The past, present,
and future: Monson
talks about all of it
By Chuck Thompson
Of the Kmerelil
Since arriving as Oregon's
head hasketltall coach in 1983,
Don Munson has amassed a
31 ~30 reconi, let! the Ducks to a
post-season tournament and
generally revitalized a once
floundering program. On tlw
eve of the 1983-80 season debut,
the Emerald spoke to the coach
about his past, present and
future.
Q l Everyone seems to be pick
ing the Ducks to finish near last
place in the Pac-10 this year.
How does that affect yourself
and the team?
A: Oh, IPs been talked about,
but I don't think any coin
petitive athlete thinks he's gon
na finish last. The picking is
done so that people can read
something and have something
to talk about.
Q: Can this year's team set a
post-season tournament as a
realistic goal?
Al Sure. I think the only
reason it wouldn't be is because
people say we're not gonna be
good enough and I think that
has to be proven by other than
somebody who votes or writes
it.
Ql How do you think the
Phi:-to standings will wind up?
A! 1 think you have to go with
Washington and Oregon State.
Arizona State has talent.
California I think is gonna have
a good ball club.
Q< Who do you think will bo
the best player in the Pac-10 this
season?
A! If I had to pick one player,
I guess.. Reggie Miller of
UCLA. Or Christian Welp (of
Washington). Those two stand
out right away.
Q: The 45-second shot clock
is national this year. Are you
glad that it's here?
A: No. I don’t lik« the shot
clock. Never voted for it.
Q* Why not?
At I'm against it because
what it's doing is dictating what
you can or cannot do as far as at
tacking or preparing for a team.
There’re some times when you
can run up and down the floor
and have the best chance of
winning, so you run up and
down the floor. There’re some
limes you want to hold the ball
for a minute or a minute-and-a
haif and then shoot the ball
because that's what you figure
is the best way of winning.
What dictated it, of course, was
TV and the crowds. And I’m
talking from a coach’s point of
view and not a spectator s point
of view.
Q: Are you ever a basketball
spectator? At the end of the
season do you sit down and
watch the NCAA finals and that
sort of thing?
A: I go to the games. That's
Continued on Pago 6B
At the start of his third year as head coach of the men’s basketball team, Don
Monson hopes that the Ducks can finish hipher than their predicted tenth place
in the Poe-10
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Kmnrald File Photo
Bantering his ninth year as head football coach, Rich Brooks has
lead the Ducks to three of their four winning seasons over the
last twenty years.
Brooks puts success into Duck football
By Robert Collias
Of lb* Kamald
Rich Brooks is a man who has ad
ded the word respectability to the
vocabulary of Oregon football. The
Ducks have enjoyed only four win
ning seasons in the last twenty
years, and Brooks has led them to
three of those.
Currently, he has his team on the
verge of another winning season
this year as the Ducks stand 4-4
with three games to play In the
season.
Brooks is in the midst of his ninth
season at the helm of the Ducks pro
gram and his record of 34-58-4 is
not one that will make other
coaches jealous. However, Brooks
led the Ducks to their first con
secutive winning seasons since
1964. with a 6-5 mark in 1979
followed by 6-3-2 mark In 1980 and
‘is on the verge of accomplishing
that again if the Ducks can manage
a winning season this year to go
with their 6-5 mark of a year ago.
Brooks is a former college player
himself at Oregon State University,
and he has had the op\yortunity to
coach with such greats as Tommy
Prothro and Dick Nolan.
Q: Being a former college player,
does that help you motivate and
respond to the players you coach?
A.I I don't know. I've been
through it, through the broken
bones, the operations and certain
things, but I don't know if that has
that much to do with it. I think the
game has changed so dramatically
since I played. The amount of time
that is required to be good off the
field In a lot more today. We didn't
spend the time that the kids do to
day to be good.
I think that any player that is
willing to put the time commitment
in today should be ready to go on
game day. We are trying to point
out things that are positive, and
that they (the players) can still ac
complish and hope that that is
motivation.
Q*. You mentioned that the game
has changed a lot since you played
at Oregon State in the ltttiO's. what
do you see as the ma|or changes in
today’s game.?
AI The players are bigger,
stronger, faster and better.
Q: When did you first know that
you wanted to be a coach?
