Gary Andersen as Coach is a Coup for OSU Beavers

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Taya Alami, GoLocalPDX Reporter

Oregon State University has hired Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen to lead its football program, the school confirmed Wednesday.

The announcement came shortly after the school disclosed its plans to upgrade its athletic facilities.

Be honest - who had Gary Andersen leaving Wisconsin to become the 28th coach in Oregon State history?

Replacing Mike Riley, the man who made the Beavers relevant, with Andersen, a competent and capable coach who was 19-7 overall and 13-3 in the Big Ten in two seasons in Madison, is a coup.

Many were skeptical OSU would be able to land an established leader to replace Riley, thinking the school would undoubtedly turn to an untested yet hungry assistant on the rise.

“We have hired the right coach,” OSU athletic Bob DeCarolis said Wednesday in a statement.

While it might have been as simple as wanting to return West - Anderson was born in Salt Lake City and played and served as an assistant coach at Utah and later head coached at Utah State - he was clearly prepared to go.

Some laughingly suggested Ohio State’s Urban Meyer-led 59-0 shellacking of the Badgers in the Big Ten championship over the weekend might have been the impetus - ESPN college basketball personality Dan Dakich tweeted, ‘Urban’ll make ya quit!” shortly after the news broke - Andersen’s move was not a joke.

Urban'll make ya quit!
— Dan Dakich (@dandakich) December 10, 2014

Wisconsin’s loss - and based on athletic director Barry Alvarez’s body language Wednesday, Andersen’s abrupt departure was just that - is now Oregon State’s gain, a stunning resolution to a surprise vacancy.

Andersen is 50. If Kyle Whittingham should suddenly leave Utah - which could happen since he’s a quality coach and those are always in demand - only then should Beaver fans be concerned. Andersen will be in Corvallis for a while, it seems.