If Oregon fires Mark Helfrich, the program will lose the identity it has created over the past decade and a half.
Simply put, Oregon would not be Oregon anymore.
With Mike Bellotti as the head coach, Oregon rose to national prominence in the late 1990s. More than a decade later, under Chip Kelly, the Ducks became a powerhouse capable of beating any team in the country. In 2011, Oregon was three points away from becoming the national champion.
Oregon football was the new kid on the block. The nation’s novelty.
Oregon fans were tired from decades of being the laughing stock of the west. The eyes of college football fans were watching a revolutionary fast team with different uniforms every game, play call signs with celebrities faces on the sideline and a mascot that did so many push-ups it became famous. Even the New York Times took notice, featuring the Ducks in a lengthy Sunday magazine article in 2010.
The Ducks’ program was able to realize its dreams, thanks to a buffet of outside resources.
Oregon and its fans enjoyed the new kid on the block mentality. They embraced the expectations, and for the most part, the football team met them. But as all traditional upper-class college football programs know, a small slip with the weight of expectations brings a hard crash.
Today, at 2-4, the Ducks are falling and clinging to life as they knew it. They desperately want it to return, so thus, a modest ‘Fire Helfrich’ campaign has taken hold.
If Helfrich is fired, so goes the mentality that Bellotti and Kelly created. One of Oregon’s strong suits has been its ability to promote from within. Bellotti was the offensive coordinator for a time under Rich Brooks, and Kelly was an offensive coordinator under Bellotti, while Helfrich was an offensive coordinator under Kelly.
If a new coach is hired from the outside, especially a big name like Les Miles or Lane Kiffin, everything will change.
The style of offense that Duck fans loved and bragged about? Gone. The assistant coaches who have been with the program for decades would be gone. The face of the program would change, and Oregon would be grouped with all the other programs trying to maintain relevance.
Helfrich has been in Eugene for years. He’s an Oregon native and is 35-12 overall.
Oregon has six games left. A 3-3 finish would leave the Ducks out of a bowl game, and fan pressure would make Helfrich’s seat scorching hot. Many would call for his firing even if they finish the season 6-6 or 7-5.
Helfrich is not Kelly — nobody is — but he may be more like Bellotti. In 2004, Oregon finished 5-6. The Ducks were two seasons removed from being 11-1 and Pac-10 champions. In 2005, the Ducks finished 10-2, second in the Pac-12.
This year’s team is starting a true freshman at quarterback and four redshirt freshmen along the offensive line. The defense will return nine or 10 starters next season. Perhaps Duck fans need to move past this football season, wait for next year and focus on men’s basketball.
Helfrich has proven he can reach the College Football Playoffs. Duck fans shouldn’t be so quick to oust a coach who is so engrained in the program.
Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @Butler917