Philosophy 101: The Mentor, Former University of Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti

When coaches become iconic to their organizations, the ideals that make them great often get pushed to the wayside. A deeper look into their thoughts and beliefs about their programs sheds light as to what makes their accomplishments great.

Chris Petersen’s two biggest adversaries during the Broncos’ 2008 campaign happened to be products of the same organization, UC Davis. One was TCU’s Gary Patterson. The second was Mike Bellotti of the University of Oregon.

Bellotti has stepped down as the admiral of Oregon Ducks football and has assumed the position of athletic director. The torch was passed to Chip Kelley who provided the Ducks’ offense with a stellar ground attack during the 2008 season.

Bellotti, of course, did not take this decision lightly. Fourteen seasons of guiding young men into Autzen Stadium would supposedly leave a firm legacy as Kelley assumes that role.

“I think that each coach needs to be his own person,” Bellotti said. “I think that Chip will take things that he really believes in and run with them. I think that the basic tenets of this program – the basic concepts we’ve built it on – I think he believes in [them]. And he is not going to change.”

Bellotti touched the lives of multiple individuals during his time at Oregon. There are aspects of coaching that he has seen done well and respects in many of his cohorts. Petersen’s philosophy has been rounded off with aspects that Bellotti believes he could learn from or that he might have passed on to the BSU guru.

“He’s won,” Bellotti said. “You know, he’s done it. I think that the thing about Chris is, I think [he] stays relatively composed on the sidelines. He’s got energy but he’s composed. When things go bad you don’t see him throwing in the towel or wringing his hands in disgust . He and I come from the same roots, the UC Davis program where we both played and coached, and I think that set a foundation and a framework for our beliefs. I think that each coach, as I say, takes a little bit from everybody they work with and learn from over the years.”

Now that Bellotti has moved on from football there are aspects of his game that will continue to ring true; lessons that he has found valuable not only for himself but for those who have come to know and respect him.

“My philosophy to what I do and what my job is, whatever job that I’m in, [is] to make it the very best job possible,” Bellotti said. “And then for the same experience for our student athletes and the same experience for our coaches. I want commitment. I want people to understand how important what we do is . We’re role models for everybody out there and we’re scrutinized at a very much higher level than the normal student-athlete or the normal person in the city of Eugene. I think just that awareness that I’ve had and I think that the awareness of the impact we can have on young people’s lives.”

There are countless lives that Bellotti has influenced over the years and multiple young men with different stories to tell. Those stories were heard at Oregon. They did not fall on deaf ears.

“I think again that is something I take great pride in,” Bellotti said. “I feel like our job, the longer I coach and the more I’m in this profession, whether it’s coaching or the athletic director position, our job is to prepare young men and women for real life. And I don’t know that there is any other place that does it better than the athletic arena at the college level . Your ability to juggle all the time demands of being a student-athlete and obviously being tested on a national stage, whether it be in front of 60 our 100 thousand people or literally on television in front of millions of people, I think is a tremendous learning phase and certainly places a tremendous burden of responsibility on coaches who are basically teachers.”

Bellotti knows that he is competing heavily for athletes who are eyed by teams such as the University of Southern California, and others who seem to simply reach out their hands and players come flocking to them. Eugene, Ore. has qualities that surpass those of the southern California rat race that many coaches and athletes might find distracting. Bellotti has been a key component in building an empire at Oregon that creates a lifestyle that others can flock to.

“It is the big time experience in an environment that allows you to do what you want,” Bellotti said. “We have a lesser distraction factor here than say the big cities. We have a better commitment to facilities and we have a quality of life that is second to none. I think that each coach finds a thing that he truly believes in and he thinks that he can sell about his environment. And that’s what you sell. My job choices in life have always been dictated by quality of life. For me and my family, for my players. For their ease in getting to school and to practice, downtown.”

Bellotti is yet another unique coach with his feet firmly in the ground where he lives with passion for the benefits that tend to be overlooked by competing programs.

Mentorship has been a facet of Bellotti’s tenure that has not been overlooked by his comrades. It is a quality that his athletes and fellow coaches have not left to the wayside. Most coaches mentor. Bellotti believes in what he does and perpetuates his values.

KIRK BELL
Sports Coordinator

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