What is FishDuck.com?
Welcome to an Oregon football fan website like none other, in fact there isn’t anything like it anywhere in the World! This website is dedicated to the education and entertainment of Oregon Duck fans everywhere. Charles Fischer and Kurt Liedtke have been veterans of Oregon football message boards/forums for a dozen years, and in the beginning FishDuck.com was simply a place to “store their stuff” as the two wanted to write and create videos. Soon others wanted to share in their vision as they began to augment features to this site after asking, “Wouldn’t that be cool?”
What is FishDuck.com about?
The Fish Tutorials videos are meant to be timeless, as basic explanations of the Oregon Offense. (And later our defense) The Fish Reports will continue to be timely observations and schematic video analysis of games unlike anything done before. These six to eight minute videos are meant for those who want to learn and watch the evolution of the Chip Kelly Offense through the football season. Last year had some DANDY developments that we wouldn’t have known without the advent of High Definition and Slow Motion! Our videos are of the highest digital quality actually exceeding what YouTube can show.
For the more casual fans we now have The FishDuck Minute, which will always be under two minutes and will quickly cover a strategy or play while being fast paced, and set to music with real game footage. It is becoming the Flagship of the site as the majority of people prefer a concise way to learn about our beloved Ducks of which again is unique in college football.
The FishWrap is ongoing daily articles written by eleven authors, of which eight have been professionally published. We have five “Theme” days each week with Monday being devoted to “History of Oregon Football”, Tuesday is all the other sports other than football, Wednesday is always a Recruiting Update day, while Thursday is “Player Day” where we interview our heroes of present and past Oregon teams. “Saturday Spoofs” is meant to take a look at the lighter side of college football, without sparing the fans of the opposition any quarter. Friday and Sunday are Opinion-Editorials, or any free subject those writers prefer since they always deliver such interesting blog entries. FishDuck.com writers are being recognized for their journalist talent, their painstaking research, and their feelings for our beloved Ducks that transcends above the print. We will not have “hit or negative” articles about the players, the coaches, or the university. We let all the media outlets handle that side as they have.
We are now using new technology to create cool new one-on-one interviews with split-screen video! Each participant is on each side of the screen; how cool is that?
The FishBowl is a football message board/forum that is also unique among college football fans as it is the only board where you can start a poll, post a picture, and embed a video! Doing all three at times can be great fun, but what really makes this board special are the people who come to it to learn more about our beloved Ducks from each other.
There are a great number of knowledgeable, intelligent posters who refuse to write/post again on an Oregon football board after having someone jump down their throat at another site because they disagreed on a point of discussion. We, on the other hand, will be ruthless in sorting out the wackos, those who insult, and those who behave unlike a gentleman. They can go to other sites for that, as we want great football discussion, the highbrow stuff, and we will prune out the culls in a hurry to create and preserve a great board for learning.
Everyone will be welcome in The FishBowl, especially the classy fans of other teams to trade info about each other’s teams to enhance the enjoyment of the games for all. But everyone has to be nice, with no insults, names, or any snide stuff. We are Gentlemen here, and we will defend everyone immediately from even the slightest attack. We have no compunction about being callous at eliminating those who pick at others, insult or name-call. We will not tolerate even the slightest passive-aggressive nonsense, or any antagonistically offered “questions” by opposing or our own rude fans.
The FishBowl could emerge with quite a following when intelligent, rational people from all teams realize there is a “safe” place to go to talk football and Xs and Os. We would rather have 100 posters who are good and decent, instead of 10,000 posters who engage in nonsense. There are fewer of the high quality people that are a matchup for a Gentlemen’s board like ours, but the opposite effect could be the result; by pruning out all the culls we could attract the higher quality posters from other places, or the many who currently do not post might now be more inclined to do so with a “safe” place to write.
As it is now…there is no other website like this. With the way we write our articles and create the videos…the atmosphere is different as one of learning and sharing information. If you disagree or have information to add, then do give us the links. I HAVE changed reports/videos in the past and will continue to as I learn from all of you. I will encourage classy fans of other teams to come learn about Oregon and share some Xs and Os about their team. Anyone who is courteous, smart, and pleasant is welcome.
We have many more features to roll-out between now and the next football season, as we strive to become the best overall college football fan website. Yet it is the people who come to FishDuck.com to learn and enjoy Oregon football who make it a success. Ultimately we will be the Rolls-Royce of Football websites—not from the cool features, not from being free to you, but in the quality of membership.