A.* I think probably about my
senior year in high school, and
specifically, at that time I wanted to
be one at the high school level, and
teach at the same time I stayed at
OSU after I graduated to get my
master's degree and got a taste of
coaching at the college level and
changed my mind, but 1 eventually
did coach one year at the high
school level before starting in the
college level of coaching.
Ql Can you give me a little bit
about your coaching background?
A.’ I was a graduate assistant ut
Oregon State while I got my
masters. I coached in high school in
Sacramento for one year and then I
went back to Oregon State for five
vean as an assistant coach under
Dee Andros. Then I went to UCLA
for a year under Tommy Prothro.
then I followed him to the Rams for
two years. After that 1 went back to
()regon State for one year under Dee
Andros, then l went to the San
Francisco 49ers for two years under
Dick Nolan. Prom there, I went to
UCLA under Terry Donahue for one
year before I got the head coaching
job here in 1977.
Q: You mentioned some pretty
big names there. If you had to pick
out one coach that you respect the
most and have learned the most
from who would it bo?
A Well I respect them all ob
viously, and I learned from all of
them, but I think probably my big
gest influence as far as the way I
coach comes from Tommy Prothro.
I spent five, six, seven, eight years
under him as a player and coach.
Q • IX) you consider yourself a fan
of footIniII, and college football in
particular?
A* Well, I spent ull day Saturday
(» bye for the Ducks) watching foot
Iwll. I watched the Huskies get
dismantled by Arizona State and I
watched the OSll-Stanford game. I
would say that I'm a fan.
Sometimes I like to look and just
enjoy, but most of the time I find
myself looking at what other teams
are doing.
Ql What is your proudest mo
ment as a coach?
A That is really hard to answer. I
think it is really hard to pick out
any one moment. I always take
pride in the fact that I see a guy go
from this program and be suc
cessful in whatever he chooses to
do whether it be medicine, pro foot
ball or whatever.
Q: At times it seems that the
coach gets too much blame for
failure and maybe too much credit
for success, what are your thoughts
on this, and what do you have to
say to your critics that might be
calling for your job at times?
A! Coaches and quarterbacks get
the blame too much sometimes
when they are not responsible, but
someone has to take the brunt of it.
As the head coach, it is my respon
sibility to win games and make the
correct decisions, and when I don't.
I've been in the business long
enough to know that I'm going to be
criticized for it.
Sometimes the critics don’t know
the whole story, but they don't have
to. they can do what they want.
Sometimes it bothers me. but all I
have to do is look around and see
other people with situations better
than ours not doing as well as we
do, and other people with worse
situations doing better than we are
so it is a tough business and a tough
league. I try basically to ignore as
much of the praise and criticism as
possible.
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INTRAMURALS
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RIM's For You
V ) M.
Bowling Doubles - It's not too late to sign up for Bowling
Doubles tonight! Tournament will be held at 7:15pm at the
EMU Bowling Lanes. Teams may consist of 2 men, 2 women, or
1 man and 1 woman. Games will be handicapped to egualize
play. The cost per team will be $3.00 for 6 games. Shoes and
bowling ball provided free of charge by the EMU.
Intramural Wrestling - You may have noticed that the intramural wrestling
meet has not been scheduled fall term. There is a reason! It has been moved to
winter term so we can run our finals with some class. At this time we are work
ing with Coach Finley to have the finals prior to a home wrestling meet. This
gives all you wrestlers a bit longer now to get in shape. Check at the RIM of
fice at the beginning of winter term for the exact date.
Flag and Razzle Dazzle Football players please take note - Playoff games
scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17, are being played
on the Southbank Field.
Late Night Program - Students are enjoying the increased open recreation
hours from 10pm - 3am Monday through Thursday. Over 100 students are
taking advantage of facilities each night to play racguetball, tennis, basket
ball, to swim and lift weights. Take a break from your late night studying to
relax with a little recreation. Come to the Leighton entrance.
Open Hours - HARRY JEROME WEIGHT CENTER
MUWHF 7:00am - 8:30am UH 3:30pm • 7:00pm
MUWHF 11:30am - 12:30pm UH 8:00pm - 9:30pm
MWF 3:30pm - 9:30pm UH 11:00pm - 2:00am
Sat 9:00am - 7:00pm
Sun 12:00pm - 5:00pm
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