49ers Hire Chip Kelly As New Head Coach
SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) -- The San Francisco 49ers have hired Chip Kelly as the 20th head coach in the team's history, looking to the offensive-minded coach to jump-start the franchise back to prominence after its fall from the NFL elite.
Kelly was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles in December after three seasons as the team's head coach. He gained national recognition with his winning teams at the University of Oregon.
49ers CEO Jed York announced the hiring on Twitter Thursday morning. "After a thorough search, (general manager) Trent (Baalke) & I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new #HeadCoach of the @49ers."
The 52-year-old Kelly was 26-21 in three seasons as the Eagles' head coach. He takes over for Jim Tomsula, who was relieved of his head coaches duties by the 49ers after just one season and a 5-11 record.
"Chip has a proven track record at both the college and NFL levels that speaks for itself," York said in a prepared statement. "We believe strongly that he is the right man to get this team back to competing for championships. I look forward to watching Trent and Chip work closely to build a team that will make us all proud."
"Chip possesses all the qualities we were looking for in our next head coach," said General Manager Trent Baalke in the statement. "He has demonstrated the ability to be innovative everywhere he has coached and has had great success throughout his career. Chip's passion for the game and vision for the future of this team clearly stood out to us during the search process. He is an extremely driven individual that I look forward to working with."
In the statement from the 49ers, Kelly addressed the team's high expectations. "I would like to thank Jed, Trent, and the York family for this tremendous opportunity to be the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers," Kelly said. "As one of the most historic franchises in the National Football League, I realize the high standards and expectations that this position demands and I embrace the challenges ahead. My immediate focus is to build the best coaching staff possible, one that will maximize the abilities of each of our players and put us in the best position to win football games."
It's believed that Kelly's arrival with the 49ers enhances the probability the team would keep quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who possesses the mobile attributes Kelly has used with his previous quarterbacks.
At Oregon from 2007 to 2012, Kelly compiled a 46-7 record featuring a hurry-up offense that often overwhelmed its opponents. The Ducks reached BCS bowl games in his first four seasons as head coach and were Pac-10/Pac-12 conference champions from 2009-2011.
Kelly was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2010.
The 49ers said due to scheduling contraints having to do with Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium, Kelly would be introduced at a press conference next week.
Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.
