Image via Complex Original
Ask any sneakerhead which college they'd love to go to, and the answer is quickly, "Oregon." The school is the alma mater of Nike founder Phil Knight and designer Tinker Hatfield, and has received an insane amount of exclusive product for its athletic programs--spearheaded by its football team. But other than the high-power offense which was originated by Chip Kelly, most sneakerheads' knowledge of the school's football squad barely scratches the surface.
For starters, the team hasn't always been the Ducks, and its stadium, Autzen Stadium, is named after someone from a rival school. Today is the 117th edition of the Civil War, a game played between Oregon and rival Oregon State, and what better occasion to brush up on Oregon football knowledge. Especially before splurging thousands on a pair of the school's Air Jordans. Here are 20 Things Sneakerheads Don't Know About Oregon Ducks Football.
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20. Thomas Autzen, the man who Autzen Stadium is named after, actually went to Oregon State.
Oregon fans call Autzen Stadium home, but the stadium is actually named after an alum from the school's rival, Oregon State. His son, who ran the Autzen Foundation, donated $250,000 to the construction of the stadium.
19. Oregon lost to Ohio State in the 1958 Rose Bowl, 10-7, but didn't punt once.
Oregon also lost to Ohio State in the 2010 Rose Bowl, but in '58, they were a missed field goal away from tying the Woody Hayes-coached Buckeyes. But Oregon didn't punt the ball once--much like the current Ducks. The thing is that Oregon didn't win its conference that year. Oregon State had beat Oregon that year, but the Beavers couldn't play in the game because they had played in the Rose Bowl the year before, and the Pacific Coast Conference had a no-repeat rule.
18. Autzen Stadium is the second loudest stadium in college football, but only seats 54,000.
Autzen Stadium gives the Ducks home field advantage. The stadium produces a deafening roar, but it's not because it's home to over a 100,000 fans. It's actually holds a medium-sized crowd. It's how the seating is set up that allows the cheers to drown out opposing team's calls and wrecks havoc on a quarterback's confidence.
17. Oregon hasn't always been The Ducks. The school used to be called the Webfoots until the 1960s.
Oregon is a wet place, and the Duck is the perfect mascot for the school. But that name wasn't always in place. The school used to go by the "Webfoots," which is a nod to the Ducks.
16. Oregon's first game was played in 1894.
Next year will be 110 years of Oregon football. The school's first game was a 44-2 win against Albany College.
15. Oregon and Oregon State have played 116 times in their "Civil War" game.
Today is the 117th meeting between Oregon and Oregon State. Oregon leads the series 60-46-10.
14. The school's first BCS Bowl victory came against Colorado in 2002.
Going to a BCS bowl game is what is expected out of Oregon, but its big-time win didn't come during the Chip Kelly era. The Mike Bellotti-coached Ducks led by Joey Harrington put a beating on Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, 38-16.
13. Before there was Marcus Mariota, there was Joey Harrington.
Joey Harrington got people excited about football in Eugene. During the 2001 season, Harrington was in the running for the Heisman Trophy, and led the Ducks to a 25-3 record in three seasons. There were highly-touted quarterbacks before Harrington, but he was the pass/run prototype that would pioneer the Duck's winning ways. It's difficult to say how great Harrington would be in the Chip Kelly-originated offense, but he had no trouble putting numbers on the board.
12. Former Oregon Ducks star running back Reuben Droughns is currently a football coach in Serbia.
Reuben Droughns was running people over during his career with the Ducks, and even played in the NFL. But after a mediocre career, the running back located far, far away--in Serbia, where he now is the offensive coordinator for the Eastern European nation's football.
11. The best Oregon Duck currently in the NFL is the Baltimore Raven's nose guard Haloti Ngata.
There are tons of Ducks in the NFL these days, but none has had more success than the least flashy out of all of them: Haloti Ngata. He has been clogging up the middle of the Baltimore Ravens' D-line, has been selected to four Pro Bowls, and has one Super Bowl ring.
10. The 2005 Oregon Ducks were technically undefeated in the regular season due to a vacated USC win.
Vacated wins don't equal actual victories, but the Ducks technically had an undefeated regular season in 2005. Yes, USC blew out Oregon 45-13, but the Ducks finished the regular season 11-1. Thanks to Reggie Bush and his acceptance of improper benefits, that win doesn't exist anymore.
9. The Oregon Duck, Puddles, is actually based off of Donald Duck.
The official name of the team's mascot is The Oregon Duck, but he is also called Puddles. It's no mistake that he closely resembles Donald Duck, because Walt Disney agreed to let Donald be appropriated for the university's use.
8. Nike designed this wild and creepy alternate mascot for the Ducks.
The Oregon Duck is a fun mascot, but RoboDuck was something else. He came out onto the field, full of muscles and an agressive beak, and did a bunch of back handsprings. He was only around from 2003-2007, and is a blip in Oregon's football history.
7. The Ducks went on a bowl game draught between 1964 through 1988.
Oregon hasn't always been a winning program. For a long time, the program struggled, and didn't even make a bowl appearance. Granted, there weren't as many bowl games to be played when Oregon went on its 33-year bowl draught.
6. Phil Knight is also a graduate and donor to Stanford University.
Phil Knight is the university's biggest donor, but the Nike founder isn't all-Oregon everything like everyone would assume. He also received a degree from Stanford, and donated $105M to the graduate school of business.
5. Rich Brooks is the coach who put Oregon on the map.
Everyone started paying attention to the Ducks when Chip Kelly brought his New Hampshire swagger to the school, but Rich Brooks is the man who started Oregon's winning ways.
4. The Grateful Dead used to play concerts at Autzen Stadium.
Fans used to get more excited to hear the Grateful Dead rock out than see the Ducks take the field. The band played the stadium 10 times between 1978 and 1994.
3. Joey Harrington had a billboard in New York City during his Heisman campaign.
Joey Harrington made a run for the Heisman in 2001, but fell short. He finished fourth. But to build on his hype, Nike and Oregon put this billboard in the middle of New York City, declaring him "Joey Heisman."
2. Dan Fouts is one the school's most celebrated quarterbacks, but he threw a ton of interceptions.
Dan Fouts is better known for calling NFL games for CBS, but he put up serious numbers at Oregon as a quarterback in the '70s. Even though he was passing the ball all over the field, he was throwing a ton of picks. Fouts threw 54 interceptions in just three seasons. He'll go down as an Oregon legend, but this high volume of turnovers would surely draw boos in Eugene by today's standards.
1. Kenny Wheaton's "The Pick" is the the most celebrated play in the football program.
The 1994 Oregon Ducks went to the Rose Bowl, but a pick six by Kenny Wheaton, referred to as "The Pick," against Washington and quarterback Damon Huard is the most memorable moment of that season. Washington was on the nine-yard line was going in for a score. Wheaton brought his pick to the house, saved the game for the Ducks, and would help usher in winning ways for the university. It also didn't hurt that it was against the arch-rival Huskies.
