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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1991)
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Rich Brooks: I hate to lose’ By Jake Berg Emerald Sports Editor It doesn't loom possibln IIIiit a former Oregon State sturiant roulrl lie so popular in liugone But Rich Brooks, an OSl graduate now in his 15th sea son as head coach of the Ore gon football team, is leading the Ducks into their most < loselv watched season in years Last season. Brooks her aim- the first head coach to lead Oregon loot ball teams to two consecutive bowl games, and until ipation is high for a third straight. The Oregon Unity Emerald sat down with Brooks in Au gust to discuss topics ranging from his years in Corvallis to the pressure of returning to a third straight Isivvl game ODE When you were going to Oregon State, did you want to become a coach? Brooks i had planned when I went into OSl! to be a high s< hool football coach, basically, and then I when I got my mas ter's degree, 1 decided maybe someday I'd like to loach in college ODE You've said that (lor mer OSl' and Los Angeles Rams Head Coach) Tommy Prothro was your greatest coaching influence Describe how he influenced you at Ore gon State Brooks Basically fundamen tals. his method of teaching and breaking down those different things He is the main influence of what stays constant, even though defensive schemes and offensive plavs change, hut the fundamentals stay the same ODE Do you have hopes of maybe going hack to pro fix>t ball as an assistant or possibly a head coach? Brooks Oh, I've had oppor tunities to do that I would not rule it out. But all 1 try to do is go from one war to the next and see if we can go to the Rose Bowl, evaluate opportunities, whether there are any, and decide whether they're meaningful or not I've had an opportunity to evaluate quite a few. and I’m still here, so 1 guess I like it ODE Who have you had a chance to go to or who's asked you 7 Brooks I'm not going to gel into specifics 1 just don’t think it's right for me to do that ODE You're an OSU gradu ate, and now you're couching at Oregon. What kind of feeling did you have when you came here? Brooks 1 don't think it was that strange I felt at the time that it was unusual that 1 got this job being an Oregon State L. Filt photo Oregon head football Coach Rich Brooks says his program leels a lot of financial pressure to carry much of the athletic department s programs gradual!! If I had just come di rer tlv from there it would have been strange, but I had been a lot of other places two differ ent pro teams and UCLA twice. This is where my allegiancy is her ause this is where my paycheck comes from, and I've obviously been here a long time ODE Mow'd you come across getting tins job 15 years ago? Rich Brooks’ Oregon Record 197/(2-9) 1978(2-9) 1979(6-5) 1980 (6-3-2) 1981 (2 9) 1982 (2 8 1) 1983(4-6-1) 1984 (6 5) 1985 (5 6) 1986 (5-6) 1987 (6 5) 1988 (6 6) 1989 (8 4) 1990 (8-4) TOTAL: 68-85-4 Brooks I applied, and u lot of other people turned it down. So I was the only one left (smiles) 1 don't know ODE: Mow'd you come about going to Oregon Stale? Brooks They recruited me. 1 was recruited by Cal, UOP — it's COP now — Stanford and SMU I just decided that I liked Oregon State IxHter and I was more comfortable there Oregon never recruited me (smiles) ODK How about the differ ences. generally, in college football between what you saw back then and now? Brooks It's a night-and-day difference. The athletes are big ger. better and stronger, there's <i lot more exposure, which is both good and trad, there's a lot more pressure financially on the sport of football to carry the load. Till the seats to bring in money to support the rest ol the programs. ODE: How about coaching from when you were first a graduate assistant at OSt' and now a coach at Oregon7 Brooks: The game is more complex now than it used to he. The fundamentals never change. What we’re expecting them to learn is a great deal more than what I was expected to learn as a player or when 1 first started coaching. ODE: Do you think that it is had to have so much more pres sure on football nowadays' Brooks: 1 think it's had that the financial pressure is on football, yes, because 1 think in directly the pressure trickles down to the players on the field. And I don't think that they should have to carry the burden of supporting an entire athletic department especial ly in the state of Oregon. Until just recently with the Sports Action, we didn't get any mon ey for the non-revenue sports ODE: Did you ever think that you'd be able to last 15 years, especially considering \ou: first few years weren't that great7 Brooks I don t think ! thought I’d be here 15 years when I took this job. 1 think 1 took this job with tiie same attitude that I have right now and that I'm trying to do the very best job I an and I'm trying to get this team into the Rose Bowl. I don't run my program In fear of whether I m Turn to BROOKS, Page 5 SPORTS STAFF SECTION EDITOR: Jake Borg GRAPHICS EDITOR: Jeff Paslay CONTRIBUTORS: Christopher Blair, Andre Ranieri, John Stoops, Erick Studenicka, Danni Wvss COPY EDITORS: Christopher Blair. Chris Bouneff PRODUCTION: Sarah Clark, Jim Finch, Susan Head, Jennifer Roland, Don Ross, Hon Walker. Ingrid White ADVERTISING: Kirsten Lucas, Andrew Poole, Catherine Royle, Eryn Scharwatt, Tera Surratt