This past Monday, our players had the opportunity to help gather supplies to aid in the relief effort of the Samoan Islands after the recent tsunami devastation.

With the help of the community, the Oregon Football Team collected 35,380 pounds of supplies including water, rice, flour, clothes, canned goods, tents and over 20 wheel chairs. The estimated worth of the materials gathered was over $40,000.

Lile Relocation Services graciously donated the use of a 51’ trailer and workers to facilitate the packing. Driver Tim Galus volunteered to transport the semi to California where he was greeted by Fairfield Mayor Harry Price and a host of Samoan Organizations. The supplies will be shipped via boat on October 16th to arrive in the Samoan Islands about a week later.

This is why Oregon is such a unique place. The community support is unreal, and our players understand the importance of giving something back. We had a large group of players volunteer their time because they feel that it’s important to help others and appreciate the opportunities they have.
I can’t say how thankful we all are to the people who took the time to come out and donate goods. It’s just a small part why Eugene is such an unbelievable place to live and work.

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

I don’t have to tell you that the game on Saturday against California is going to be a big one. It is a great opportunity for our team to challenge ourselves against an outstanding football team.

Our players have had a great week of hard work in practice, and in the meeting rooms. They’ve put in the work all week so that they’re ready to test themselves on Saturday.

Competition is what our players thrive on. They will enter Saturday’s game ready to compete for 60 minutes. It’s the competition with a great opponent that they live for.

We have set very simple but very ambitious goals for our team this year. Our primary goal is to work harder than any team in the country. The only proven shortcut to success is hard work. Everything else takes longer, and requires more.

This game against California will come down to who plays the hardest, the longest. I think we’re ready for 60 minutes of mayhem.

We also need the crowd to be a factor in the game. We need you to be as loud as you can for the entire game. They have a tremendous team, with fantastic coaches, but they will not have the crowd behind them.

Cal THINKS they know what Autzen will be like (http://cal.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=992884), but I don’t think they have any idea how loud it can actually get.

This is a great opportunity for our team, and for our fans to show California that we will compete as hard as we can for the entire game.

The team will begin our March to Victory through the Moshofsky Center at 9:45am, we’ll see you there.

Win the day,

Chip Kelly

At Oregon, we’re very privileged to have advantages that are very rare in college football. We have amazing facilities, a staff that I wouldn’t trade for anyone else in the country, and unmatched community and fan support. We understand that this did not happen overnight.

Many people worked countless hours since before most of us were born to make Oregon Football what it is today. I understand that, our team understands that. We’ve spent a lot of time during fall camp discussing the traditions of Oregon football, and some of the men and women who dedicated their lives to help us achieve our goals today.

Our motto is that, “We can see farther than anyone else because we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.”

Last night, we started a new tradition… We held the first annual Oregon Football Bowling tournament. Prizes were awarded to the first, second, and last place finishers.

We all had a great time after everyone understood the rules. Some people, (Talmadge Jackson, Michael Clay, and intern Mike Keldorf) played like they were trying to NOT hit any of the pins.

We had a few ringers who brought their own balls, and Malachi Lewis bowled a 245!

When it was all over, the team of Mike Keldorf, Scott Grady, Pono Kam, and Kenny Rowe were victorious in a tight battle with Coach Frost’s group of Keaton Arden, Eddie Pleasant, Simi Toeaina, and Terrell Turner. The Dead Last award was regretfully presented to Coach Campbell, Titus Jackson, Will Tukuafu, Mavin Johnson, and Kiko Alonso.

We’re going to post a video very soon so be sure to check that out.

On a final note, we had a new member join the Duck family yesterday. Brandon Bair and his wife Jordan had a baby girl Brooklyn. Congratulations to Brandon and Jordan, we can’t wait for you to bring her by!

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

Hello again from fall camp 2009, or, as well call it around here, “Groundhog Day.”

