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Mario Cristobal shares heartfelt message in farewell to Oregon

by:Austin Brezina•12/07/21•

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Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal shared a heartfelt farewell message for Oregon’s support during his time with the team. Cristobal took over head coaching duties for Oregon at the end of 2017, leading the Ducks since then. Cristobal leaves Oregon after being hired as the head coach of the University of Miami.

Mario Cristobal’s farewell to Oregon

“FOREVER GRATEFUL!!! Thank you for the impact you made on our lives and for allowing us to serve! Honored. Blessed,” read Cristobal’s message to the Ducks program.

“Thank you Phil & Penny. Thank you Rob. Thank you AUTZEN STADIUM. Thank you PLAYERS & Coaches!!! FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!”

Cristobal leaves Oregon with a 35-13 record as head coach, including an impressive 23-9 record against conference opponents. in 2019, Cristobal’s Oregon team finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation and a win in the Rose Bowl.

Cristobal was voted Pac-12 Coach of the Year by the Associated Press for the 2019 season.

Oregon began the 2021 season in incredible fashion after beating Ohio State in their second game of the season. Unfortunately, their high ranking wouldn’t last after falling to Stanford in overtime. The Ducks closed out the season with back-to-back big losses to Utah.

The teams first met in November when Utah crushed Oregon 38-7. They would meet again in the Pac-12 Championship Game just two weeks later, where the outcome would repeat itself with Utah winning 38-10.

Miami’s financial commitment swayed Cristobal’s decision

Miami is going all-in when it comes to investing into its football program, which recently hired former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal as its new head man. A team that has had its fair share of struggles over the years, Cristobal is tasked with turning things around, and he’ll have plenty of resources that can help make that happen.

During his introductory press conference Tuesday in Coral Gables, Cristobal made it clear that the investment Miami is putting into his new program was a big reason why he made the decision to leave Oregon and go lead the Hurricanes.

“That was one of the critical pieces, to be honest with you,” Cristobal said. “Football has changed so much, and it continues to change. A lot of people refer to it as an arms race. People talk about it a lot of times, and I think sometimes universities and colleges go the wrong way, because they just collect talent or collect facilities as opposed to investing in people. There’s a big difference.

“Having the opportunity to meet with these men and to realize the massive investment in making sure that these student-athletes have the best chance for success – it was a huge overwriting factor. And I had learned that when I had the chance to go away and work at some different spots.”

On3’s Tyler Mansfield contributed to this article.