What Dana Altman Said About Emotional Retirement, Interim Coach Tony Stubblefield

Oregon Ducks basketball coach Dana Altman announced his retirement on Wednesday, and he held a press conference in the afternoon to share his thoughts behind the decision. After spending 16 years as the coach at Oregon, an emotional Altman revealed an update to his health as well as his opinions on the changes that college sport has witnessed.

Altman did not let his complaints with the new system go untold, and the former Ducks coach let his thoughts be known about NIL, agents, and more for one final time on Wednesday. Still, Altman emphasized that the biggest factor in his decision to retire came from the lack of energy he feels is appropriate to lead the Ducks.

Dana Altman on His Retirement

oregon ducks dana altman retirement press conference tony stubblefield rob mullens big ten nil transfer portal — Mar 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at United Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I'll apologize up front," said Altman, fighting back tears. "Tough day. I've had two tough decisions in my coaching career. First one was leaving Creighton. I love Creighton. I loved my job there. And this is the second one. Leaving another place I love and a job I love."

"And last March, someone I truly respect, 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 I'm giving my AD, 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. And some people I trust and truly respect told me just to delegate more and take it easier back off a little bit. And I I tried out for a couple weeks in September and that's not me. It's not what I've done for 37 years," an emotional Altman continued.

"And so I always ask the players to look in the mirror and ask themselves if they're giving everything they have to be their best. And for us to be a good team, they have to look in that mirror and be their best. And I looked in the mirror, and I'd be a hypocrite if I lied to myself and said I was the best coach for the job.

"I think Tony will do a better job than than I would with this team. He's got more energy, he's ready. The guys believe in him, and I think he'll do a great job. And I'll be here for him. I told Rob, I'll do whatever the university wants me to do. I'll do whatever Tony wants me to do in any capacity as much as he wants me or as little as he wants me around, I'll be there."

"I love the place. We got a good team. Very talented. Young guys that are really good, and I think they'll do a a great job. So I didn't know you guys (the team) were going to be here. I thought we said everything this morning and I embarrassed myself, being emotional and but you guys (the team) mean a lot to me. And this place means a lot to me, so going to be hard transition."

"To be real honest, the first year I was here, I had a really hard time, leaving something I knew, and I was miserable. And I learned to love the place, but I'm going to be miserable this year, no matter what. Watching the games and missing practice, and I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do not going to the office every day, and the yellow pads will take a breather. I've wasted a lot of them, but I'm really gonna miss it. I'm gonna miss you guys. So Rob cover me here and say something," Altman said.

Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens proceeded to point out a few of Altman's career accomplishments, which include winning 382 games in 16 seasons with the Ducks. Altman also ends his career with the 15th-most wins in NCAA history.

How Health Played Into This Decision

"It was a factor. I had a physical last month, and I'm not as healthy as I should be. I'm not as healthy as I want to be. Nothing serious, nothing life threatening, nothing like that. But I'm 68, and I want to hang around for a while and, you know, these guys don't let you sleep."

"And at 68, anybody who's 68, or older gentlemen in the room, they know, you know, you got to get up every night to go to the restroom and and then you're thinking about those guys you don't get back to sleep. And so nothing serious, but I'm, I'm not as healthy as I should be or that I want to be. But it's it's just a small factor in this decision. The main factor is, I looked in the mirror and I'm not the guy to take these guys where they can get to. Guys feed off energy. They feed off confidence."

"And if I don't have that energy and that confidence for them to feed off, you know, I'm not the leader. And there's so many guys, you know, that I respect that, you know, Kelvin Sampson, Rick Barnes, those guys are older than I am, but they they're still getting it done. But we all have standards. You know, I'm I'm not trying to act like, but I just I'm not going to be able to perform to my standard."

"And, like I said, in two weeks in September, 'Okay, Tony, you're the defensive coordinator' and got a new assistant, 'Tom, you're the offensive coordinator. I'm going to step back.' And, that lasted about two days, you know, and it's just not that I have coach for 37 years. I got a big mouth. I talk all the time. I yell all the time and, you know, Sean and guys who have been around for a while, they probably recognize. you know, I wasn't the same guy. I'm sure the coaches did."

"Tony's been with me 13 years, Josh 14, Scott's been around now for six. These guys have been around me. Fish, 20 some, Kevin, 20 some. You know, they they had to notice, you know, and then it's just a matter of time before the players knew it. You know, you you can't fool them. I mean, if you're not all in, I'd expect them to be all in. And if I didn't have the energy and that to do the job, and I don't want to cheat them. And so that's a long answer to a short question."

Changes to College Sports Landscape

"First of all, the people at the university and the people are surrounding our university. . . we're not at the top of the league, you know, we're not at the bottom. And these guys are all well compensated. And I said 30 years ago that we ought to be giving the players something. I mean, football players are out there tearing their bodies up and, you know, played in front of huge crowds, they should have been getting something."

"These guys, you can't brag about making a billion dollars in your basketball tournament and not give the fellas something. I mean, so now the pendulum is swung, and can we sustain it? I don't know. I know if we didn't have great fans and great boosters, we couldn't do it. I don't want to be an old fuddy duddy and say how you know, 'It is what it is.' I think some of the younger coaches are having an easier time adjusting than some of the old farts."

