I can," Gray said.
He will be at the meet today, "to answer any questions I can," Gray said. "I would guess there will be some questions, (but) I'd really like to get everybody together and take their questions and concerns."
Most of the assistant coaches were informed of Smith's departure during a Friday afternoon meeting with Bill Moos, the UO director of athletics.
"They were all aware there have been some issues," Gray said. Asked about their reaction, Gray said "they were very quiet actually. I'm sure there was a range of emotions ... anger to concern about `where's this put us?' "
Marnie Mason, who coaches women's distance runners, termed Smith's departure "a positive change to allow us to move forward. I can't speak for the other coaches, all I can tell you is the feeling" among women athletes and herself.
She declined to go into specifics about problems in her relationship with Smith as her supervisor other than to say, "I just know the experience of coming to coach at the University of Oregon has been a lifelong dream. It has (turned out) nothing of the sort."
Asked to explain the comment, Mason said "in order to move a program forward, you want the support and direction and feedback from others, and I don't feel that was there."
Mason said she might be interested in becoming head coach for the women's program if it was again split off. On the other hand, she said, "I don't know that I'll be back, honestly," for another season.
Bill Lawson, the assistant coach who has been with Smith the longest and would seem the most likely candidate to move up to overall head coach of the program, declined comment on Smith's resignation. Attempts to reach other assistant coaches at the meeting with Moos were unsuccessful Friday night.
Lance Deal, who coaches men and women throwers, and Mark Vanderville, the volunteer coach for pole vaulters who works for the city of Eugene, weren't at the meeting. While Vanderville asked questions of a reporter about the news conference in which Smith's resignation was announced, he didn't seem surprised.
"It's not the first that I heard, but as for what it all meant, I was out of it," Vanderville said.
Both Kent and Mitchum seemed to recognize there was some dissatisfaction with Smith, though both spoke in support of their departed head coach.
Kent, the son of UO men's basketball coach Ernie Kent, said "I'm pretty aware of the pressures that go on with coaching and all that. It's a very high-pressure job and it's very fickle. Sometimes even coaches who are doing great jobs ... are still on the hot seat.
"I hope for the best for (Smith). He's obviously been a great coach. Look at the success this team's had."
Mitchum declined comment on a question about whether he was concerned that one of the reasons for Smith's departure was related to a push among boosters for more of an emphasis on distance runners, possibly at the expense of other areas of the team.
Asked, however, about people complaining about the team even though it has done well in recent NCAA and Pac-10 competitions, Mitchum said "it's disappointing. It's like they don't appreciate" the other athletes on the team.
Mitchum pointed to the team being either first or second in the past three Pac-10 meets as an example of Smith's success.
"He made a team," Mitchum said, "but I suppose some people didn't like it for some reason or another."
Emotions mixed over departure
By Bob ClarkÂÂ
The Register-Guard
What could they say?
Eric Mitchum, Oregon's all-American hurdler, didn't know his head coach had resigned until he was asked to discuss it with reporters Friday afternoon.
"We heard rumors, but rumors are rumors," Mitchum said. "Sometimes they're true and sometimes not."
Similarly, basketball player and track athlete Jordan Kent was left wondering who he should meet with about his plans for his spring sport now that Martin Smith is no longer the head coach for track and field.
"This was pretty shocking, I didn't know this was coming at all," Kent said. "I'll just have to find out who's in charge and make sure all the coaches know I am coming out."
In the remake of the track and field coaching staff for this season, all of the assistant coaches will continue to supervise their individual areas, and the male distance runners, who had been coached by Smith, will be parceled out among the assistants. In overall charge of track and field will be Gary Gray, an associate director of the department who had been the administrator responsible for track and field, while also supervising compliance and academics.
Gray will now spend part of each day in the track and field offices, in what he said would be "a more prevalent role as an administrator," with his primary duties being "to make sure things move as smoothly as they can and make sure this is a positive and quality experience for the athletes."
Both Kent and Mitchum said the lack of a head coach shouldn't drastically alter the way the men's portion of the team is run, nor impact its goals of contending for the Pac-10 title and placing high at the NCAA outdoor meet. Mitchum said hurdlers and sprinters met with Smith only "once a week," an example of track and field being unlike most sports in its method of the individual athlete working with his particular coach.
"If people focus on what they can do and their individual accomplishments, then together it's going to make the team that much better," Kent said. "You don't want to lose your coach - and it's going to be a lot harder now without him, without having a person in charge - (but) we've all been through it long enough that we should be able to figure out what needs to be done."
The topic of the coaching change probably won't be discussed with the entire team until spring term begins, after this week's break from classes, Gray said. Though the Ducks have the Oregon Preview meet today at Hayward Field, several of Oregon's top athletes won't compete or be in attendance.
"They're pretty scattered right now, and I'll try to get with them as quickly as I can," Gray said.
