Oregon State AD Andros Steps Down to Become Fund-Raiser

Citing a fundamental difference of philosophies, Dee Andros will leave his position as athletic director at Oregon State University effective Feb. 1, the university’s president announced Wednesday.

Andros, 60, will transfer to a fund-raising job that will include a pay raise from his current annual salary of $50,448 to $60,000.

“Mr. Andros and I have differences in philosophy, standards and methods of operation concerning both the role and responsibility of an athletic director,” Oregon State President John Byrne said in a prepared statement.

Byrne, who has been school president since November, has made the athletic department a major focus of his attention. He ended a 35-day search for a football coach by naming Utah State Athletic Director Dave Kragthorpe to the post last Friday.

Andros had urged that Idaho Coach Dennis Erickson get the job.

An interim athletic director is expected to be named Feb. 1, and a search for a permanent successor will begin immediately.

“I don’t know if I’m happy or sad,” Andros said. “I had requested to be transferred to another department. I think this position has been worked out to where it’s satisfactory to me and to the university.”

Andros came to Oregon State as head football coach in 1965. He had a career coaching record of 62-80-2 at Idaho and Oregon State. The highlight of his Oregon State tenure was his 1967 “Giant Killers” who defeated national powerhouses Purdue, UCLA and USC. The Trojans were ranked No. 1 at the time.

Andros resigned as football coach in 1975 following a 1-10 season. Shortly thereafter, he was named athletic director by then-president Robert MacVicar.

Byrne described at length the financial problems in Oregon State’s athletic programs and said he intended to take advantage of Andros’ fund-raising abilities to help solve the problems.