The Oregon Ducks are proud members of the Pac-12 conference and have been, with the exception of five years in the early sixties, since it was known as the Pacific Coast Conference. So how did we get from the PCC to the Pac-12? The PCC was formed on December 2, 1915, in a meeting held at the Imperial Hotel in Portland, …
The NFL Draft has been in place for nearly 80 years, and in that time it has changed significantly. With no Internet, no combine, and few formal scouting reports, executives used to draft players that they had never seen work out and, in many cases, had never even seen on film. At the time of the first draft in 1936, the NFL minimum salary …
Rivalries are a compelling part of all sports and play an important role in every team’s season. The Oregon Ducks have cultivated their share of rivalries; some include a storied history, while others have developed more recently. No matter how long its existence, a rivalry makes the week preceding the game that much more fun. Washington Huskies The sign in the photo above is just a …
In all sports, rivalries are an essential part of what makes a sport fun to watch or participate in. Whether its the Dodgers-Giants rivalry in MLB, the Lakers-Celtics in the NBA or the 49ers-Rams in the the NFL, rivalries are an important part of sports. The Oregon Ducks have their own share of rivalries, some with a storied history, while …
Every team has a “Trap” play in it’s offense, and as a high school offensive lineman I loved to pull in a “Tackle Trap” and nail the first defensive lineman who showed up in front of me. You blast them from the side, and usually you have caught them by complete surprise. It seemed like such a natural play for the …
The Oregon football team has begun their annual Spring practice period, and will be breaking in a new Defensive Coordinator for the first time since 1999. The now-retired Nick Aliotti had been a part of the Duck football landscape off and on since 1978. He was on the sidelines when the Gang Green defense roamed the Autzen turf and when …
For many college football fans, the Oregon football program was not taken seriously before 1994, when Kenny Wheaton picked off Washington quarterback Damon Huard’s pass and took it 95 yards the other way to propel his Ducks into their first Rose Bowl since 1958. Since then, the Oregon Ducks have represented the future, especially since Chip Kelly took over as …
What were a person’s entertainment choices in Eugene on a Tuesday night in February, 1943? It was the height of World War II and choices were limited. You could go dining and dancing at The Holland, go ice skating, or catch a double feature at one of the area theaters. There was one other option on February 1st. You could …
When the clock hits zero at the Super Bowl, it also serves as the conclusion to the football season each year. Seemingly long after all of the bowl games have been played at the college level, the NFL has a way of temporarily filling the void before dropping fans into the abyss of the long off season. Events like National …
Following Oregon’s disastrous 1971-72 season, Dick Harter was finally able to land his first outstanding recruiting class that included guard Ronnie Lee, guard/forward Mark Barwig, forward/center Bruce Coldren, and center Geoff Nelson. Along with the holdovers from Harter’s 1971-72 team, five sophomores from the 1971-72 freshman team, and three walk-ons, the four freshmen would form the original version of the …
In just his first season as Oregon’s head coach, Mark Helfrich accomplished something that Chip Kelly never did in his four years as the Ducks’ head coach. Mark won a game that was decided by a field goal or less coming from behind in the last minute. But it wasn’t just what he did, it was how he did it …
The Oregon men’s basketball team is currently in a dogfight for the PAC-12 title and, barring a total meltdown, will almost certainly reach the NCAA tournament in March. How far into the tournament can this team go? That same question was being asked in 1960. The 1958-1959 version of the Ducks basketball team had not fared well, finishing with a 9-16 record. The …