We’re only 3 weeks away from a huge challenge in traveling to Boise St, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Our players are doing a great job in practice every single day. Fall camp is a very, very difficult thing, and our players are facing that challenge head-on, and winning every day. We’re at the point where it’s easy to let physical and mental fatigue overwhelm you, but our players are learning how to strain, and battle through. We have guys battling illness, injuries, you name it, but they’re still making the choice to get better every day, compete with their teammates, and I couldn’t be more proud.

Every night, our team gets the opportunity to have meetings and listen to guest speakers educate them in areas outside of football. We had a fantastic speaker the other night in Howard White, VP of Sports Marketing, Jordan Brand at Nike. He is the creator of “Believe to Achieve,” Nike’s youth motivational program, and he also wrote a book by the same name.

Howard, or “H,” did an unbelievable job speaking to our team about too many things to list here. At one point, he asked our team how many of them made their beds every morning. It may seem like a pretty trivial question, but he made the point very clear to us that it’s the little things that count in your life.

Getting up every morning and taking just a little bit of time to make your bed even when you’re tired, even when you don’t feel well, builds three things: Habits, discipline, and structure. These three things will make us better in everything that we do for the rest of our lives.

We’re doing a much better job lately of paying attention to the small details that will help us become a better team, and I bet if “H” ever comes back to see us, he’ll see a lot more hands raised when he asked who made their bed this morning (including mine).

Don’t forget, get out here and watch us practice! Our players and staff love having you around. 2:15pm every day but Sunday, and Saturday is our first scrimmage of fall camp. It’s going to be exciting for us, and I hope you can make it.

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

We’ve made it through 3 days of practice, and I’m very pleased with the direction we’re heading. If you’ve been out to practice, you’ll recognize the intensity and speed instantly. If you haven’t made it out, stop by! We need your support.

Something else you may notice that is different from a lot of other teams is that our newcomers are thrown right into the mix. I don’t think that any team we play will ever take it easy on our younger players, so we won’t either. They will practice and compete the same as every one of our players from day one.

Even though we’ve made progress, and are on a good path, we are not satisfied. Something our players realize is that having a good practice isn’t something to brag about, or a badge to wear on your chest, it is setting a standard of excellence that we have to live up to every day. For us to reach our potential, we have to go beyond what normal people are willing to do.

Many of you probably watched the NFL Hall of Fame induction yesterday. Those men did not get there by taking days off, or having “OK” days, or “average” practices. They became the best because they set their goals above what everyone else was willing to do, and by living up to the standards that they set every day of their lives. Last time I checked, there is no “Hall of Average.”

We will not settle for average, we will strive for greatness.

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

Hey everyone, it’s been a while!

We just finished dinner and our first full day with the new members of our team. It’s really exciting to think that in less than a month we get to travel to play a great team in Boise St. to start what we think is going to be a special season.

The rest of our team reports to camp tomorrow, and then we have our first practice on Friday, August 8 at 2:15pm. If you’re able to get out, COME WATCH US! We are going to start fast, and continue our goal from the spring to practice better than any team, ever!

Myself and the rest of the coaching staff will be posting to this blog on a regular basis throughout all of fall camp and the entire season, so always check back.

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

Wednesday was another great practice for us. Our players are starting to figure out how we have to practice to be the type of team that I think we can be. They have had great effort and intensity, but I really want them to learn how to strain, and to be able to finish practice when they’re tired.

Kenny Rowe, Mark Asper, and Jamere Holland all “Won the Day,” at practice today. I want more players to be recognized, but we have set the standard extremely high. You have to do something special, and push yourself to be the best to win at our practices.

One other player who is really catching my eye is Kenjon Barner. Every time we watch special teams, he flashes with a great play. It’s very exciting because special teams are such a big part of what we do here. Coach Osborne does an unbelievable job coordinating that for us, but our players have to be the ones who make it great.

2 years ago, TJ Ward really made a name for himself on special teams. He always showed up at practice, and in games, with big plays. After that, we knew we had to get him on the field somewhere, somehow, and he has become a tremendous safety for us. He even is on the pre-season watch list for the Lott Trophy. We will find a way to get Kenjon on the field if he continues to show up like he has during special teams.

