Oregon’s Dana Altman is stepping away, ending a run that has shaped a long stretch of Pacific Northwest basketball battles with Washington.
Altman announced Wednesday that he will retire after 37 straight years as a head coach and 16 seasons with the Ducks. He has led Oregon since the 2010-11 season, and his departure closes the book on one of the defining coaching tenures in the Ducks-Huskies rivalry.
“Tough day. I've had two tough decisions in my coaching career,” Altman said in the news conference."
First one was leaving Creighton. I loved Creighton, I loved my job there.
And this is the second one: leaving a place I love and a job I love. Last March, someone I truly respect, (Michigan State head coach) Tom Izzo, made a comment.
Somebody asked him about retirement and he said 'The minute I don't feel good, the minute I don't feel like I'm giving my (athletic director), president and school every ounce of energy I have every day, or that energy drops, you don't have to worry about me being here.' And I had two weeks off in August, and I thought my energy would return.
And it didn't. Some people I trust and truly respect told me to just delegate more and take it easier, back off a little bit.
And I tried that for a couple weeks in September. And that's not me.
It's not what I've done for 37 years."
For Washington, Altman’s teams were a constant problem in conference play. The Huskies went 10-21 against Oregon during his time in charge, with plenty of those wins coming at Washington’s expense across a rivalry that has carried from the Pac-8/10/12 into the Big Ten.
Oregon has already lined up its next step. Assistant Tony Stubblefield will take over as interim head coach in the 2026-27 season. Stubblefield joined the Ducks’ staff ahead of the 2024-25 season and previously spent three years as head coach at DePaul, where he went 28-54 overall.
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Jedd Fisch has been clear enough that the offensive line picture is still being sorted out, and that alone makes this trip worth watching closely. John Mills is expected to get more run at left tackle, while Kodi Greene is in line for more reps at guard, a sign that Washington is still searching for the right combination before the grind really settles in. The bigger question may be whether Iowa can answer at quarterback, and the early read there does not sound especially encouraging, which leaves the Huskies preparing for a defense-first matchup with one important piece still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]