The argument goes something like this: Since the state of Oregon produces so few elite athletes, when they do come along, they simply must become Ducks. Otherwise, the Ducks are in big trouble, with all of the huge recruiting disadvantages they have to try to overcome. Don’t get me wrong. It’s great when an in-state athlete works out well. I’m …
Dan Fouts is the hall of famer. Marcus Mariota is the Heisman Trophy winner. Joey Harrington is the state of Oregon’s favorite son. And Chris Miller? Well, he’s just the one who started it all. “Started what?” you’re asking. Started the winning. As we hit the thirty-year mark of Miller being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons with the 13th overall pick in …
It used to be that Oregon fans made light of the other teams in the Pac-12 for their roller coaster seasons. You know the ones I’m talking about. Where they have pre-season hopes, maybe some hype around a returning quarterback or running back, maybe even a pre-season ranking, then fall flat on their face against some middling competition. Only they …
Spoiled. Of the hundreds of words spoken on that show, it was the one that resonated. Yet, unlike most sports talk shows, that label wasn’t thrown at a player, but this time aimed at fans. Not the fans of the opposing team, either, but the very fans of the team around which the program centered. It was an episode of CSNNW’s ”Talkin’ …
At the University of Oregon, football is a great tradition. The Ducks are now known to be a powerhouse in the Pac-12, finishing second with a record of 9-3 last year. The Ducks have produced special players since the beginning of the football program in the late 1890s. Every year Oregon recruits players around the country with hopes they will take the team far …
Once again Oregon is heading into a pivotal matchup with Stanford. Oregon is going to be unranked in this game for the first time since 2008, but the same story line between them remains. In games with Stanford there is a long history of season spoiling between the two. From the early 2000’s until now whenever these teams played, one of …
Vernon Adams was given an impossible task — be the quarterback who replaces Marcus Mariota. Media and fans tried to temper expectations, but it was clear from early on; no one said they expected Adams to be Mariota, but secretly they were evaluating his performance based on the same standards — winning the first Heisman Trophy in school history can …
The way many people view Oregon football today is how it has been portrayed over the last five years. Everything about Oregon is cutting edge, futuristic, and new. The true fans know that this is not Oregon football. While all of the buildings and the uniforms are great, they are simply a by-product of what has been a solid foundation. It has gotten to …
Back before Marcus Mariota, Darron Thomas, and even before Dennis Dixon, Oregon had another famous quarterback or two. Of this lot, only Joey Harrington had Oregon’s interest from birth. Born to former Oregon quarterback John Harrington, Joey’s potential was recognized immediately by his dad’s old head coach Len Casanova. Casanova sent his congratulations to his former quarterback on becoming a …
When talking about the head coach who started Oregon on its winning ways in the modern age, people often think of Chip Kelly — he is the one who built the program, many would proclaim. While Kelly did certainly have a lot of success at Oregon, Mike Bellotti is the man who first set Oregon on course with a culture of winning. …
Oregon quarterbacks do not have the best track record when it comes to production at the NFL level. Since 1999 and prior to Marcus Mariota, Oregon had five quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft, two of which were 1st-round picks – Akili Smith and Joey Harrington — two in the 5th round – Dennis Dixon and A.J. Feely — and Kellen Clemens, who was taken …
“The Pick” by Kenny Wheaton is one of, if not the most memorable and iconic plays in Oregon football history. However, as great as it was, it did not necessarily signify the turning point of the program. That notion belonged to Joey Harrington, and to our delight, it was also the downfall of the Washington Husky program. Before Marcus Mariota, …