Helfrich Fired, Search for Replacement Begins Tonight
Oregon football head coach Mark Helfrich was fired on Tuesday. Athletic Director Rob Mullens made the decision following a meeting with Helfrich earlier that day.
Mullens informed the players, before heading to Matthew Knight Arena to address the media.
“Over the past several months, I have grown concerned with the direction of the program,” Mullens said. “We were not competitive in a number of games and we were on a poor trajectory.”
Although many believe that the team’s loss on Saturday to in-state rival Oregon State was the final straw for Helfrich, Mullens clarified saying, “When you make a change like this… it is never just one thing…it is both what happens on and off the field.”
In four seasons as head coach, Helfrich won 37 games, a PAC-12 championship and made an appearance in the National Championship. This season, his team went 4-8 and finished last in the PAC-12 North.
“There was a shift in culture,” Mullens said. “Culture has been the winning edge here and we need to get that edge back.”
The search for a new head coach begins immediately. This is the first time since 1976 the program will be looking outward for a replacement. Mullens said, with the deep coaching tree Oregon has, the next head coach may have previous ties to the program.
In regards to the buy-out of Helfrich’s contract, Mullens stated the program doesn’t know the exact dollar figure yet, but has budgeted accordingly.
“We will have a significant saving in the fact that we will not be paying bowl bounces this year.”
Players will be available to speak with the media on Wednesday.