Eddie Pleasant, Bryson Littlejohn, and TY Irvin, have all also shown great effort during special teams. They will make a play that helps win a game for us this year.

Friday is our next “competition day.” The Defense will be back in green and will have to fight to get the black jerseys back. We’re on the field bright and early at 8:30am. WE WANT YOU TO COME WATCH US!

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

PS – Our other coaches are going to start posting updates on here too, so check back!

Last Friday, we held our first practice in pads, and it was a competition day all through practice. We kept a running score for every drill that pitted the Offense vs. the Defense.

I was fired up waiting for practice to begin and to see who was going to show up. After the dust settled, it was our Defense who brought the fire, and won the day. Blake Ferras, Casey Matthews, and TJ Ward really caught my eye. After all of our competition drills, it was Defense: 108, Offense: 102.

As a reward, the Defense got to wear black jerseys on Monday. From now on, whoever wins the competition day gets to wear black jerseys for the next practice.

In yesterday’s practice, Will Tukuafu, and Jordan Holmes stood out with their play and their effort. We will need both of these men to bring that type of intensity all year.

I hope you’re enjoying Oregon Gridiron. I really think it’s an awesome website! Make sure you’re always checking back, because we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with what we have planned for it!

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly

I hope everyone has had a chance to watch some of the coaches’ videos and you feel like you know them a little bit better. We will be adding new videos all the time, so be sure to check back often.

We’ve had two practices so far and I am very pleased, but not satisfied

The players’ intensity has been great and we’re getting good work done, but I think we’re ready to take it to the next level.

Tomorrow is our first day in pads and I can’t wait!!!

This is when we, as coaches, get to see who the real players are going to be.

If you’re in town, come watch us practice tomorrow morning at 8:30am. You will not find a group that plays as fast and as hard as we do anywhere else in the country.

If you can’t make it tomorrow, try to make it for any of our practice sessions. We want you here to witness what will make us a great team next year. We will also get some video from practice posted very soon.

Win the day,
Chip Kelly

Spring Practice Schedule

• Monday, 4/6/09 - 8:30am
• Wednesday, 4/8/09 - 8:30am
• Friday, 4/10/09 - 8:30am
• Monday, 4/13/09 - 8:30am
• Wednesday, 4/15/09 - 8:30am
• Saturday, 4/18/09 - 12:30pm
• Monday, 4/20/09 - 8:30am
• Wednesday, 4/22/09 - 8:30am
• Friday, 4/24/09 - 8:30am
• Monday, 4/27/09 - 8:30am
• Wednesday, 4/29/09 - 8:30am
• Sunday, 5/2/09 - 2:00pm - Spring Game!

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Chip Kelly. I am the new Head Football Coach at the University of Oregon and I’d like to give you a taste of what we’re all about. I also want to make sure that you visit the site regularly to read updates on what’s going on around the Cas and with our program.

As the new head coach, I’ve already had the opportunity to talk to our team about our goals and expectations going into spring ball and the 2009 season.

“Playing at Oregon is a privilege, and with that privilege comes responsibility.”

Our players will be the most respected individuals in the community. When they are in public, I want people to recognize them because they do everything The Oregon Way. People will recognize that they are Oregon football players because of the way they carry themselves.

As a team, we will set ourselves apart from everyone else with the Oregon Edge, our desire and drive towards personal excellence. This is what separates Oregon from anyone else, our desire to excel.

We will be the fastest team in the nation. We expect maximum effort at all times.

We will play harder than any team we face.

We will finish. Every drill, every play, every quarter, every game, every season.

Our ultimate goal is to Win the Day. When we go to sleep at night, we will sleep well because we know we did everything we could do to win that day. Every day carries its own challenges, and we will overcome them one day at a time. If we win every day, we will be unstoppable.

As head coach, I can promise you this, WE Will Practice Better Than Anybody, EVER!

Come watch us practice, and you will see what makes Oregon Football great.

Be sure to check back every day for updates, and Go Ducks!

Win the Day,
Chip Kelly