New Coach at Oregon

[Kyle Berggren]

Dave, relax. No one is indicting your buddy Tiller. I've only met him once (yes I am on the board), the Board has had very limited dealings with him, certainly not enough to blackball the guy (as if I, or the Board had that power). Jason's statement was simply that of support for the Ducks, I too support their decision. I couldn't imagine being in the national spotlight & stepping up to the plate to make this decision. It's non-stop scrutiny... or stand by & continue down a path you believe is the wrong direction for your program. I support the Oregon program's decision as well. They're men, they're going to live with their decision & what it entails. They didn't make the decision in passing, they went about it in what I believe was a professional manner. They even elected not to air their dirty laundry publicly.

While I enjoy coaching, this isn't the first instance of a coach being fired in the MCLA. It's still club ball. Instead of the Atheletic Department making the decisions, the players do. Realistically, both situations are the people cutting the checks. I don't have a problem with it. Sometimes personalities clash, sometimes coaches want too much or not enough commitment & they have to find the right fit. More schools than we know struggle with this each year, I know we have at UPS.

I've met you personally Dave, I know you're a good guy & your heart is in the right place. You're sticking up for your friend Ben, but no one here is out to get him. You raise some good points, but we're not trying to indict him. I'm sure Ben knows the game well & if he wants to continue coaching he'll step on somewhere & would have great success (as he did last year as an assistant with the Ducks). It just looks as though the Ducks & Tiller weren't a good fit in 2008.