"I had a conversation with a couple of coaches, that have been mentors to me, and you know what's funny? You don't see many old players giving money back in NIL. And I got Jordan Bell all my staff now and he came here for three years and he bust his ass for nothing. And, Dillon Brooks and those guys, Payton (Pritchard), are making a lot of money, but I don't see a lot of people across the country giving money back players, because like 'We did it for this.' Maybe they're jealous, but it's it's a different time, a different thoughts."

And I hope these guys aren't here just because we're paying them. I hope they're here because they want to be their best. They want to get a degree, want to be part of something special. That's why I hope they're here for it. And if they are, they're going to have a great experience, right, Jordan? If they're there for that reason, where's Tajuan (Porter)? Is Tajuan here? Tajuan, had a great experience, right? Four years. And so that's why I brought those guys back.

"I want them to know, this is a great place where you're getting paid or not. This is a great place, great place to get better, great place to compete. And they did it for nothing. They came here because they loved the place. And stayed because they loved the place, and I'm hoping that's what these guys do that they're here for the right reasons and they stay because they love this place like those guys did."

"And so, yeah, it's a different time. Different era. And it's it's been a hard adjustment for me. I like I other press conferences I've done, I'm done dealing with agents because all I did was argue with them and got combative, and so then we lost players because I you know, I just didn't want to listen to them. We used to have the parents, AAU coaches, girlfriends, I was about sixth on the list. Well, then you had agents, now I'm seventh on the list of people they listen to. So, no, it's it's just a different time."

Dana Altman on His Oregon Legacy

"Well, I don't know about that, you know that's these guys, the players," Altman said, fighting back more tears. "And great staff. And 16 years of great support. You know, I joke about it, but I've seen five football coaches come and go, and four presidents. So I've hung on for a while. But I'm just saying you know, I hope people remember these guys for how hard they played and the love of the game they had.

"I could call from Payton and you know, I'd think about Dillon Brooks all the time and the crap he catches. The guy loves the game. I mean, he plays hard. He makes every team better. I hope people remember, you know, the guys in the last 16 years that love the game. N'Faly Dante fighting back from knee surgeries to to help us. Nate Bittle, battled his tail off last year with two really bad ankles, but, you know, wanted to help the team. Those things, God, they mean so much."

"So other than I hope they say at worked hard and that my teams played hard," an emotional Altman continued. "Other than that, I'm just a caretaker. Oregon basketball's gonna be great moving forward. It was good before I got here, and it's going to be even better after I leave. I was just a caretaker for 16 years."

"And Tony's going to do a great job. Tony's energetic, and he didn't have a chance at DePaul. He was there the first year they were 500, then, he didn't have any money, and if you don't have any money, Kelvin Sampson made a great statement. He said that the school's expectations should match their financial commitment. Because in this day and age, you got to have the resources to compete. And Tony didn't have them at DePaul, so I I think he got raw deal there. I know what he can do."

"I've watched him for 13 years. He's been on my staff. and uh I watched his team that first year at the Paul. They played their ass off. So I got no doubts what he's going to do for this team and I have complete faith in what he'll do."

So, again, I've had great staffs, unbelievable players to work with. Guys that put up, you know, Nate Bittle five years. You know, I don't know if we'll have any more of those guys anymore, but Nate five years, Dante, you know, four. Will Richardson five, Payton four, these guys (Jordan Bell and Tajuan Porter) three. You know, I mean, I go down the list and I can't name everybody.

"You know, I couldn't call everybody today. I called a few of the boosters and a few of friends, you know, but I couldn't reach out in a half time to call everybody and thank them for everything they've done for my family and for this program and the university.

"So, I don't know what legacy other than I worked hard, my teams played hard. Because I think they did. I think I think our teams played hard, and when we got the presses going, I was trying to convince these guys to get the presses going, you know, they're all worried about shooting it. We got to worry about guarding somebody, but I think they'll be they'll be playing hard. They're really athletic and really long athletes that can get a lot of deflections and get a lot of things going with their defense. So, I think they'll continue that," said Altman.

How Last Season Impacted His Decision

"It took a toll. You know, pat myself . . . that was our first losing season in 30 years. And it took a toll. But you know, I thought I'd was get my energy back, but it definitely was a tough year, and God I hope you're not only as good as your last game or your last year because we weren't very good, but you know, losing's no fun."

"Losing takes a toll, especially on these guys. You know, I'm lucky to do it for 46 years. 37 division one head coach, but done it for 46 years, had 46 teams. And, you know, I just thought there would be another one. So, losing on these guys is a lot harder than it is, because I always had another season to look forward to. And you know, I didn't I didn't want to end on that."

"But, you know, my ego and, that not a reason to come back and coach if you're not the best. So, didn't want to end that way, but that's not a reason to stay. If you're not if you're not gonna do the job the best you can. and that's any profession, you probably all let somebody who who can do it better do it."

Wanting to Reaching 800 Wins

"It was tougher to walk away from being a loser. No, it's tough. There's only been 13, 14 guys that have done it, so it would've been nice. But, that's selfish. Even trying to come back, if you know you're not the best is selfish. And this is an unselfish game. Basketball, moving, making the best play, it's an unselfish game. And the more unselfish your team is, the better it's gonna be."

"I thought hanging around to get eight more wins was selfish."

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