Oh how we Love to learn about our beloved Ducks,
Let’s Meet the Writers
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Blog Authors
Charles Fischer (FishDuck)
Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks for thirty years and has written reports on football boards for over a dozen years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He and his wife Lois, a daughter, Christine, and their dog (Abbie) reside in Eugene, Oregon, where he has been a financial advisor for 27 years serving clients in seven different states. He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…
Kurt Liedtke (Keeerrrttt)
Kurt Liedtke was born and raised in Eugene, OR, the son of two University of Oregon alumni. A 1997 South Eugene High School graduate and lifetime Oregon Ducks fan, he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and has lived in Los Angeles for the past decade working in the music industry. Liedtke has extensive journalism experience, but is perhaps best known for his vast video work, creating large archives of Oregon Ducks sports highlights on Keeerrrttt’s Youtube Channel, garnering over eight million total video views. His videos have been broadcast on ESPN, and appeared in numerous websites and articles from various national publications. He is active on all Oregon Ducks messageboards under the nickname ‘Keeerrrttt1′, and welcomes your feedback at kurt@fishduck.com. See More…
Jerod Young (Jerod)
Jerod was born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where he attended high school with Oregon Ducks safety Patrick Chung, graduating in 2006. Jerod attended Western Oregon University and holds a degree in Communication Studies. Jerod became a sports writer for the university newspaper, the Western Oregon Journal, while also working in the Western Oregon Sports Information Office. In addition to journalism, he worked at the Salem based radio station KYKN where he co-hosted an OSU Beavers Gameday Show, and a Ducks pre-game show, and was a color commentator for high school football games. While he loves Ducks football, to Jerod nothing beats Oregon Ducks Men’s Basketball. He welcomes your feedback. Follow Jerod on Twitter: @Jerod_Young
Follow Jerod on Facebook: JerodYoung87
Mark Flores (Mark)
Mark Flores, a Salem, OR resident, recently graduated from Corban University with a Bachelors Degree in English-Journalism. An Oregon Ducks football season-ticket holder since 2010 with plans of pursuing his masters degree at the U of O, he is a passionate and knowledgeable Ducks fan with a heavy interest in Oregon athletics and recruiting. A former lacrosse player, Flores brings a wealth of knowledge of Oregon teams not readily covered by the media.Flores has over five years of journalism experience, including writing for the Statesman Journal in Salem and holding the position of Sports Editor for the Hilltop News (Corban University). He brings his detailed knowledge of recruiting and athletics to the FishDuck team, and welcomes your feedback.
Author’s Note: “I do not capitalize our rival, “that other school”, nor any other institution outside of our beloved UNIVERSITY OF OREGON. WTD!!!”
Twitter: @MarkDFlores
Canard (Canard)
Since 1998, Canard has been an internet bomb tosser and raconteur, a Ducks freedom fighter known for giving no quarter and expecting none. A loathsome lawyer by training and a professional writer by choice, Canard travels to the back of beyond searching for doogs and beavis fans to torment. Author of “The Washington Myth,” “The ILLiad,” “Escape From Corntucky,” and “The 13 Stages Between Husky Coaching Changes,” you just may have heard of him. If you haven’t, he really doesn’t care.Canard welcomes your comments and/or hate mail as such efforts are grist for the mill.
Chris Charbonnier (Chris)
Chris was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, but made his way to Oregon by the age of five, when he attended his first game at Autzen Stadium. A huge sports fan at a young age, Chris grew up playing football, basketball and golf. Although realizing he isn’t likely to play in the NFL or NBA, Chris still holds on to hopes of being a professional golfer should his unfortunate putting woes take a turn for the better. A bit of a platypus, he attended both Oregon State and Oregon during his collegiate days where he earned a business degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Chris will be moving to Everett, WA to work with Boeing, but plans to return to Eugene to pursue his MBA.Chris has been an active member in the recruiting community since 2005. He studies recruiting in detail and is particularly fascinated by talent evaluation techniques. He is currently working on developing his own scouting reports for every scholarship player on the UO roster. Chris lives with his wife, Katrina, and his 9-month old son Lucas (a future dual-threat QB).
Kim Hastings (Kim)
Kim Hastings is a 1984 graduate of Northwest Christian College. He cut his journalistic teeth as sports editor of a paper in his home town of Fortuna, CA, and, later as a columnist for the Longview Daily News in Longview, WA.He saw his first Oregon game in 1977 and never missed a home game from 1981 until a bout with pneumonia cut his streak short in 1997. He was one of the proud 3200 on a bitterly cold night in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1989 for the Independence Bowl, and continues to be big supporter of Oregon sports. He is an active participant on the various Oregon Ducks messageboards as “TacomaDuck.”
Jared Sawyer (Jared)
Jared Sawyer was born in Eugene, OR and grew up attending games at Autzen Stadium, his family loyal Duck supporters as far back as the 1940s. His undying passion for the Oregon Ducks has been evident in his various projects, both with his Ducks-themed V-log (Video Blog) and his video work as producer/editor of the viral music video hit “O-Time” by Xile.Now residing in Lake Oswego, OR, Jared is an active member of Oregon message boards, a friend and mentor to student-athletes, and all around massive Duck fan.
