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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1999)
TUesday April 13,1999 Best Bet NBA Basketball LA Lakers vs. Portland 5 p.m., TNT Spring Football Defense deadly under Aliotti’s guide . 1 ,"M' 11 JJ ' ' 1 ■ ' 1 (( There were things here that I liked, and there's stuff that I like that I brought with me. So we’re not really keeping the same system, but a similar system. » Nick Aliotti Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliioti returns to Oregon this year as defensive coordina tor after spending three years with the St. Louis Rams and last year coaching the UCLA defensive squad. In 1994, Alii oti’sGang Green de fense led Oregon to its first Rose Bowi appearance in 37 years. Gang Green jounder Ntck Aliotti has returned to Oregon as defensive coordinator By Mirjam Swanson Oregon Daily Emerald Four years ago, Nick Aliotti recruited most of the seniors who make up Ore gon’s current defense. Now, this spring, Aliotti is coaching them for the first time. “He’s the guy who recruited me,” de fensive back Michael Fletcher said, “so it’s good to have him back. Everybody is fired up about him. We’re excited to see what we can get out of him. ” After Aliotti had a successful 1994 sea son — in which his memorable Gang Green defense led Oregon to its first Rose Bowl appearance in 37 years — he de parted for a position with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. Aliotti’s tenure in the professional ranks lasted three years before he decided to re turn to college football last season, when he became UCLA’s defensive coordinator. But while the Bruins made a run at the national championship, their defense struggled. UCLA allowed opponents to gain 433 yards per game, 99th out of 112 Division I-A programs. Aliotti was berated by the Los Angeles media and fans, and then he was also publicly criticized by UCLA’s head coach, Bob Toledo. Now, Aliotti is back in Eugene, ready to put last season’s controversies behind him and to help Oregon try to win another Pa dfic-10 Conference tide. He inherits an ex perienced defensive squad that has steadi ly improved in the past few seasons. Last season, Oregon finished sixth in the Pac-10 in total defense, a marked im provement from the season before when the Ducks permitted more than 29 points per game. “We’re going to have eight or nine of our starters back,” Fletcher said. “The se niors, we all grew up together. It’s that co hesiveness that will just bring everything together.” Aliotti plans to continue those im provements by implementing a scheme that might be somewhat more aggressive, but shouldn’t stray too far from what the Ducks have run recently. “We’re keeping the terminology the same,” Aliotti said. “But we’re kind of marrying the two systems. There were things here that I liked, and there’s stuff Turn to FOOTBALL, Page 9A Nick Medley/Emeruld True confessions from a fan turned admitted sports fanatic H i, my name is Tim. And I’m a sports nut. It all began back in the third JL. JL grade when I exchanged my Spi derman comic books for a subscription to Sports Illustrated. Actually, maybe it began before that. There was that dominant Chicago Bears team that finished the 1985 regular season 15-1 and then blew out New England, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX. I can remember when they played Miami on Monday Night Football that season, which ended up being the Bears’ only loss. I bet my dad something like $5 that the Dol phins would win. But after that game—because of the Bears’ Opinion ferocious defense, or because of their in triguing mix of personalities that included Jim McMahon, Walter Pay ton, Mike Ditka, and William “The Refrigerator” Perry, I don’t know—I became fasci nated with Chicago, the NFL and football in general. Then, there was the 1986 World Series that pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. I can remember cheering Pyle wholeheartedly as Mookie —"■■■“— Wilson’s grounder trickled through Bill Buckner’s wickets, and the Mets went on to win the championship behind young, seemingly eternal stars Darryl Straw berry and Dwight Gooden, and the leader ship of seasoned veterans Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. Of course, there were the hometown Blazers. In countless hours of driveway practicing, I tried to model my jumper on Kiki Van deweghe’s sweet stroke and my finishes on Clyde Drexler’s gliding finger roll. Drexler became forever my favorite NBA player when he obliged mine and about 300 other kids’ autograph requests after a victory at Memorial Coliseum. And the Blazers took my love to new heights when they clinched the 1990 West ern Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals. My leap for joy coincided with Buck Williams’ underhanded launching of the game ball into the Phoenix horizon at the buzzer. Despite Portland’s loss to Detroit in the fi nals that season, Blazermania lasted on into the 1992 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls. Finally, Drexler and Michael Jordan would be paired in the finals’ matchup I had long desired. But it was almost over before it started as Jordan stole the show in game one with a bar rage of three-pointers and a knowing shrug and sly smile at the NBC broadcasters. At that point, I wanted to shoot Jordan. Turn to PYLE, Page 12A Tuesday, ADri 113.1999 Oreaon Dailv Emerald 7A
