Dana Altman retires as Oregon's all-time wins leader less than a month before season opener

Dana Altman walked away from Oregon men's basketball on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 — less than a month before the Ducks open their season against Montana on November 2 — ending a 16-year run that made him the program's all-time winningest coach.

I have had to make two really tough decisions in my coaching career. The first was leaving Creighton, a place my family and I dearly loved, to come to Oregon. This is the second. 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. I'm going to miss my coaches, my players and our incredible fans more than I can express. But I know this is the right thing to do at this time.— Dana Altman, retiring Oregon head coach

In 16 seasons, Altman compiled a 382-win record at Oregon — the most in program history — and led the Ducks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, a 2017 Final Four, four Pac-12 regular-season titles, and four Pac-12 Tournament titles. His overall Division I record across 37 seasons at Marshall, Kansas State, Creighton, and Oregon stands at 792 career wins, according to CBS Sports.

The retirement lands at a difficult moment for the program. Oregon went 12-20 overall and 5-15 in the Big Ten last season — the program's worst record since 2008-09 — and was tabbed to finish 14th in the Big Ten in the annual media poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, according to CBS Sports.

Oregon assistant Tony Stubblefield will serve as interim head coach for the upcoming season. Stubblefield was part of Altman's original staff when he arrived in Eugene in 2010, later became head coach at DePaul, and rejoined Oregon's staff in 2024 after being fired by DePaul. As a head coach, Stubblefield carries a 30-66 career record.

Tony has been on Dana's staff for most of his time in Eugene and knows this program as well as anyone. Our student-athletes know him and trust him, and he is the right person to lead the Ducks this season.— Rob Mullens, Oregon athletic director

The timing echoes two recent high-profile departures. Virginia's Tony Bennett announced his retirement on October 18, 2024 — just over two weeks before the Cavaliers' season opener — and Virginia finished 15-17 in his absence under interim Ron Sanchez before eventually hiring Ryan Odom, who led the program to 30 wins in his first season. Auburn's Bruce Pearl announced his retirement on September 22, 2025, after leading the Tigers to the Final Four; his son Steven Pearl was promoted to head coach, and Auburn missed the NCAA Tournament in that first season but won the 2026 NIT. Altman's October 7 announcement falls between those two dates, according to CBS Sports.

With Stubblefield holding the program through the season, Oregon is expected to conduct a national coaching search in the spring. CBS Sports identified Josh Schertz of Saint Louis, Eric Olen of New Mexico, Bryce Drew of Grand Canyon, and Leon Rice of Boise State as names to watch, while noting Stubblefield could remain a candidate if the Ducks perform well — though the team is projected to finish in the bottom half of a loaded Big Ten.

Why it matters — Altman's abrupt exit leaves Oregon — already projected near the bottom of the Big Ten — scrambling to stabilize a program in transition with a first-time interim coach and a season starting in weeks.

Reported by yahoo.com, cbssports.com, goducks.com