Fast Break
College football
Bellotti becomes Oregon’s A.D.
Mike Bellotti is stepping down as Oregon’s football coach to become the school’s athletic director, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will be promoted to head coach.
Bellotti, who has coached the Ducks for the last 14 seasons, takes over his new position July 1, replacing athletic director Pat Kilkenny. Kelly becomes coach on March 30, the opening day of spring practice.
The moves first were announced in December, but no timetable was set for the transition.
Bellotti will serve in the interim as senior counselor to Kilkenny, who will step down June 30.
Bellotti, 58, has gone 116-55 as coach of the Ducks. This past season Oregon went 10-3 with a 42-31 win over Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl. The Ducks finished the season ranked No. 10.
Under Bellotti, the Ducks have gone to 12 bowl games.
Kelly, who has been at Oregon the past two seasons and designed the team’s spread-option offense, becomes the Ducks’ 30th coach, and the third in the last 33 years.
Kilkenny was named athletic director in February 2007 and said at the time he planned to serve in that position for two years.
Prep football
North Central picks head coach
North Central went in-house to select its new football coach.
Brian Gardner, for six years an assistant in the program, has been chosen for the position, activities vice principal Marty Robinette said.
“We had a great group of applicants and he rose to the top on his own merits,” Robinette said.
Gardner, a special education teacher at NC, was freshman coach for two years and a varsity assistant for the past four. He’s a graduate of Mt. Baker High, where he was a three-year all-conference selection; played strong safety at Walla Walla Community College; and for two years played safety and linebacker at Eastern Washington.
He’s had experience coaching both offensive and defensive sides of the ball, Robinette said.
“We thought his skills with kids to inspire and recruit are exceptional,” Robinette said. “We want to build a program for years to come, and he has the ability to draw kids to him and a good understanding of the feeder system.”
Arena football
Shock make roster moves
The Spokane Shock have added defensive lineman Wilson Afoa to their roster. Afoa, 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, finished his career at the University of Washington in 2007.
He played mostly at nose tackle for the Huskies.
The team also released former Eastern Washington University lineman Matt Alfred.
The Shock host the Arkansas Twisters in a preseason game Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Arena. The regular season opens April 3.