Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek recently announced she hired a tribal affairs director for the first time. Shana McConville Radford is stepping into the role.
McConville Radford recently served as the deputy executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeast Oregon. Communication and transparency are the cornerstone to the state’s relationship with Oregon tribes, said Gov. Kotek.
McConville Radford is now in charge of consultation with tribes and directing state policies. She said she hopes her new position will help the nine sovereign tribes in Oregon be heard in the state’s policymaking and government.
“I think me stepping into this role is really me playing my part,” McConville Radford said. “…Keep our culture alive and keep our traditions alive. Restore our resources and make sure our people are healthy and thriving again.”
Advertisement
McConville Radford said this role has been a long time coming. Washington has had a position like this since 1983. Before that, there was a tribal advisor role that was created in 1969. Although Idaho has people assigned to tribal affairs, there is no director position in the governor’s office there.
Shana McConville Radford is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeast Oregon. (Courtesy of Shana McConville Radford)
Craig Bill – Washington’s tribal director under Governor Jay Inslee – said he thinks it shows a deliberate step by Oregon to elevate tribal engagement at the highest level of state government. He said Oregon’s tribes deserve government-to-government relations.
Since 1999, all agencies within Washington must have a tribal liaison position that reports to senior levels, according to the office of Gov. Inslee.
When asked if Washington’s Indian Affairs director had any advice for McConville Radford – Craig Bill has been in the role since the mid-2000s – he said, “Within this role, when we [Indigenous people] take these positions, we’re caught in a middle position — that’s kind of good. We raise and make sure tribal people are heard and facilitate that at the state level and make sure everyone has the same information.”
Advertisement
According to a state of Oregon press release, McConville Radford brings over 15 years of tribal relations, policy, tribal facilitation, negotiation and intergovernmental relations experience to the role. Beyond her role with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, McConville Radford also served as the superintendent of the Flathead Agency working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She has also worked with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, serving as the health and human services liaison. Before that, she served as a tribal consultant on energy, education and health. During the 2020 Decennial Census, McConville Radford was the U.S. Census Bureau’s tribal and congressional partnership lead in ensuring that Oregon and Idaho’s tribal nations were accurately counted.
“You have to be able to work and understand the systems that impact us essentially,” McConville Radford said. “Back to the very beginning. I have felt those impacts. I know what that feels like. I can see my neighbor or my cousin or my son or whomever, and everyone in Oregon, we all feel the impacts of policy and that’s just my forte, that’s what I’m interested in. That’s where I think I can make a difference, and that’s why I’m here.”
EUGENE — It was the clinch that appeared to be, then wasn’t, then was again.
In a reversal, the Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday that Oregon football (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) has in fact earned a spot in the conference’s championship game. According to multiple sources with knowledge of the discussion, Big Ten athletic directors met virtually Tuesday to discuss the conference’s tiebreakers, and whether Oregon had clinched.
While the conference previously claimed the Ducks needed Ohio State and Penn State to lose this coming weekend in order to secure their spot this week, it may have misinterpreted its own tiebreaking procedures. Oregon appears to have clinched a spot with Saturday’s win at Wisconsin.
“Following a comprehensive evaluation of all possible scenarios over the final two weeks of regular-season play across the conference’s 18 teams, there are no conditions whereby the Ducks do not finish No. 1 or No. 2,” the Big Ten said in a release.
Advertisement
The conference did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Prior to Saturday’s game against the Badgers, the conference told The Oregonian/OregonLive and officials from the Oregon athletic department that even a victory would not secure the Ducks a spot in the Dec. 7 game in Indianapolis. That was the operating assumption as recently as Monday, when The Oregonian/OregonLive reported a follow-up story based on the conference’s interpretation of its tiebreaking procedures.
The Oregonian’s original interpretation of the tiebreaker rules was that Oregon needed only to beat Wisconsin to clinch. That appears to have been true.
While the Ducks’ trip to Indianapolis is finally locked in, their opponent remains a mystery. Indiana, Ohio State and Penn State all still have a path to meet the Ducks at Lucas Oil Stadium.
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
For Oregon Duck fans that were gripping their seats and tracking flight logs to Tuscaloosa, Alabama while unfounded rumors of coach Dan Lanning’s departure ran amok last year; be ready to experience some deja vu.
With the No. 1 Oregon Ducks currently standing at the top of the College Football rankings with an 11-0 record and a likely bid to the Big Ten Conference Championship, there’s a lot of praise coming Lanning’s way as well as a lot of expected rumors towards a potential departure to the NFL.
Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning and former Alabama coach nick Saban / Imagn
In the midst of rumors circulating that Lanning is becoming a prospect for a coaching job in the pros, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky joined “The Next Round Live” podcast to share his own praise for the coach.
“He’s authentic. I think he’s got a no-stone-unturned youth, a Nick Saban youth to him,” Orlovsky said. “Nick Saban is notorious for; there is nothing that is small. Everything is big. I think Lanning has that quality to him.”