He will be at the meet today, "to answer any questions I can," Gray said. "I would guess there will be some questions, (but) I'd really like to get everybody together and take their questions and concerns."
Most of the assistant coaches were informed of Smith's departure during a Friday afternoon meeting with Bill Moos, the UO director of athletics.
"They were all aware there have been some issues," Gray said. Asked about their reaction, Gray said "they were very quiet actually. I'm sure there was a range of emotions ... anger to concern about `where's this put us?' "
Marnie Mason, who coaches women's distance runners, termed Smith's departure "a positive change to allow us to move forward. I can't speak for the other coaches, all I can tell you is the feeling" among women athletes and herself.
She declined to go into specifics about problems in her relationship with Smith as her supervisor other than to say, "I just know the experience of coming to coach at the University of Oregon has been a lifelong dream. It has (turned out) nothing of the sort."
Asked to explain the comment, Mason said "in order to move a program forward, you want the support and direction and feedback from others, and I don't feel that was there."
Mason said she might be interested in becoming head coach for the women's program if it was again split off. On the other hand, she said, "I don't know that I'll be back, honestly," for another season.
Bill Lawson, the assistant coach who has been with Smith the longest and would seem the most likely candidate to move up to overall head coach of the program, declined comment on Smith's resignation. Attempts to reach other assistant coaches at the meeting with Moos were unsuccessful Friday night.
Lance Deal, who coaches men and women throwers, and Mark Vanderville, the volunteer coach for pole vaulters who works for the city of Eugene, weren't at the meeting. While Vanderville asked questions of a reporter about the news conference in which Smith's resignation was announced, he didn't seem surprised.
"It's not the first that I heard, but as for what it all meant, I was out of it," Vanderville said.
Both Kent and Mitchum seemed to recognize there was some dissatisfaction with Smith, though both spoke in support of their departed head coach.
Kent, the son of UO men's basketball coach Ernie Kent, said "I'm pretty aware of the pressures that go on with coaching and all that. It's a very high-pressure job and it's very fickle. Sometimes even coaches who are doing great jobs ... are still on the hot seat.
"I hope for the best for (Smith). He's obviously been a great coach. Look at the success this team's had."
Mitchum declined comment on a question about whether he was concerned that one of the reasons for Smith's departure was related to a push among boosters for more of an emphasis on distance runners, possibly at the expense of other areas of the team.
Asked, however, about people complaining about the team even though it has done well in recent NCAA and Pac-10 competitions, Mitchum said "it's disappointing. It's like they don't appreciate" the other athletes on the team.
Mitchum pointed to the team being either first or second in the past three Pac-10 meets as an example of Smith's success.
"He made a team," Mitchum said, "but I suppose some people didn't like it for some reason or another."
I am not there to see it first hand, but it sounds political to me, at least to an extent. It sounds like boosters want to return to the glory of the Bowerman days with runners like Pre, and that they could care less about other events.
Some boosters donate cash and think they know more than the coach about the sport. Those kinds of people piss me off. They have their own agenda and therefore should stay the hell away from sports. Their interest is in glory and elitism, not what is best for the development of athletes. They want to see immediate results at any cost.
Developing and rebuilding take time. Success in this sport depends upon strategy and patience. Some alumni association assholes don't seem to grasp that concept. Regardless of what the case may be at Oregon, this is a serious issue in college sports.
Some boosters donate cash and think they know more than the coach about the sport. Those kinds of people piss me off. They have their own agenda and therefore should stay the hell away from sports. Their interest is in glory and elitism, not what is best for the development of athletes. They want to see immediate results at any cost.
Developing and rebuilding take time. Success in this sport depends upon strategy and patience. Some alumni association assholes don't seem to grasp that concept. Regardless of what the case may be at Oregon, this is a serious issue in college sports.
"For a few seconds, it is as if you are a bird."
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vaultguru6
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We're pissed. I'm pissed. Our athletic department and director completely and totally betrayed us athletes. The support of coach smith within the track team is overwhelming. But nobody ever bothered to ask the athletes what they thought.
Here's the low down on what went on behind the scenes and you won't read in any articles:
Alberto Salazar has been publicly bashing Smith and his coaching for over a year now. Not because we're not winning, which we are, but because we're not winning in the right way. That's a direct quote. What he means by it is that we're winning through our field events, multi events, and sprints, not our distance program which Oregon has a rich tradition in.
There has been talk of Salazar coming in to take over the distance program here at Oregon, but it has not happened because of certain "personality conflicts" that exist between Salazar and Smith. They pretty much don't like each other. So Salazar has refused to take over the distance program until Smith is gone.
Alberto Salazar is very close friends with Phil Knight, founder of Nike and leading philanthropist of Oregon athletics. They ran distances together when on the track team here at Oregon. The athletic department has plans of building a 150 million dollar new basketball arena. Phil Knight is expected to pledge tens of millions of dollars to this cause.
