Oregon assistant Chris Crutchfield to become new head coach at Omaha, per report
For a second straight season, Oregon head coach Dana Altman will have to replace one of his top assistants on the bench.
Chris Crutchfield joined the Oregon staff last April, coming over from the Division II ranks. He signed a three-year deal with the Ducks worth $375,000 annually, according to The Oregonian. But, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Crutchfield is set to be named the next head coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Omaha is finalizing a deal to hire Oregon assistant Chris Crutchfield as its next head coach, sources told ESPN. Press conference expected on Monday.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 18, 2022
A graduate of the Omaha program, Crutchfield got his first start in coaching with the Mavericks as an assistant in 1995. In 2001, he moved to New Mexico State, where he spent the next four seasons. In 2005, Crutchfield became the director of basketball ops for TCU. His longest-tenured stop was with Oklahoma and head coach Lon Kruger, where Crutchfield coaches from 2011 until 2019.
He joined Arkansas as associate head coach for the 2019-20 season prior to taking the head job at East Central University, where he led the Tigers to a 10-9 record in 2020-21.
Crutchfield landed in Eugene to replace Tony Stubblefield, who left the Ducks after last season to become the head coach at DePaul.
Update (March 18, 8:30 a.m. PT): Omaha has officially announced the hiring.
𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝑪𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅! ⚫️🏀🔴
Dowell tabs Chris Crutchfield as the 22nd head coach of the Omaha men's basketball program. Crutchfield is a former assistant and player.
📰https://t.co/HFp31S5QVd#EveryoneForOmaha | #OmahaMBB pic.twitter.com/4CwlpyVw4b
— Omaha Basketball (@OmahaMBB) March 18, 2022
Said Crutchfield in a release: “I could not be more thankful and excited for the opportunity to return to the university and community that helped shape me into the person and coach that I am today. My family and I would like to thank President Ted Carter, Chancellor Dr. Joanne Li, and Athletic Director Adrian Dowell for the road map to return home. We are looking forward to building something special in Omaha.”