What happened to Dana Altman? Oregon coach retires weeks before season

Oregon men’s basketball coach Dana Altman has retired effective immediately, the school announced Wednesday, October 7, less than three weeks before the 2026-27 season opener.

Altman, 68, is the winningest coach in Oregon program history, posting a 382-182 record in 16 seasons. He led the Ducks to nine NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 2017.

He was set to start his 17th season with Oregon and 38th overall as a collegiate head coach, amassing a 792-425 career mark across stints at Marshall, Kansas State, Creighton, and Oregon.

Altman said in a statement: “I’ve loved every minute of coaching here, and stepping away is difficult and truly painful. I love coaching, it’s what I know best and what I’ve been fortunate enough to do for almost five decades. It’s been the honour of my life to coach the Ducks.”

Longtime assistant and former DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield will serve as interim head coach for the upcoming season. 

The Ducks struggled last season, finishing 12-20 overall and 5-15 in Big Ten play, their worst record since 2008-09. Altman had recently lamented changes affecting college sports, including NIL and the transfer portal, as Oregon’s roster turned over almost entirely in the offseason.

Altman is the latest coach to retire shortly before a season starts, following Auburn’s Bruce Pearl last year and Virginia’s Tony Bennett in 2024. Oregon was picked to finish 14th in the Big Ten preseason media poll. The Ducks open against Montana on November 2.