In my interview yesterday with Rasuli Webster, he told the story of Jason Willis getting popped hard once while making a catch. The trainer brought Willis to the sidelines, and was trying to ascertain if he had a concussion, or if he was fit to return to the game. They weren’t getting very far along with the diagnosis when …
The 1963 Sun Bowl – Casanova’s Lone Bowl Victory
The 1963 Oregon Ducks football team finished 7-3 on the season, accepting an invitation to the 1963 Sun Bowl, where they took on the Mustangs of SMU. Led by Dave Wilcox, the Ducks were a team of over achievers, who banded together to get Len Casanova his only bowl win at Oregon. Oregon’s offense — which finished ranked fourth …
Comparing Mariota to Past Greats: A Brief History of Oregon’s Freshman Quarterbacks
‘Twas the season of freshman quarterbacks, when all through the nation… not a defense could stop them, not even Nick Saban’s.” Ok, so a couple of defenses slowed them down, but you get the point. The impact that freshmen quarterbacks had on the 2012 college football season is undeniable. Johnny Manziel was the first freshman to ever win the Heisman …
Mourning One of Oregon’s Greatest Seasons
Although it may have been bested in 2010 with a perfect campaign, one-loss regular seasons at Oregon are the mark of something very special. In the 67 years since the end of World War II, only the 2001 and 2005 teams have done it. That makes the current season among Duck football’s best of the best. But I’ve got a …
An Oregon Unknown: We Were Never Ducks
When the University of Oregon began searching for an athletic nickname in the late 1800s, the name “Webfoots” was the obvious choice. After all, until 1909 the State of Oregon was known as the Webfoot State. It didn’t become the official moniker of the student body until 1926, when then Oregonian Editor L.H. Gregory submitted the winning choice in the …
Viva Las Vegas: Oregon Lights up the Strip in Air Force domination
Beloved stars Akili Smith, Pat Johnson, and Saladin McCullough shined brightly among the glit of “the strip” of Las Vegas at this time fifteen years ago. To this day, no game in Oregon football history compares to the explosive opening of the 1997 Las Vegas Bowl. Despite their success over the past two decades, no other Oregon game began with …
An Oregon Unknown: Culture Keepers, More Than Win The Day
Win The Day. It’s the mantra of Oregon Football – brought aboard by Chip Kelly the day he became head coach. According to Kelly, that mantra is not just a slogan or some abstract idea, it’s a culture. To have that culture sustain itself, it needs what Kelly refers to as “culture keepers“, players who help the legacy of that …
“Mighty Oregon” Football DVD has it ALL!
For Jerry Thompson, the addiction to Oregon Duck football began 11 days after his sixth birthday, when he watched Oregon play Ohio State in the 1958 Rose Bowl. He and his twin brother Larry wore their new Christmas football uniforms to the game and witnessed the Ducks almost upset the No. 1 Buckeyes in a 10-7 loss. Highlights of that …
Nothing Civil About This War: A Complete History of the Game Against Oregon’s True Rival
There is nothing quite like a college football rivalry game. Mobs of fans in clashing colors meet to fill the stadium regardless of which school is designated the home team for that day, and the only task at hand is to express a mutual and irrational hatred for each other. Some are so big they have to hold it as …
Civil War Week: Remembering Record-Setting UO/OSU contest 15 years ago
November 22, 1997 On this day in Duck history, the 101st Civil War took place at Autzen Stadium. The final home game for 15 seniors who guided the Ducks out of the Pac-10 cellar and to national prominence throughout their careers. From the get-go, Oregon seniors made the most of their final game at Autzen. Senior Pat Johnson took the …
The Impossible Dream: What Winning A National Championship Would Mean
In 1984, Brigham Young University won the Holiday Bowl. It wasn’t a marquee January bowl game, let alone any kind of championship – or so people thought. The game was held before the traditional marquee of New Year’s Day. Many in the college football world, myself included, felt an overwhelming amount of skepticism about BYU being voted champion a week …
15 Year Anniversary: “The Catch” & Upset for the Ages over Washington
Exactly 15 years ago to date, Oregon traveled to Seattle Washington for a date with destiny. The sixth-ranked Huskies were undefeated in conference play; their lone loss coming at the hands of the #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. Incidentally, Washington held the longest conference home winning streak, and Oregon was the last conference team to defeat Washington on Husky Turf during …