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 …
In Oregon’s history, there have been many players and coaches of note — from coach Cal Young and his one-game inaugural season in 1984 to Chip Kelly and Marcus Mariota. Although most people say Mariota is the greatest Oregon player of all time, another man held that honor since the 1950s. Back in the era of leather helmets, the hero of …
With all due respect to the great Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Fouts is the greatest NFL quarterback the University of Oregon has ever produced. With an impressive professional career spanning 15 seasons, Fouts garnered enough statistics, records and accolades to earn himself a membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. 43,000+ passing yards, 250+ touchdowns thrown, and six …
At Oregon, we have grown accustomed to outsiders disrespecting our players by calling them “soft.” Even Marcus Mariota was not safe from such descriptions, as critics in the national media called him a mere by-product of a successful system. Many Duck fans believe the labels of “soft” and “by-product” of the system started with Dennis Dixon and when the spread …
Throughout the Oregon Ducks’ football history, they have provided some incredible NFL talent. Despite being criticized as a program that “does not prepare players for an NFL offense,” Oregon has produced some incredible NFL players. To prove this, I compiled a starting lineup of Ducks throughout history based on their NFL production; do not expect to see Marcus Mariota, Joey Harrington, LaMichael James, or …
Marcus Mariota is the greatest Oregon quarterback to play at the school. That is a well-accepted statement around Eugene these days. But with Mariota headed for the NFL, it’s about time to remember some other Oregon quarterbacks who have made it to the big stage. Mariota has a chance to be the highest Duck drafted in the Common Era if …
The oak tree has long been a symbol of strength, endurance, valor and accomplishment. These distinguished attributes signify the separation of the ordinary from the exceptional. A century of Oregon football has produced a grove of tall firs and mighty oaks, individuals whose roots vibrantly pulse beneath a lavish wildwood of virtue. The 2014 Oregon football team was just the latest embodiment of the fortitude of the oak, led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and surrounded by men of robust …
Marcus Mariota will participate in the 2015 NFL scouting combine as the most decorated football player in Oregon history. Thus begins the native Hawaiian’s arduous journey to the NFL. For three years, Mariota thrived in the no huddle, up-tempo Oregon offense, rolling out and extending plays, often racing past flat footed linebackers. But most NFL teams want pocket passers, quarterbacks comfortable making reads and capable of standing firm amidst …
Immediately following the conclusion of the Pacific Coast Conference games on November 21, 1948, the Conference’s faculty representatives convened by telegraph to cast their votes for the P.C.C.’s representative in the 1949 Rose Bowl game. While the vote was 6 to 4 to send California to the Rose Bowl, the Conference never released the actual vote. It is certain the …
Coming off its decisive victory over Washington State, Oregon was ranked 14th in the country with five wins and one loss. The remainder of the regular season schedule included a final home game against the St. Mary’s Gaels, and three consecutive road games against the Washington Huskies, UCLA Bruins, and Oregon State Beavers. Oregon had played an annual Thanksgiving Day …
551 yards, that’s the NFL passing record for a single game. Every year, the league evolves to incorporate more passing into offenses, yet that mark, set in 1951, has remained untouched for over six decades. It was a record set by Norm Van Brocklin, one of six Ducks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the star of the …
In recent days and weeks leading to Oregon’s season-defining showdown with heretofore undefeated Stanford, the story wasn’t just that Chip Kelly‘s team was facing the nation’s #4 squad, or that a win might make another BCS title-game run possible. Given the accolades that have been showered for the past two years on Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, it seems the Ducks …