On Jeff Young and the Ducks, Mike Riley on John Robinson, the Blazers’ rise and more …

Oregon coach Dan Lanning with Lake Oswego’s Jeff Young, who provided a motivational message that Lanning read to his players (courtesy Chris Dudley)

Updated 11/16/2024 11:40 AM

Notes, quotes and observations on happenings in our sports world …

I have written about Jeff Young, the assistant football coach at Lake Oswego High who has lived with ALS for more than 40 years. Young delivers a motivational message that is read to the Laker players on Wednesdays through a season.

https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/young-with-heart-making-a-difference-at-lake-oswego

Word of Young’s story and motivational skills reached the University of Oregon, where Young finished his college schooling in the 1980s. One of his life’s goals was to be able to deliver his message to the UO football team. A representative from “Live Heads Up,” the foundation created by Chris and Christine Dudley in 2019, reached Osman Kamara, director of player development for Oregon’s grid program.

Young’s story resonated with Kamara, who pitched the idea of Young talking to the team to Coach Dan Lanning.

“Osman is the one who sold it to the coach,” Christine Dudley says.

In late August, after the Ducks’ final scrimmage prior to their season-opening 37-34 win over Boise State,

Young met with the players, who were gathered at midfield. Lanning read the message that Young, 62, put together specifically for the players.

Dan Lanning reads a message to his players, as Jeff Young looks on (courtesy Chris Dudley)

The final parts of the message:

“In 1983, when I was a student here at The University of Oregon, I was told that I had ALS — Lou Gehrig’s Disease. I was told to expect a horrific three-year decaying of my body, culminating in my death. The medical experts were very clear: This disease has no known cause, has no cure, and medical science could do nothing for me. After some serious soul-searching, I made a decision: I would not allow anyone to dictate to me the quality, duration, or course of my life.

“Unable to walk, lift my arms, or even speak clearly, I created a vision for myself of coaching the game I love. I am now entering my 21st season as an assistant football coach at Lake Oswego High. About 10 years ago, I created another vision. I determined that one day I would be here in front of you — my beloved Oregon Ducks — with this message. I had no clue when it would happen or how it would come about, as I knew no one associated with the program. But I knew this had to happen. 
Every one of you came to this university with the goal of winning a national championship. Most of you could have gone anywhere; but you chose Oregon. Why? Because Oregon football is a family, because Coach Lanning and his staff have a clear championship vision, and because, like our visionary pioneers above, you want to go where no man has gone before. When you complete Oregon football’s championship vision, you won’t just be a college football champion. You will be the vanguard of a movement blazing a trail for those who come behind you. You will be an unforgettable part of history, a legendary part of Oregon folklore.

“I have learned much from the hand life has dealt me. One lesson learned is that inside the soul of every man is the seed of greatness. Inside of you is a triumphant warrior yearning to be let out. This warrior has the mental toughness, the passion and that unexplainable ‘it’ that allows you to rise above circumstance and prevail when all appears lost. Everything you need to live your dream and complete your vision, you already possess. No one can take this from you and no one but you can bring this to realization. Another lesson learned is that you have no clue what tomorrow will bring you.

“Only a fool takes for granted an opportunity like the one that lies before you now. The Ducks have been close several times before. Now it’s time to finish. Love your Duck brothers, and embrace the vision laid out by your general. Believe me when I say that in spirit, I will be in those trenches with you. Live the dream; complete the vision. Finish with rage.”

Kamara tells me that Young’s message “was awesome — truly inspirational.”

“His message to the team was very lengthy, with some moving words,” Kamara says. “It tied in perfectly with what coach Lanning has been talking to the team about — honoring our blessings and being grateful for the position we’re in at the University of Oregon, to be able to put pads on every single day and bring joy to the people who watch us.”

The Live Heads Up Foundation, which has helped thousands of youths reach their goals and live life to the fullest, struck a particular chord with Kamara, whose father is a full-time missionary from Sierra Leone and West Africa.

“Community service is near and dear to my heart,” Kamara says. “Being able to get with them and share to our guys the importance of giving to others, and helping the next person accomplish their goals, was a special opportunity for me.”

Kamara gave Young and the Live Heads Up team a tour of the Ducks’ facilities and introduced him to some of the UO players. Live Heads Up T-shirts and wristbands were passed out, “and everybody took them,” Kamara says. “Some guys still wear both of them in practice and at games.”

Did Young’s message resonate with the players?

