Duck AD Rob Mullens has shown quite the talent for signing expensive long term contracts just before Duck coaches start to lose. But Horton peaked years ago. His players won some sort of NCAA championship in 2012, so Mullens gave him the sweetheart contract below. All downhill since. This year the Ducks aren’t even ranked in the pre-season top 40, while OSU is #5.
So it will be interesting to see how much Mullens will spend to save Pat Kilkenny’s baseball program, which is losing millions for UO. Horton’s 2012-17 contract expires in June. More on the secret deal that built Kilkenny’s PK Park here.
etc. Contract here.
Absolutely stupid move to cut a successful wrestling program that produced national champions and operated on an infinitesimal fraction of the current baseball budget. All to keep one rich booster happy.
Not a fan of cutting wrestling because why not something for everyone, but a plausible reason is that baseball is exciting and interesting and wrestling is more on par with watching primer dry. Baseball costs a lot more but it also entertains and interests far, far, far more people.
You clearly haven’t watched an inning of Duck baseball. If college wrestling is like watching primer dry, Duck baseball is like watching the wall before primer application.
Horton is lucky if 50 percent of the team at-bats result in a player being allowed to run to first base, regardless of whether or not a hit may be recorded.
Every time Horton appears in front of a camera discussing the Ducks, you can see the gears turning in his head to prevent him from slipping and saying “Cal-State Fullerton” to the media. Perhaps he will do the state a favor and allow his own contract expire so he can leave, which he so clearly desires.
I don’t share that impression of the team but in any event there is always at least the other wall, er, team and they may well be interesting. Then there are the fans, who are interesting.
None of those things can be said about wrestling.