Kelly returns to Pac-12, agrees to deal with Bruins
LOS ANGELES — Chip Kelly is headed to UCLA with plans to create another Pac-12 powerhouse.
The coach who helped changed college football with his groundbreaking offense at Oregon agreed to a five-year, $23.3 million deal on Saturday to return to the sideline with the Bruins.
Kelly, who turned 54 on Saturday, spent the past year out of coaching after four seasons in the NFL. He entertained serious overtures from Florida this month before deciding to take charge of the sleeping giant of a program at UCLA, which hasn’t won a conference title since 1998.
“I am thrilled to welcome Chip Kelly to Westwood,” UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said. “His success speaks for itself, but more than that, I firmly believe that his passion for the game and his innovative approach to coaching studentathletes make him the perfect fit for our program.”
Kelly replaces Jim Mora, who was fired last Sunday with one game left in his sixth season in Westwood.
Kelly won three conference titles and reached four major bowl games in just four seasons (2009-12) in charge of the Ducks, who were turned into a marvel of exciting football by his no-huddle spread offense and up-tempo approach to almost everything they did.
Oregon went 46-7 during his tenure, reaching the BCS championship game after the 2010 season and also playing in two Rose Bowls and a Fiesta Bowl.