What went down behind the scenes is that Mr. Knight threatened to pull funding if Martin Smith were to stay as coach. Phil wants his buddy Salazar in the program to make the track team into what it was twenty years ago: a distance power house. This way we can win in the RIGHT way.
Needless to say, this was completely unethical and wrong. I'll admit there were other things going on that influenced this, but Coach Smith's forced resignation was 90% because of this. Athletic departments don't just fire a coach 2 weeks after he brings home 6th in the nation and West Region coach of the year.
All athletes here are pissed. This is a huge issue. Keep your eye on things here. They have huge implications for collegeiate athletics across the nation. If you have any questions let me know.
*disclaimer: these comments and opinions are mine and mine alone. With an athletic department as corrupt as ours i'm scared that there might be reprucssions for my speaking out. I doubt they honor freedom of speech much. But pretty much i'm saying this so that if anything does happen to me, I can point this out and make a HUGE fuss about it.
Here's the low down on what went on behind the scenes and you won't read in any articles:
Alberto Salazar has been publicly bashing Smith and his coaching for over a year now. Not because we're not winning, which we are, but because we're not winning in the right way. That's a direct quote. What he means by it is that we're winning through our field events, multi events, and sprints, not our distance program which Oregon has a rich tradition in.
There has been talk of Salazar coming in to take over the distance program here at Oregon, but it has not happened because of certain "personality conflicts" that exist between Salazar and Smith. They pretty much don't like each other. So Salazar has refused to take over the distance program until Smith is gone.
Alberto Salazar is very close friends with Phil Knight, founder of Nike and leading philanthropist of Oregon athletics. They ran distances together when on the track team here at Oregon. The athletic department has plans of building a 150 million dollar new basketball arena. Phil Knight is expected to pledge tens of millions of dollars to this cause.
What went down behind the scenes is that Mr. Knight threatened to pull funding if Martin Smith were to stay as coach. Phil wants his buddy Salazar in the program to make the track team into what it was twenty years ago: a distance power house. This way we can win in the RIGHT way.
Needless to say, this was completely unethical and wrong. I'll admit there were other things going on that influenced this, but Coach Smith's forced resignation was 90% because of this. Athletic departments don't just fire a coach 2 weeks after he brings home 6th in the nation and West Region coach of the year.
All athletes here are pissed. This is a huge issue. Keep your eye on things here. They have huge implications for collegeiate athletics across the nation. If you have any questions let me know.
*disclaimer: these comments and opinions are mine and mine alone. With an athletic department as corrupt as ours i'm scared that there might be reprucssions for my speaking out. I doubt they honor freedom of speech much. But pretty much i'm saying this so that if anything does happen to me, I can point this out and make a HUGE fuss about it.
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bjvando
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much respect of your open opinion and willingness to go out on the line for somethign you believe in dave..... we both know we like to share opinions... 
much luck with it, keep it up man.
much luck with it, keep it up man.
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Bonevt
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vaultguru6 I completely understand where your coming from ive never had a monument in my life where I didn't have to deal with a-hole AD and administration ppl that don't know what right. I don't want this to turn into a bashing thread.
But with Gary Gray, Alberto Salazar, and from what ive herd Vin Lananna. Oregon is going to get the best recruits and have a much better distance team, on top of everything else they already have. There going to go from wining pac-10 to winning NCAA's.
But with Gary Gray, Alberto Salazar, and from what ive herd Vin Lananna. Oregon is going to get the best recruits and have a much better distance team, on top of everything else they already have. There going to go from wining pac-10 to winning NCAA's.
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rainbowgirl28
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vaultguru6
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That last post just reflects the anger of myself, and my teammates in what has transpired in the past week. With that being said, I am looking forward to the selection of a new coach and to move forward with the program. While I do feel like we got screwed, I am willing to put it into the past and move on. I still love this school and this team and want the best to come from this coaching change whether I agree with it or not.
I doubt it
I have a feeling that some of the sprint/hurdle/field core will leave. If my coach got forced out a week after placing the highest in indoor nationals in 15 years and winning regional coach of the year I would be pissed. plus look at colorado, who won both mens and womens cc ncaa's. Did they even place top 20 at indoors??? distance core?? big deal. they are no more important than any other aspect of a track AND FIELD team and Smith understood this. if Salazar and Gray want to try to win the right way, they need every part of a team, just like smith was trying to do.
one other thing. I thought it was big of coach smith to step aside with class. he could have (and i think a lot of us would have in this situation) made a huge deal and gone public about what is going on but becuase he cares more about the team and the athletes, which is more than the others involved can say, he chose to go quietly. my respect and admiration to you Mr Smith. I know the rest of the country would love to run for you.
one other thing. I thought it was big of coach smith to step aside with class. he could have (and i think a lot of us would have in this situation) made a huge deal and gone public about what is going on but becuase he cares more about the team and the athletes, which is more than the others involved can say, he chose to go quietly. my respect and admiration to you Mr Smith. I know the rest of the country would love to run for you.
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