Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks laid a massive egg in the first game of his head coaching career, and that was even before LeGarrette Blount went all Captain Falcon on Boise State's Byron Hout. It was so bad (152 total yards) that one frustrated fan wrote in to Kelly requesting a refund, with an itemized list of expenses attached.
“When Chip replied and said ‘What is your address?’–that was all he said–I replied with my address, and a few days later I had a check in the mail.”Seminary was understandably dumbfounded by the response.
“As a sales guy, it’s really hard to shut me up. When I received that check, I was literally speechless.”
Kelly sent an authentic, this-is-good-for-money check to Tony Seminary, an Oregon grad and longtime fan, but Seminary didn't cash it. And why would he? No amount of money is worth the faith this classy response should give the green-and-gold-and-silver-and-black faithful, passed around as legend and photocopy.
"He could lose every game 50-0 and he’d still be my coach, our coach, through thick and thin,” Seminary said. Even if there's no earthly way Kelly would be anywhere near the Autzen Stadium sidelines after a hypothetical nightmare like that, maybe he should be: In this act, he's shown his players how to take responsibility for mistakes and react to criticism with grace and good humor. That's more valuable than any Pac-10 championship, no?
(HT to EDSBS.)
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Awesome, but he better change bank accounts quick if his account number is being photocopied and uploaded.
by heel9091 on Sep 21, 2009 7:27 PM EDT reply actions
This is funny. The coach quiets the big crybaby whiner when he goes ballistic when his favorite football team of teenagers loses a game. What a crybaby! He hasn’t shown his players anything related to credibility like you said he did Seminary. He’s just shutting up a troublemaker. Just like a big whiner, to cry and snivvle like a sissyboy and then turn it into something it isn’t. Who would whine in a letter like that and then keep the check?? Cash the check and go away crybaby. You asked and the coach granted your snivvelness his request. Get lost loser! More important, what does it say about YOU Seminary??? The coach just made a liar out of you Seminary. You didn’t want a refund, you just wanted to cry and whine like a baby and the coach called your bluff.
by 1984OlympicGamer on Sep 21, 2009 7:42 PM EDT reply actions
He should have tried that with Dennis Green after that They Are Who We Thought They Were speech… he might have been prison-raped.
by Raisin' up off the cot on Sep 21, 2009 7:43 PM EDT reply actions
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by wangkeyan on Sep 21, 2009 11:47 PM EDT reply actions
I wonder if I can prorate how much my direct tv subscription is and get that back. Could really use that $.57.
by brntry on Sep 22, 2009 5:21 PM EDT reply actions
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