Pac-10 names Kelly coach of the year, LaMike top offensive frosh

By KVAL.com Sports

Summary

First time is the charm for the Ducks: new head coach Chip Kelly won Coach of the Year honors from the Pac-10, and running back LaMichael James was named the Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

Story Published: Dec 7, 2009 at 3:16 PM PDT

Pac-10 names Kelly coach of the year, LaMike top offensive frosh

EUGENE, Ore. -- First time is the charm for the Ducks: new head coach Chip Kelly won Coach of the Year honors from the Pac-10, and running back LaMichael James was named the Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

"All Kelly did in his first year as head coach was lead Oregon to the Pac-10 title and the Ducks' first Rose Bowl berth since the 1994 season," the Pac-10 said in a press release. "After dropping the season-opener, Oregon reeled of wins in 10 of its next 11 games to finish the season at 10-2, including 8-1 in Pac-10 play to win the league title outright. The high-powered Ducks lead the Pac-10 and are seventh in the nation in scoring offense at 37.7 points per game, but also rank third in the league in total defense. Kelly becomes just the fourth coach to lead his team to 10 victories in his first year as a Pac-10 head coach."
 
"James, a redshirt freshman from Texarkana, Texas, exploded onto the scene for the Pac-10 champion Ducks this season," the Pac-10 said in a press release. "He finished second in rushing in the Pac-10 behind only player of the year Toby Gerhart of Stanford as he rushed 215 times for 1,476 yards (6.9-yard average) and 14 touchdowns.  The 1,476 rushing  yards is a Pac-10 freshman record and earned James second-team All-Conference honors."

In addition to individual awards, the Pac-10 coaches selected the 2009 All-Pac-10 Football Team. Oregon State placed the most players on the first team with seven selections, followed by California, UCLA and USC with five. Arizona and California were next with four. 

Five players are repeat first-team selections from last year, including Jacquizz Rodgers and James Rodgers of Oregon State.

Tightend Ed Dickson was the only Duck named to the first team all-conference. James and teammates quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and defensive lineman Will Tukuafu were named to the second team all-conference.

Honorable mentions for the Ducks included Brandon Bair, Kenjon Barner, Morgan Flint, Kenny Rowe, Jeff Maehl, Spencer Paysinger and Bo Thran.

Viewer Poll

Do you agree with the University of Oregon's decision to let Ernie Kent go?

  • Yes, we need a new coach for the new arena
  • No, he deserves a season in the new arena
  • Who is Ernie Kent?