Oregon’s Atticus Sappington displays a “Live Heads Up” wristband as he prepares for a placekick (courtesy Chris Dudley)

“One thousand percent,” Kamara says. “To see him in person and get a feel for him was cool. It had a major impact on our program. It was a great day.”

Dudley— the former Trail Blazer center and former gubernatorial candidate in Oregon — didn’t miss the significance of the objects of Young’s talk.

“Jeff is delivering his message to the No. 1 high school team in the state, and to the No. 1 college team in the country,” he says.

John Robinson (second from left) meets with members of the coaching staff of the San Antonio Commanders of the American Alliance of Football, in 2019. From left are offensive line coach Jonathan Heimbach, head coach Mike Riley and defensive line coach Jeff McInerney. Robinson, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, died this week at age 89. (Courtesy Mike Riley)

• John Robinson, who died on Monday at age 89, was a major influence in the life and coaching career of Mike Riley.

Riley served four seasons, from 1993-96, as offensive coordinator at Southern Cal for Robinson, who coached the Trojans to the 1978 national championship and to a 4-0 Rose Bowl record in his dozen years as their coach.

“John was one of the all-time great guys to be around,” says Riley, the former Oregon State coach now retired and living in Corvallis. “He was a funny guy who loved to have fun, and he was a really good football coach.”

During Riley’s time at USC, the marquee players on the offensive side were quarterback Rob Johnson — “the most accurate thrower I’ve ever been around,” he says — All-America receivers Johnnie Morton and Keyshawn Johnson and tackle Tony Boselli, who won the Morris Trophy as the Pac-10’s top lineman. But through a career that included nine seasons as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, Robinson’s bread-and-butter was the run game.

“He loved to talk about the old USC pitch sweep,” says Riley, who also served as head coach of the San Diego Chargers and at Nebraska through a career that spanned five decades. “He could break that down. At a clinic one time in front of hundreds of high school coaches, he broke down every player’s assignment and technique. It was fabulous — a football coach at his best.”

In 1995, the Trojans went 9-2-1 and beat Northwestern 41-32 in the 1996 Rose Bowl. It was the only season of Riley’s long career in which he split time with two quarterbacks — junior Brad Otton and senior Kyle Wachholz.

“Coach Robinson came to me during (training) camp and said, ‘We’re going to play both quarterbacks,’ ” Riley says. “I said, ‘OK Coach, how we gonna do that?’ He said, ‘By quarter.’ ”

Through the regular season, the Trojans stuck to it every game, with Otton playing the first and third quarters and Wachholz taking over in the second and fourth.

In the Rose Bowl game, however, Riley convinced Robinson to start out with “Red Ball,” the Trojans’ two-minute, no-huddle offense. They scored a touchdown on their first series, and Riley had a good feeling about Otton, so he suggested to Robinson that they stick with him. Otton went the entire way and had a career day, completing 29 of 44 passes for 391 yards and two touchdowns. Keyshawn Johnson had 12 receptions for a Rose Bowl-record 216 yards.

“But to this day, I feel bad for Kyle,” Riley says. “I am not sure I made the right decision there.”

Riley and Robinson grew close.

“During the offseason, he would grab me and we would go to lunch almost every day,” Riley says. “I got to hang out with him a lot.”

After the Rose Bowl, Robinson and his wife took Mike and his wife, Dee, to dinner.

“Another time, he made a spring recruiting trip to Hawaii and wanted me to go with him,” Riley says. “We brought our wives. We went to visit schools all day and at night went to dinner with the wives.

“I learned a lot from him about having a family-inclusive program. (Son) Matt got to be on our sidelines for home games. Every time he had a chance, John made sure families were included. I really enjoyed the guy. I was fortunate to work for him. He was thoughtful about his program, about his players. I always referred to him as the best advocate for players that I have ever seen. He always had their back. He always tried to make their lives better.”

• I’m not ready to declare the Trail Blazers a playoff team just yet, but I have to admit, I was impressed with what I saw in back-to-back victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Moda Center.

After the Blazers came out on the short end of a 134-89 shellacking by Memphis on Sunday, fourth-year coach Chauncey Billups let his players have it in his post-game media availability.

“It was just f-ing embarrassing, to be honest with you,” Billups told reporters. “We were soft as hell the whole game. Nobody really fought. That’s just not who we are. There’s no excuse for that. You have a lot of rough nights in this league … but this wasn’t even that. Guys showed up because they had to be here, but they didn’t want to play. They didn’t want to actually work … it’s unfortunate we had to go out there in front of fans who paid their hard-earned money to come see their favorite team play. And you show up and do that.”

