Ohio State football heads into Autzen Stadium for the first time since 1967 on Saturday for a top-three college football primetime showdown with No. 3 Oregon.
But one member of the Buckeyes ' coaching staff is well familiar with one of college football's toughest places to play at on the road in recent years: offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
Why? Well Kelly, who is in his first season calling the plays of the Buckeyes' offense, got his first head coaching job at Oregon — where he became one of college football's top offensive-minded coaches, as he turned the Ducks into one of the sport's top offensive programs from 2009-2012.
REQUIRED READING: After another rout, Ohio State football looks ready for showdown vs. Oregon | Analysis
All told, Kelly spent six total seasons of his coaching career in Eugene, as he served as the Ducks' offensive coordinator from 2007-08 before being elevated to head coach.
The 60-year-old coach has returned to his former stomping grounds three times since his departure over a decade ago in 2014, all coming during his six-year tenure manning the sidelines at UCLA. And while Kelly will be up in the box at Autzen Stadium Saturday, instead of being down on the field, the Buckeyes' OC will look to pick up his first win against his former program.
Here's what to know about why Kelly departed from Oregon in 2013, including what his record was in the NFL:
Why did Chip Kelly leave Oregon?
Following four successful seasons with Oregon, which included a BCS national championship runner-up appearance in 2010, Kelly departed the Ducks and college football for the NFL.
The former Oregon coach was named the successor to legendary Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid on Jan. 16, 2023 — which per ESPN, came 10 days after he told the Ducks he would not bolt to the NFL and stay in Eugene, Oregon.
"It was really tough. I left a special, special place and that's what probably took me so long to make a decision," Kelly told Philadelphia media as he landed at Philadelphia International Airport about his decision to leave Oregon in 2013.
"The challenge is what I was excited about and that's why I came (here). It's a great city, it's an iconic franchise and it has an unbelievable owner, but I left some great people back in Oregon. That's the tough part on the hardest side of this whole thing."
As noted in that same ESPN article, the Eagles weren't the only team interested in Kelly's services as he also interviewed with the Cleveland Brown and Buffalo Bills.
Chip Kelly NFL record
- Overall NFL record: 28-35
- Record with Eagles: 26-21
- Record with 49ers: 2-14
In four seasons in the NFL, three with the Eagles and one with the San Francisco 49ers, Kelly went 28-35 overall. He was 26-21 overall with the Eagles, with over a ⅓ of those losses coming in his final season in Philadelphia in 2015.
Kelly's success in the NFL came in the early years of 2013 and 2014 with the Eagles, as Kelly's fast-paced, no-huddle offense was new to the NFL and caused some trouble for opponents to scheme against. That season, with Nick Foles as his quarterback, the Eagles ranked first in the NFL in rushing offense (2556 yards), third in total touchdowns scored (53) and fourth in scoring offense (444 points), per Pro Football Reference.
He was fired by the Eagles after a 6-9 season in 2015 but immediately hired by the San Francisco 49ers to be Jim Harbaugh's successor. With the 49ers, Kelly retained his now-boss Ohio State coach Ryan Day as his quarterbacks coach after Day served in that role with the Eagles in 2015.
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of how Kelly did in the NFL:
- 2013 (Philadelphia Eagles): 10-6
- 2014 (Philadelphia Eagles): 10-6
- 2015 (Philadelphia Eagles): 6-9
- 2016 (San Francisco 49ers): 2-14
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why did Chip Kelly leave Oregon? Current Ohio State OC left Ducks for NFL, Eagles job
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