Most of you posting in the Our Beloved Ducks forum are not aware of the amazing, crazy background to these two sites, and their founder Charles Fischer. I’ve known “Mr. FishDuck” for a long time, first joining the team as an intern while attending the University of Oregon. Until recently, I had no idea that he was quoted and cited as a source in the Wall Street Journal, or featured twice in the Washington Post. Did you know he out-scooped the entire state sports media and made Chip Kelly agitated at the same time? True story, my friends.
These stories and more are in the newly added “About Us” link at the top of the site next to the Directions. On mobile, you touch the three lateral lines on the upper left and you will see it in the Drop-Down menu that appears. Don’t freak-out when you see it is 4,200 words, as you can just read the short beginning with the 15 bullet-point summary to see the sites’ history and crazy events. If you need more information about any of the bullet-points, find them below the summary with more elaboration.
The sites have cost Charles barrels of personal money and taken a big chunk of his life; why does he do it? When I spoke to him about it, he admitted that he is just “a crazed Duck fan who wanted to create something special for other Oregon fans.” He concedes the two websites have not made money. “I did not register them as a non-profit, but they sure have operated that way,” Charles quipped.
The video above is queued up to show the first time he ever uttered, “Our Beloved Ducks,” and it was not in the script.
Mr. FishDuck loves to write articles purely for fun to publish on FishDuck, although his new baby, the OBD forum, is important to him as “a place to banter-with-his-buddies” about Our Beloved Ducks. In short, he wanted a safe forum for the community to share their thoughts and views, and to write articles on a site independently without cumbersome editorial controls placed upon him. All told, this labor of love has cost him a ton, but he tells me he is “in a happy place right now” with how the OBD forum has evolved, and with the anticipated seven-day-a-week schedule of articles at FishDuck this fall for football season.
Charles truly cherishes the friendships formed with the over 30 volunteers helping with the two sites. (Who assembles a group like that?) He loves talking Ducks on the phone with his Duck-Buddies across the US, as they hoot and holler about a new post on the forum, or reflect upon a recent Oregon football announcement. I’ve had a blast talking about OBD with him, and because we both love to laugh–it is always fun.
As a financial advisor, Charles is now back to work full-time and will soon be beginning workshops with churches and non-profits. For two decades, Charles has given seminars showing retired people how to leave a Charitable Planned Gift much more easily with their current investments, IRAs, and insurance vehicles, coupled with new planning tools not available in the recent past. He has created millions of dollars in Charitable Planned Gifts for charities over the last 20 years, and looks to continue it for a long time. (Know a charity in Eugene that might want to take a look?)
Charles really loved his “Abbie” who appeared in many of his videos.
Charles has taken great pride in helping many of the former FishDuck writers get their first paying gig (myself included), and for a few–helped them get their second job after their education at Oregon. “Get the employer on the phone, and I’ll sell them on the FishDuck associate,” Charles told me. Writers have moved up to larger sites and have become sportswriters at newspapers, even writing for the NFL and NHL teams. Like a coach, he enjoys watching the growth of writers, and shares in their excitement. FishDuck is a unique endeavor he has created for anyone to enjoy. Learn more about it in the About Us link on the front page of the forum.
So I pose the question…what is he? Charles has been much more than an “Ambassador of Oregon Football” at times, but I’m not sure I want to go as far as call him “crazed” either. Let’s decide in the “forum with decorum,” and reflect upon the nearly 11 years (August 7th, 2011) of FishDuck and the Our Beloved Ducks forum!
Jordan Ingram
San Diego, California
Top Photo from Christine Fischer
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Jordan is a lifelong Duck fan currently living in San Diego. Jordan graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, after serving a prestigious fellowship with the Washington State House of Representatives. Upon graduation, he worked as an English language teaching assistant for the Spanish Ministry of Education’s Ambassadorial Program in Monforte de Lemos, Spain. Jordan has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and California, covering a wide range of topics, including sports, local politics, and crime. He is VERY excited to be writing about his beloved Oregon Ducks.