Advertisement
Lanning coached under the legendary coach Saban early in his career in 2015 when he was a graduate assistant at Alabama. During that season, Lanning helped the Crimson Tide win yet another National Championship for their dynasty against the Clemson Tigers. After a tenure at Memphis, Lanning went on to coach outside linebackers and eventually become the defensive coordinator under Georgia coach Kirby Smart; another coach Orlovsky lauded kind words to.
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the third quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
“It’s funny, when they beat Ohio State and did that 12-man on-the-field penalty, I said, ‘It’s very clear that we have two elite coaches in college football. Kirby Smart being one and Dan Lanning probably being the second. And people are like, ‘You’re an idiot, this and that,” Orlovsky said.
Lanning’s calling card on the field has been seen this season through gutsy plays and team-involved gestures. The 12-man penalty vs. Ohio State, Dillon Gabriel’s NCAA record breaking touchdown throw to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson during the Maryland game, his “Gladiator” inspired timeout for his athletes to watch Michigan’s stadium clear out (“Are you not entertained?”), and the most recent ploy for the Ducks to crash Wisconsin’s “Jump Around” fourth quarter celebration are all stimulated by Lanning himself. Several of these strategies and play calls have social media sports enthusiasts calling Lanning a “mad man” for his inspired coaching choices.
Despite claiming detractors, to the former 12-year NFL veteran, there’s something very clear about Lanning, who just received a $200,000 contract bonus from the Ducks for beating the Badgers 16-13.
“It’s very clear that Dan Lanning, at worst, is the second-best College Football coach in the country right now,” Orlovsky said.
Advertisement
And with so much positive attention coming the way of Lanning and the Ducks, so do the ever-evolving rumors of a potential Lanning departure. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler brought up Lanning’s name last week when discussing NFL buzz-worthy topics.
“The once-popular trend of plucking college head coaches for NFL jobs has slowed in recent years,” Fowler said. “All but one of the 32 sitting head coaches (Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh, formerly Michigan) came directly from an NFL job. Recent NFL failures of Urban Meyer and Matt Rhule haven’t helped the collegiate pipeline. But a league exec I trust brought up an interesting name to me this week: Oregon’s Dan Lanning. ‘He’s got some Dan Campbell to him,’ the exec said. While Campbell is in his own class right now, Lanning knows how to command a room, and the Ducks are 32-5 since he took over.”
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning gathers his team during a timeout as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It seems Oregon has constantly fielded coach departure rumors for the better part of a decade at this point. From the “blink and you’ll miss it” coaching tenure of Willie Taggart, who left the Ducks after one year for Florida State in 2018, and former coach Mario Cristobal’s unceremonious goodbye to join the Miami Hurricanes in 2022; Duck fans have a history of feeling anxious about their coaches.
However, it seems Lanning might possess a different perspective. Last year, when rumors flew about the young coach departing for the seat retired by Saban at Alabama, Lanning shared a statement that has since become a brand for the program.
“The reality is, the grass is not always greener; in fact the grass is damn green in Eugene,” Lanning said. “I want to be in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me…This is a destination, not just for me but for elite players.”
Advertisement
Lanning appears to be on a quest to prove he can win a championship without the prestige of an SEC or tenured program. His bold moves and gutsy play calling are welcome in a program like Oregon that embraces innovation. Lanning’s continued efforts on the recruiting trail, intentions to include more alumni in the program, and deep family involvement in Oregon culture like the “Heroes” uniforms designed by the Lanning family all indicate deeper roots than a temporary tenure.
As rumors will no doubt continue to swirl around the sports world as Oregon continues their opening season in the Big Ten, it’s a safe bet to think Lanning will stick where the grass is green until other notice.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Peyton Scott scored 17 points and No. 23 Oregon used a fast start to earn a 70-54 victory over Grand Canyon on Monday night, the Ducks’ fifth straight homecourt win.
Oregon now has started the season with five straight wins five times in coach Kelly Graves 11 seasons.
Advertisement
Trinity San Antonio’s layup with 8:10 left in the first quarter put the Lopes in front, 4-2, but Sofia Bell tied the game with a pair of free throws and Scott drilled back-to-back 3-pointers. Nani Falatea matched Scott’s feat in the final three minutes as Oregon put together an 18-6 run to take a 22-10 lead after one quarter and doubled up Grand Canyon at halftime, 36-18.
Scott hit 6 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc to lead the Oregon offense. Amina Muhammad posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Falatea added nine points off the bench.
San Antonio scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished five assists and added four steals to lead Grand Canyon (2-2). Tiarra Brown added 12 points with five rebounds and three assists. Alyssa Durazo-Frescas chipped in 11 points with five rebounds.
Oregon continues its homestand Wednesday when it plays host to unbeaten Auburn (3-0).
___
Advertisement
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
