Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | T | The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Spreading the word.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

Though none of the participants could foresee it at the time, college football's evolution over the past decade owes much to a meeting that took place a few years ago in South Carolina.

The host was Clemson University, in particular head coach Tommy Bowden and his innovative offensive coordinator, Rich Rodriguez. The subject was a fledging concept known as the spread.

Among the attendees was Northwestern head coach Randy Walker, who would go on to reverse his program's recent struggles by implementing the spread in 2000. And also on campus for that historic meeting of the minds was a stout, gruff assistant from Division I-AA New Hampshire named Chip Kelly.

New Hampshire's Wildcats had built a reputation as a tough, hard-nosed team under legendary coach Bill Bowes, but they lost record-breaking running back Jerry Azumah in 1998, and fullback Dan Kreider - now with the Pittsburgh Steelers - was a senior the following year.

Kelly had ascended to offensive coordinator when Bowes stepped aside and Sean McDonnell replaced him in 1999; with no fullback capable of replacing Kreider, but a stable of receivers on the roster, the staff agreed Kelly should go to Clemson to discuss the spread.

Nearly a decade later, after developing a reputation as one of the "gurus" of the spread offense, along with Rodriguez, Walker (who passed away in 2006) and Florida's Urban Meyer, Kelly has come to Oregon. Those who have coached with and against him describe the 43-year-old native of Manchester,...