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A8
Anthony Brown
mentoring Ducks’
talented young QBs
By RYAN THORBURN
The (Eugene) Register-
Guard
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
New Umatilla High School head football coach Chad Smith directs running plays Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, during a
practice at the high school.
Smith takes over Umatilla
football program
Durfey stepped
down to spend
more time with
his family
BY ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
UMATILLA — Dan Durfey has
put in his time.
From the moment his son, Trent,
began Grid Kids football, through
this past season at Umatilla High
School, Durfey has been calling plays
on the sidelines.
Now that Trent will be a soph-
omore at Carroll College, Durfey
wants to see his son play college foot-
ball.
“I decided last fall when we got
done,” Durfey said of resigning. “I
tried to go watch Trent play during
the season. I thought, this isn’t going
to work. We’d leave after a game, get
to Coeur d’Alene at 2 a.m., then get
up early and just make it to his game.
I decided not to do that any more.
At least until he’s done. It’s actually
pretty nice right now not worrying
about the paperwork.”
In his five years leading the
Vikings, Durfey had a 19-21 record.
During that time, he was able to coach
his son and hundreds of other kids.
“I coached Trent in Grid Kids,”
Durfey said. “In middle school I was
going to kick back and be a dad, but
they didn’t have a coach and they
asked me. Then I became the defen-
sive coordinator at the high school,
and that turned into the head job.
Some of these kids have seen me
since Grid Kids.”
Durfey will be replaced by Chad
Smith, 34, who has a long coaching
history despite his age.
“Last year, I sat out with COVID
going on, and I was finishing my
administrative license,” Smith said.
“That year off , I missed coaching and
I knew I wanted to get back into it.”
Smith also will teach at the alter-
native school in Umatilla.
“I will work with kids who need
to make up credits or who are getting
their GED,” he said.
Smith graduated from Sweet
Home High School in 2005, and
Smith was an assistant at 6A Shel-
don from 2005-06. He also assisted
at Sprague (2008-10) and Mercer
Island, Washington (2017).
Other head coaching jobs on
Smith’s resume include Seaside
(2016, 2-6 record), Siuslaw (2018,
0-8) and Cottage Grove (2019, 0-8).
At Umatilla, Smith said he will
have six to eight seniors and a lot of
underclassmen.
“I got a survey back from about
EUGENE — Anthony
Brown is currently Oregon’s
starting quarterback.
The sixth-year senior is
also a mentor to the three
talented freshmen trying to
replace him as the Ducks’
QB1.
Brown, who suffered
two season-ending injuries
at Boston College earlier in
his career, said missing play-
ing time provided a diff erent
perspective on how to be a
team leader.
“Being injured in 2017 and
2019 and not being able to be
there as a leader by exam-
ple, it was just (leading) in
the spots I was needed, vocal
leadership,” Brown said.
“Being a leader for this team
is going to be very dynamic,
and we’re just going to have
to see where it goes because
we have tons of leaders.”
So far, Oregon’s young
signal-callers have raved
about Brown’s willingness
to help them on the fi eld and
in the quarterback room.
Robby Ashford and
Jay Butterfield, two 2020
recruits, spent last season
learning from Brown behind
starter Tyler Shough.
“AB, that’s a brother to
me,” Ashford said of Brown.
“We clicked when I fi rst got
here. He took me under his
wing.”
Brown didn’t transfer
until April 2020 and was
unable to overtake Shough
for the starting spot during
the pandemic-shortened fall
camp.
Offensive coordinator
Joe Moorhead fi nally called
Brown’s number during the
Pac-12 championship game
and Fiesta Bowl. Shough
transferred to Texas Tech in
February.
Even though the three
freshmen performed well
during the spring game,
Brown entered fall camp
with a comfortable lead in
the competition to be the
2021 starter.
“AB has played a lot
of football at a very high
level,” Moorhead said after
an recent practice. “The guy
has thrown for almost 6,000
yards and 60 touchdowns and
been in a bunch of diff erent
off enses. He’s a super smart
kid, he’s got a great presence
about him, very mature.
