The Surprising Rise of Oregon Basketball in 1944-1945!

Jim Maloney History

Entering the 1944-1945 basketball season, the Webfoots—as the Ducks were then known—were expected to field an inexperienced team that would dwell in the cellar of the Pacific Coast Conference’s Northern Division. Late 1944 was a momentous time. Not only was World War II raging in Europe and Asia, but here in the United States we had a presidential election pending. Locally, …

The Oregon Football Season of Surprising Sophomore Success

Jim Maloney History

The year 1928 was a bright one for Oregon sports but was also a decisive one for the United States as 1928 was a presidential election year. Republican Herbert Hoover versus Democrat Alfred Smith was the main event, but there was also a socialist candidate, Norman Thomas, in the mix. The Democrats tried to claim Hoover was not a United States citizen, however, …