Follow Jared on Twitter: @jaredsawyer
Follow Jared on Facebook: thejaredsawyer
Josh White (Josh White)
Josh White has been a dedicated Duck fan and relentless follower of the team since the Bill Musgrave days. He has attended (and lost his voice at) virtually every home game and many away games since the late 1980′s, including 81 of the current 82 game sellout streak at Autzen Stadium. A Eugene native, Josh works a full time career in Eugene area real estate, helping people buy and sell residential and commercial properties, and also volunteers with Kidsports and Food For Lane County. He welcomes your feedback.
br>Twitter: @WhiteHouseJosh
Facebook: EugenesBestRealtor
Josh Schlichter (Josh)
Josh is a College Football enthusiast from sunny Southern California. He has written for several self-operated prep sports blogs, as well as multiple SB Nation sites. In High School, Josh played football for four years, and helped create and operate the team’s no-huddle system. Most of Josh’s football knowledge branches from watching College Football his entire life, and is backed up by his first hand experience in both option and spread offenses. Above all, though, he is a proud freshman at the University of Oregon.@joshschlichter
josh@fishduck.com
Steve Maher (Steve)
Steve Maher, who spent 24 years in the newspaper industry as a reporter, columnist, page designer and editor, first learned his craft at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism. From 2005-2011, he served as sports editor of The Wenatchee (Wash.) World. The Portland native, a Jesuit High School alum, has attended roughly 140 Oregon football games since the mid-1970s. His brother, Richard Maher, and nephew and niece, Andy Heily and Courtney Heily, own and operate the Eugene Marathon.
David Melo (David)
Dating back to his childhood in 1993; David Melo has gone to Duck games, practices, and gotten to personally know generations of Oregon Football players. He is a historical stat genius of Oregon football, particularly knowledgeable of the seasons of his childhood/youth years from 1994-mid 2000′s. A big Duck football fan, Melo is known by many former players as the “Stats Guy” for remembering statistics of games and each Oregon team through the years. Melo also has had a personal tradition over the years of e-mailing a list of former players during football season on anniversary dates of milestone victories in Duck history. The tradition continues with a large e-mailing list that grows each year, and to a much larger audience as Melo joins Fish Duck to share his passion of Oregon Football history that got the Ducks to where they stand today.
Brian Libby (Brian)
Brian Libby is a writer, photographer and filmmaker living in Portland. A life-long Ducks football fanatic who first visited Autzen Stadium at age eight, he is the author of two histories of UO football, “Tales From the Oregon Ducks Sideline” (published originally in 2007 and now in an updated and expanded 2011 edition) and “The University of Oregon Football Vault”. When not delving into all things Ducks, Brian works as a freelance journalist covering design, film and visual art. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The Oregonian, Architect, Salon, Metropolis, Sunset and Dwell, among others. Brian’s photographs have been published in many of these same publications, and were exhibited at the American Institute of Architects in 2003 and 2010. His short films have won three Judge’s Awards from the Northwest Filmmakers Festival in Portland; critic Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called the work “hypnotic”. When not screaming his voice away at Autzen , Brian likes to writhe in a fetal position at home worrying about whether the Ducks will maintain their 35-point fourth quarter leads.
Jim Maloney (Jim)
Jim currently resides in Ellensburg, Washington where he has had the opportunity to watch former Ducks such as NaDerris Ward and Scott Grady play for Central Washington University, Jim’s alma mater. However, Jim was born in Eugene and attended Howard Elementary School, and what then called Colin Kelly Junior High School before moving to Washington. Jim began following the Ducks during the 1957 season and had the opportunity to watch a number of games at Hayward Field. Over the years, Jim has developed a wealth of knowledge about Oregon sports history. When not editing on Fanbase.com or working in his garden, Jim manages to find time to practice law.
Tony Demeo (Coach Demeo)
Tony Demeo has 25 years experience as a head college football coach, racking up an overall record of 137-108-4. Coach Demeo recently retired after a six year stretch as the head coach of the University of Charleston, following previous stints at Washburn University, Mercyhurst College, and Iona College. Tony Demeo also spent time as an assistant coach with Richmond, Murray State, Temple, UMass, Delaware, Penn, and Pace University. He has been named Coach of the Year four times, and was elected into the Iona College Hall of Fame in 1997.
Coach Demeo’s “Triple Gun” offense has set numerous records at multiple schools, and he is an expert on spread offenses, having written numerous books and creating tutorial DVDs on the topic, and is a popular speaker at coaching clinics.
Visit http://tonydemeo.com/ for more information.
Jeff Hostetler (Jeff)
Jeff Hostetler may not have won a Super Bowl with the Giants ( though his uncle of the same name did). He has been an obsessed college football fan living in Florida ever since the Gators beat FSU in the Sugar Bowl to earn the UF’s first national championship.
Ever since Jeff has immersed himself in everything possible related to college football. He enjoys watching, writing, playing, and otherwise obsessing over all things football. A graduate of the University of Florida, he brings a perspective to FishDuck free of our extreme green & yellow homerism glasses to look at the current landscape of collegiate athletics.
Mike Morris (Coach Morris)
Coach Mike Morris spent 30 years coaching at seven different high schools throughout Southern California. Coach thought the official FishDuck mascot Abbie deserved to have her own profile picture up on the site.
Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks for thirty years and has written reports on football boards for over a dozen years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He and his wife Lois, a daughter, Christine, and their dog (Abbie) reside in Eugene, Oregon, where he has been a financial advisor for 27 years serving clients in seven different states. He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football!