“I think he always takes
the opportunity to share
some of that wisdom with the
young guys, and they’re also
very receptive to his teach-
ing.”
Touted 2021 recruit Ty
Thompson enrolled early to
join the fray during spring
practice. The true freshman
from Gilbert, Arizona, is the
highest ranked quarterback
prospect to ever sign with the
Ducks.
“I’ve just leaned on
(Brown) when I make a
mistake in practice or I’m
just picking his brain in the
meeting room,” Thompson
said. “He’s very knowledge-
able. He’s been at this for six
years now, so he knows a lot
more than me. I’m really
blessed to have someone
like AB mentor me and the
other guys in the room as
well.
“When I make a mistake,
he’s coaching me up or he’s
just tweaking something
that maybe I’m doing a little
bit diff erent. He’s a very big
blessing for sure.”
Mario Cristobal and
his staff have put together
a roster that is expected to
contend for a third consec-
utive Pac-12 championship
and be in the mix for the
College Football Playoff .
One of the biggest ques-
tions entering the season
for many observers of the
program is: Can Brown get
the job done?
“I hate how people think
he isn’t good and all this,”
Ashford said. “They just
don’t know, that’s the thing. I
get to see it every day. I love
just watching and see how
they are hating on him. I just
know he’s going to come
back and do some special
things here.”
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Chad Smith, the new Umatilla High School head football coach, works
with players Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, during a practice at the high school.
even though he didn’t play football in
college, he knew he wanted to coach.
“My fi rst head coaching job was
at La Grande (2014, 5-4 record),” he
said. “I have been at lot of diff erent
places. As an assistant, I saw things
I liked and things I didn’t. The things
I liked I tried to put into my team. I
want to make this a great program
here on the eastern side of Oregon.”
30 players,” he said. “Whether they
come out Monday is another story.
We have some talented players. With
work schedules, we haven’t seen
everybody at the same time. We
have been lifting weights since the
end of June. We get 12 to 15 kids
lifting, then we run through some
plays. When we start on Monday,
it’s all about the fundamentals.”
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian, File
Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown (13) reads the defense
during the spring game in Eugene in May 2021.
SPORTS SHORT
Oregon promotes Jodie Berry to associate head coach
By JAMES CREPEA
The Oregonian
EUGENE — Oregon formally announced the promo-
tion Tuesday, Aug. 10, of assistant women’s basketball
coach Jodie Berry to associate head coach.
“I’m thrilled to be able to elevate Jodie to associate
head coach,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said in a state-
ment. “The relationships she builds with our student-ath-
letes and the example that she sets for them on and off the
court has been instrumental to the program’s success.
Jodie and I have worked together for a long time and
I consider her a great friend and trust her with every-
thing. There is no one more deserving of this opportu-
nity than her.”
The lone returning assistant on Graves’ staff , Berry
worked with him for 16 seasons and currently works with
the post players and assists in scouting and recruiting.
Earlier this summer she signed a one-year exten-
sion through June 30, 2022, for $200,000, up from the
$179,152 she earned in 2019-20 and $161,237 she earned
last season due to a 10% reduction amid the pandemic.
“I am both humbled and honored to continue my
coaching journey here at the University of Oregon,”
Berry said in a statement. “I am proud to be a part of
the Duck Family and cherish the many relationships
within the athletic community here at Oregon. I will
forever be grateful for the mentorship and guidance that
Coach Graves has provided over the past 20 years and
am excited for the future of Oregon women’s basketball
with Jackie, Mike, Brielle, Oti and our team. Go Ducks.”
Among the players Berry has coached at Oregon were
All-Americans Ruthy Hebard and Jillian Alleyne. While
at Gonzaga, she coached fi ve All-Americans.
University of Oregon/Contributed Photo
Longtime Oregon assistant head coach Jodie Berry was pro-
moted to women’s basketball associate head coach on Tuesday,
Aug. 10, 2021.