Billups said he told his players, “Anybody who sleeps well tonight, you’re a loser. It’s that simple. You sleep well after this one, you’re a loser.”

The tirade may have resonated. With the Blazers close to unconscious in all aspects of shooting — .512 from the field, .563 from 3-point range, .900 from the foul line — they blitzed Minnesota 122-108 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they took advantage of a lousy shooting night by the Timberwolves by knocking off the visitors again 106-98.

It’s hard to beat an NBA team on successive nights, let alone one that won 56 games and reached the Western Conference finals last season. The Wolves helped Portland on Wednesday by misfiring on 32 of 39 3-point attempts, but the Blazers took over down the stretch and deserved the win.

With Deandre Ayton out with some sort of finger injury, Billups gave 7-2 rookie Donovan Clingan his first start and used the oft-injured Robert Williams in reserve in the post. Williams was sensational, forceful and inspiring, sinking 9 of 10 shots, including three rim-shaking dunks, en route to a 19-point, nine-rebound, three-assist, three-steal performance.

On Wednesday, with both Ayton and Williams (sitting out the second of back-to-backs) on the sidelines, it was Clingan’s turn to shine. With general manager Joe Cronin surely beaming in his seat under the basket near the Blazer bench, the former UConn star was a big man possessed at both ends, scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking eight shots in 31 spectacular minutes.

The Wolves kept challenging Clingan at the rim and he kept swatting shots back at them like flies off a cowpie. He soundly outplayed Minnesota veteran Rudy Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Shaedon Sharpe made Cronin smile, too, with the greatest night of his young career. The 6-6 third-year pro scored 13 of his career-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, driving, dunking and playing the way every GM hopes one of his lottery picks will play.

Such performances won’t happen every game, or maybe very often. With the Blazers intending this to be another tank season in order to position themselves for another draft lottery, Williams could be the first to go, which is a damn shame. The Blazers would be much better off jettisoning Ayton while keeping the 27-year-old Williams to team with Clingan at center.

Could the Blazers play well enough to make Cronin change his mind about going into the tank? Could they show enough improvement to save Billups’ job?

Probably not. But I respect Billups for having the guts to call out his players when they deserved a tongue-lashing. He has gone through three seasons of nightmares at the Blazer helm. He deserves a chance to coach a team without one hand tied behind his back.

• The first three weeks of the NBA season have offered plenty of surprises.

We knew the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to be good, but 13-0?

The only good teams in the East are Cleveland and Boston, which was 10-3 through Wednesday. Milwaukee is 4-8 after winning its last two games. Philadelphia is 2-9 — welcome back, Joel Embiid!

There are lots of good teams in the West, but so far they aren’t Minnesota (6-6) or Dallas (5-7), teams I expected to be contenders.

Oklahoma City (10-2) might be the conference’s best title threat, but Golden State, Phoenix and Denver are all right there, too. It would be no surprise if a dozen teams fight it out to the end for the eight playoff spots in the West.

• Speaking of NBA rookies: Some scouts thought the skills that made Zach Edey the best big man in college basketball last season at Purdue wouldn’t transfer to the NBA game. The two-time National Player of the Year was taken by Memphis with the ninth pick in the 2024 draft — two spots behind Clingan.

In a 106-104 loss to Brooklyn on Nov. 4, Edey had 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks and made 11 of 12 shots from the field. He became the first rookie since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 with those numbers.

Edey is averaging 11.2 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting .646 from the field in only 19.8 minutes a game for the Grizzlies. Were he playing 30 minutes per contest, those averages would be around 18 points and 10 boards. Edey doesn’t have the defensive skills of Clingan, but he has more offensive game.

Big men are no longer prized as they once were in the NBA, but they still can be an important weapon. I think Memphis got a good one; Portland did, too.

• Friend and former colleague Dwight Jaynes alerted me to this one: Shane Waldron, fired this week as offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, is a La Salle High grad. His father, Jay Waldron, is a long-time Portland attorney and former rugby star who served 30 years as director/trustee of the U.S. Rugby Foundation.

Shane Waldron, 45, put in coaching stints with New England, Washington and the L.A. Rams before serving three years on Pete Carroll’s staff as offensive coordinator for the Seahawks.

“Too nice a guy,” was receiver Keenan Allen’s chief criticism of Waldron, who probably picked that up coaching under Bill Belichick.

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