Sabrina Shaffar-White married her husband, Adam White, in the backyard of their Redmond home this past August in an Oregon Duck football-themed wedding.

Adam donned a No. 24 jersey of Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, and Sabrina sported a white wedding dress with Oregon Duck rain boots.

The couple even invited Chip Kelly to the ceremony. He did not attend or even RSVP, but Shaffar-White was not upset.

She was, however, upset with Kelly on Wednesday morning, when news broke that the innovative Oregon head coach had taken the head coaching job with the National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles just two weeks after he had said he would stay at Oregon.

“I was hoping that he wouldn’t (go to the NFL),” said Shaffar-White, who was shopping at the Duck Store in Bend on Wednesday. “It’s a bummer, but we’ll be just fine. We have other coaches that can help us out. Mark (Helfrich) already knows what he’s doing.”

It was widely reported last month that Helfrich, offensive coordinator for Oregon, would be promoted to head coach should Kelly leave. Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a press conference Wednesday that the university would interview multiple candidates and that “a few” Oregon assistant coaches were interested in the position.

Meanwhile, Duck fans in Central Oregon expressed emotions ranging from shock to irritation to ambivalence.

In four seasons at Oregon, Kelly guided the Ducks to three conference championships and four straight Bowl Championship Series bowls, including a win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3. After that win, many assumed Kelly was going to the NFL right away after interviewing with the Cleveland Browns and the Eagles. But Kelly decided to stay at Oregon. But this week, in an apparent change of heart, Kelly chose to go to the NFL after all.

Kelly leaves Oregon as the NCAA is still investigating the program for possible recruiting violations while Kelly was at the helm. The program could be punished with sanctions. And signing day for recruits is just three weeks away, so the effect on prospective new Ducks could be significant.

“I was a little irritated, just by the fact he waffled back and forth about whether or not he was going to go,” said Shane Caito, bar manager at Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Bend and a lifelong Duck fan. “Two weeks ago he said, ‘Nope, I’m going to stay at Oregon,’ which appears to be a big lie. If he was gonna go, I wish he would have just gone as soon as the (Fiesta Bowl) was over, instead of going back and forth about what he was going to do. I feel like he was being dishonest to the Oregon staff and their fans, and the team for that matter.”

Other Duck fans in Central Oregon were not terribly surprised or even bothered by Kelly’s decision to leave Eugene for the NFL. Many saw it as an expected career move for a coach who has experienced so much success at Oregon, turning the Ducks into a perennial national power.

“It’s not too terribly surprising,” said Lael Gregory, who was part of a lively lunchtime discussion at Sidelines on Wednesday. “I kind of stopped thinking about it, but knowing that he’s been wanting to (go to the NFL) for a while, it doesn’t make it terribly surprising. He’s given us four good years, and I assume that’s what he’s always wanted to do, is get to the pinnacle of his sport. I don’t look at it as a betrayal at all.”

Mullens, the UO athletic director, certainly did not appear flabbergasted in Wednesday’s press conference. He patiently answered questions about Kelly’s decision and about the Ducks’ search for a new coach. While Helfrich is certainly the front-runner for the job, Mullens did not tip his hand as to whom he expects to hire.

And Mullens, like many fans, did not sound as if he was surprised by Kelly’s change of heart.

“Ironically enough, someone asked me a few days ago if I was relieved (after Kelly’s original decision to stay at Oregon),” Mullens said. “I said I’m not going to be relieved until all the NFL jobs are filled.”

Gregory said he hopes that Mullens hires Helfrich, who is intimately familiar with the details of Oregon’s vaunted fast-paced spread offense.

“He knows the speed of the game, he knows the players,” Gregory said of Helfrich. “Not a whole lot would change. The infrastructure is still there. I’m OK with that. I figure Kelly’s probably been getting him ready for this anyway. I’m more concerned with what it’s going to do for our recruiting right off the bat.”

At the Duck Store in Bend on Wednesday, 60-year-old Dennis Ramey, of Gilchrist, was on a shopping trip with his wife. The Duck fan of 20 years learned of Kelly’s decision when he was asked to comment on it for this story. He was not shocked by the news. He did, however, express concern that part of Kelly’s leaving might be to escape NCAA sanctions.

“If he’s leaving because he did something bad, he needs to stay there and take his medicine and go from there,” Ramey said. “I hope that’s not why he’s leaving, I really do.”

Mullens said he did not believe that possible NCAA sanctions were a factor in Kelly’s decision. And then he explained what type of coach Oregon is looking for.

“What we want is someone who understands the culture — it is unique here,” Mullens said during Wednesday’s press conference in Eugene. “We want someone with proven excellence who’s been around winning programs. Because the expectations for this program have shifted.”

As have the expectations of its fans.

Chip Kelly was named the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Wednesday. He’ll be leaving Oregon after lifting the football program to a perennial power in four seasons as coach. After flirting with the NFL two weeks ago, Kelly decided to stay at UO. But in a change of heart, Kelly chose to leave for the NFL after all. See stories in Sports, C1.