Photo courtesy of University of OregonDan Fouts, a longtime Sisters resident and Pro Football Hall of Famer, started three years at quarterback for the Oregon Ducks from 1970-72.

Dan Fouts remembers the moment four years ago when he ran into Rich Brooks at the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona.

He wanted to give the former Oregon coach some credit for the success of the Ducks football program, which had risen to national prominence under coach Chip Kelly.

“I got him alone for a minute and said, ‘You are responsible for this, you started this,’ ” Fouts recalls telling Brooks, “and thanked him for his contribution. From him, to (Mike) Bellotti. That’s been the trademark, is stability, and the stability in the coaching staff. I mean, you’ve got coaches who have been there forever. And that says a lot about the school, and it says a lot about the program.”

The Ducks, now in their second season under Mark Helfrich, are back in national title contention, set to face Florida State in the national semifinal Rose Bowl game on New Year’s Day.

Fouts — the longtime Sisters resident who starred as a quarterback at Oregon (1970-72) before his Hall of Fame NFL career with the San Diego Chargers (1973-87) — believes the Ducks can now “be up there every year.” It all started with Brooks leading Oregon to the Rose Bowl in the 1994 season, its first since 1958.

“That’s 20 years of being there, and being a contender,” Fouts says. “It’s all about recruiting, and the Ducks have been able to recruit and attract the top players, and that all goes with winning. It goes hand in hand.”

After Brooks, coaches Mike Bellotti, Kelly, and now Helfrich have continued to lead Oregon to success. Kelly, who led the Ducks to that 2011 title game and four straight BCS bowl games and is now coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, often receives most of the credit. Helfrich has said putting his personal stamp on the program and stepping out of Kelly’s shadow are not important to him. For Helfrich, making the Ducks HIS team, Fouts notes, has not been a priority.

“I’m sure that wasn’t his goal,” Fouts says. “His goal was to win every game he coached in. It’s not easy to follow a successful coach like Chip Kelly. When you look at (former San Francisco 49ers coach) George Seifert (who followed the legendary Bill Walsh), he won two Super Bowls, and he never even gets a mention as a Hall of Famer. What Mark has done has been remarkable, because he’s maintained and even surpassed Kelly in some regards.”

Fouts gives Helfrich credit for shaping the Ducks’ star quarterback, Marcus Mariota, into a Heisman Trophy winner. The day after Mariota’s emotional Heisman acceptance speech, Fouts — who has been in broadcasting for 27 years and is now a color commentator for NFL games on CBS — was on the air and took the opportunity to give a shout out to his “fellow Duck” and newly coronated Heisman winner.

“That’s an all-time achievement for everyone involved in the program,” Fouts says. “Helfrich, who was his offensive coordinator when he first got here, helped mold him, and you know, got him to the point he’s at.”

Oregon has a long history of outstanding quarterbacks. Just since Fouts, the list of star Duck signal-callers includes Chris Miller, Bill Musgrave, Danny O’Neil, Joey Harrington, Dennis Dixon and Darron Thomas.

Asked if Mariota is the greatest Oregon quarterback ever, Fouts does not hesitate.

“No question,” he says. “You can’t argue with his numbers, and the person that he is. It’s just a real joy to watch him play. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s so deserving of this honor. I’m looking forward to watching him at the next level.”

Fouts calls Mariota the “whole package,” noting that he consistently makes good decisions, which is crucial in Oregon’s fast-paced spread attack.

“He’s a bright young man, considerate, compassionate, and he’s a cool leader,” Fouts says. “By that I mean he always seems to keep his cool when everything else is falling around him.”

Fouts led the NFL in passing yards four straight years from 1979 to 1982, and he became the first player in league history to throw for 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. One of the most prolific NFL passers of the ’70s and ’80s, he made six Pro Bowls and in 1993 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

At Oregon in the early 1970s, Fouts set 19 school records, including those for career passing yardage (5,995) and total offense (5,871 yards). Mariota now holds those Oregon records — with 10,115 career passing yards and 12,261 yards of total offense — and many more.

So, if Mariota is the best ever quarterback at Oregon, is Fouts a close second?

“No, I don’t think so,” Fouts says. “After what he’s done in his career, I think there’s a big gap between him and whoever is second.”

Fouts says he likes Oregon’s chances against Florida State, the defending national champion and winner of 29 consecutive games. But Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston, the 2013 Heisman winner, will be a serious test for the Oregon defense, Fouts notes.

“This is a great quarterback and a very confident team,” Fouts says of Winston and the Seminoles. “You can’t argue with the wins in a row that they’ve had. Their grit to come from behind in games and close out close games, they have something special going on.”

Fouts never had the chance to play in a bowl game for Oregon, as the Ducks suffered a postseason drought from 1963 until 1989, when Brooks led them to an Independence Bowl victory over Tulsa.

“We would have liked to have gone to a bowl game, but that’s the way it was then,” Fouts says. “I’m happy for the kids nowadays. They get that experience, but they also get the extra practice time, which is huge for that age group, to get more reps and more practice time.”

Fouts, who moved to Sisters in the late ’70s when he was playing for the Chargers, is usually busy either covering NFL games or partaking in another of his passions, golf. But he always makes time to catch Oregon football games on TV, and he says he has not missed one this season.

Great quarterbacks, it would seem, enjoy watching other great quarterbacks.

— Reporter: 541-383-0318,

mmorical@bendbulletin.com