Oregon announces group of former star players will serve as honorary coaches during spring game
From the moment Dan Lanning was introduced as the head coach at Oregon, he made it abundantly clear that the school’s former players will always have a place within the program.
“To our former players: I am a servant to you,” Lanning said during his introductory press conference on Dec. 13. “Whether I have coached you or not, we want you to know this is a program you can be proud of, and part of. This is a place that your involvement is very important to us.
“We want you back. One thing: even when you leave home, this place should always feel like home to you.”
A little over three months later, Lanning is walking the walk.
The Oregon football program announced on Wednesday via its Twitter account that former Oregon legends De’Anthony Thomas, Haloti Ngata, Arik Armstead, and LaMichael James will be back at Autzen Stadium on April 23 to serve as honorary coaches at the Ducks’ spring game.
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This is far from the first instance in which Lanning has made a tangible effort to bridge the gap to Oregon’s past players. He penned a letter to alumni in January voicing his desire to bring the program’s former players into the fold and forge a connection between the past and present.
He also had a Zoom call with past players on the eve of National Signing Day in order to keep them in the loop on the recruiting efforts of him and his staff.
“He just spoke about the direction of the program and some of the stuff he wanted to get done,” former Oregon quarterback Akili Smith told ESPN. “He talked about having former players being around the program and what that’s going to look like.”
