Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Now in his fourth season with the men’s team, Fred Litzenberger is the most experienced member of the staff with nearly four decades on the bench.
A Litzenberger-coached team has won three Pac-10 titles in the last six years and advanced to the postseason each of the last eight seasons. The last three years with the Duck men’s team and six straight years prior to that with the women, Litzenberger has become a fixture in postseason play. He now counts 18 NCAA tournaments during his 37-year coaching career.
Prior to 2001-02 when he brought his tenacity to the Oregon men’s team, the Longmont, Colo., native spent six seasons (1995-01) as a highly regarded defensive tactician for the Oregon women. During his tenure, he helped coach the Ducks to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. His defensive schemes were among the toughest in the nation to crack, as Oregon led the Pac-10 in scoring defense three times under his direction (1995-96/59.2 ppg, 1996-97/59.7 ppg, 1998-99/59.2 ppg) and twice led the league in field goal percentage defense (1998-99/.364, 2000-01/.394).
"Litz" came to Oregon following several stops as a men’s head and assistant coach. He was the head men’s coach at Western State College in Colorado (1994-95) and associate men’s head coach at Northwestern State (1993-94). His collegiate coaching resume also includes a two-year stint as an assistant at Miami, Fla. (1991-93) under Leonard Hamilton, four seasons at Colorado State (1987-91), two at Eastern Washington (1985-87), and five at Fresno State (1981-85).
It was during his stay at Colorado State where Litzenberger first crossed paths with Ducks’ head coach Ernie Kent, when the two were both assistants in the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons under legendary coach Boyd Grant. The two helped guide the Rams in their postseason bids in the 1988 NIT (advancing to the semifinals) and 1989 NCAA Tournament second round after clinching the Western Athletic Conference championship.
In addition to his numerous trips to the NCAA Tournament, Litzenberger’s career features a head coaching ledger of 194-62, 12 20-win seasons, five conference championships four National Invitation Tournament appearances, including an NIT title with Fresno State in 1983. Also, his four-year stint as head coach at Hamline (Minn.) University (1975-79) featured a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1977.
Earning an undergraduate degree in physical education (1968) as well as a master’s (1980) from Northern Colorado, the three-year letterman broke into the coaching ranks as the freshman coach at Berthoud (Colo.) High School in 1966-67. He then became an assistant at his alma mater in 1967-68 before moving to the head coaching job at Middle Park High School at Granby, Colo., in 1968-69. A U.S. Army veteran, Litzenberger was the head coach of the Army team at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona from 1970-71.
His teams have led the nation in scoring defense four times and have been in the top 10 in numerous defensive categories throughout his career. Litzenberger, 58, has produced books and videos on defensive fundamentals that are sold throughout the world. He resides in Eugene.
