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On Friday, Oregon announced that they have parted ways Robert Johnson, the team's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. His contract, which expires on June 30th, will not be renewed. He had been with the program for 17 total years.
Oregon's women's distance coach, Helen-Lehman Winters, will take over as the Ducks interim head coach while a national coaching search begins.
Johnson's departure from Oregon track and field comes as a slight surprise, although during the NCAA Outdoor Championships this past spring, running journalist Sarah Lorge Butler asked Johnson about online rumors suggesting that he would not be returning to Eugene. She also asked if the rumors were true.
He commented, "Haven't seen it" to both questions.
At Oregon, Johnson secured a mind-boggling total of 14 NCAA Championship titles across all three seasons of competition. He was responsible for 62 NCAA titles in individual/relay events and led the Ducks to 16 PAC-12 Championship titles across all three seasons.
Johnson's departure will likely create a massive ripple effect throughout the NCAA. The University of Oregon, a school powered by the overwhelming influence and Nike, will surely take aim to find an iconic replacement that continues to keep Oregon at the top of the track and field world.