Oregon’s Success Doesn’t Depend on Recruiting Rankings

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Oregon will never win any recruiting championships.  While teams such as Alabama, USC and LSU tend to dominate in the rankings, the Ducks rarely crack the top-15.  Year after year they bring in solid, but unspectacular recruiting classes, yet year after year, Oregon takes those same recruits and turns them into champions. Why is that?  What is the key that allows teams without …

The Unholy Mess That Is Football Recruiting

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

National Letter of Intent day has come and gone.  How your Webfoots fared depends on who you ask.  National publications list Oregon’s class in the 22-26 range.  Those posting on Oregon message boards rank the class anywhere from “The bestest class in the history of classes, sure Hall of Famers every one,” to a class on par with the likes …

Smallest Mistakes Have the Biggest Impact

Dean Davis FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

TUSCON, AZ.- The Oregon Ducks jolted out of the snow in Eugene just in time, as they took on Arizona Thursday night.  The Arizona Wildcats proved that they were beatable, as they lost their first game of the year earlier in the week to the Cal Golden Bears, and the Ducks saw this as an opportunity to strike while Arizona …

Oregon Ducks Football: Six Standout Performances From 2013

Josh White History

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 …

The Rise and Fall of the Kamikaze Kids

Jim Maloney History

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 …

Dick Harter — King of the Kamikazes

Jim Maloney Men of Oregon: Players and Coaches

For a school that boasts an NCAA title and two Elite Eight appearances this century, its noteworthy that its teams from nearly four decades ago would remain arguably the most memorable and popular in program history.  The “Kamikaze Kids” are legends at Oregon, as is the man who led them: Dick Harter. Harter’s arrival at Oregon can be traced back …

Oregon Football Recruiting Analysis: Grading the Class

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

National LOI signing day is a lot like Christmas for those of us who follow recruiting. A few of us have rich parents and expect the world, while others come from blue collar families.  All of us wake up early and wait in agony for mom and dad to come downstairs so that we can start opening presents.  Sometimes, we …

Tribute to Outstanding Golden Receiver Who Still Shines in Eugene

FishDuck Staff Men of Oregon: Players and Coaches

The wide receiver position is a major key to success in football.  Throughout the years, Oregon has had many well-known WRs become very successful.  One receiver in particular shined brightly at Oregon in only a two-year career (JC transfer) and made a greater mark in that time than many.  Having the Oregon great Joey Harrington to throw his way greatly aided …

Recruiting Update: JuJu to add to Eugene Brew?

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Football Recruiting News It’s here. National Signing Day.  The stakes couldn’t be any higher for Oregon as it enters one of the most pivotal phases in program history.  Chip Kelly is now fully in the rear-view mirror in the minds of recruits.  How will head man Mark Helfrich fare on the final day of his first full recruiting cycle? Oregon …

The BEST Zone Blocking Analysis on the Web

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Fish Reports, FishWrap

  Coach Levi Steier gave us an analysis of Zone Blocking that had been a regular article in our “FishWrap” in the past.  It was such an extraordinary article that I placed it in our Offensive Tutorials in the “Directory” (tab at top of site) and tons of coaching sites found it.  I was astounded to see the year end …

Should Targeting Be a Felony?

Mike Merrell FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

We all love rock ’em, sock ’em football, but with all the recent concern for player safety, we need to give thought to just what can be done to make the game safer for the players.  Basically there are only two ways to do this: more protective equipment and further regulating the conduct of those involved in the game. You …

Oregon’s Top ‘Recruits’ Add Nothing to Recruiting Rankings

FishDuck Staff FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

A little over a month ago, Budda Baker, a prized recruit out of Bellevue High School in Washington, had Duck fans screaming with joy and Husky fans howling in agony when he announced he was going to play football at Oregon.  It sounded great — here comes the next De’Anthony Thomas!  But two weeks ago he made a U-turn that …