Remember Where We've Been, And to Have Fun
by David Piper on Aug 28, 2009 4:52 PM PDT
in Oregon Ducks Football
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PrintThere is not a better time of year than the start of college football season. The anticipation is just excruciating. Its like being a little kid on Christmas morning, and you just can't wait to see what kind of present you are going to get. Some kids (Florida) already saw their mother wrap the XBox360 (Tim Tebow), and know its going to be a good Christmas. Some (Washington State) got a lump of coal last year, and are pretty sure that they are going to get the same. The majority of fans our somewhere in the middle. We're pretty sure that we saw a glimpse or two of the XBox (Jeremiah Masoli), but have been burned recently enough that we won't know for sure until we unwrap that gift on Christmas morning. Of course, our Christmas morning lasts about three months (which must be torture to a Cougar fan).
Truth be told, our presents have been mostly very good the last several years. Twice this decade, we've been legitimate national championship contenders. We've had a couple of nice Holiday Bowl wins. And while the grinch of Andy Ludwig presented us with socks and underwear for a few years, we've generally pulled in a nice haul this decade. Certainly, any of our northwest neighbors would trade places with us in a heartbeat.
But something has happened to Duck fan in the last ten years. I've had a lot of college football conversation the last few weeks. Some of them have seemed ludicrous to me. "If the Ducks lose to Boise State, does the pressure start to mount on Chip Kelly?" Why, because he lost a game on the road to a top 15 team? "I'm sure glad Bellotti's not the coach anymore, he was overrated and an underacheiver!" You mean the greatest coach in the history of our school. The man under whose watch every significant achievement of our football program in the modern era has occured? These statements seem absurd to me, but yet I hear them more and more every year.
Duck fans--we're getting spoiled.
Now, Im not saying we shouldn't have high expectations. I start every year dreaming of a national championship. That would have been unheard of here a decade ago. I'm not saying that we should rejoice in how great a season it was if we go 6-6 this year. That would clearly be underachieving given the talent we have. But what I am saying is that, with the new generation of Oregon fan, we are coming dangerously close to being like Alabama, LSU, or Florida. And I don't mean that in a good way.
I became a Duck fan during the '94 Rose Bowl season. That's not because I was a bandwagon hopper who wanted to jump on as times were getting good, that's just when, coming from a non-sports watching family, I realized at age eleven that there was this thing called football and it was pretty damn cool. I remember talking to my teachers and coaches who happened to be old school Duck fans. They got the lump of coal most years. 2-9. 3-8. These records were the norm. If you could win five or six, maybe beat OSU or Washington, that was a season to be excited about. That was being a Duck fan in the '70s and '80s.
Then in 1989, a funny thing happened. We went 7-4, an outstanding season at the time, and made a low level bowl game called the Independence Bowl. We largely bought our way into the game as an at large, but no matter. Oregon was going bowling. For the first time in 26 years. Twenty-six lumps of coal, and we wake up on Christmas morning to find the giant Lego castle under the tree. You know mom just spent like a hundred bucks on that thing, and it was freaking awesome. Duck Nation was in delirium.
And it continued. We made bowls two out of the next three years. They were pretty low level--Independence and Freedom, but back then, it wasn't as if every mediocre team from every conference made a bowl like now. It was still pretty freaking cool, and Duck fans were living the good life being somewhere above mediocre for a change.
Then 1994 hit like a bombshell. We started off 1-2, beating only Portland State and losing to Hawaii and Utah, not exactly the stuff Rose Bowl dreams are made of. But then we drilled Iowa and went through the conference schedule losing only in Pullman. 7-1, Pac-10 champions. It was like hitting the lottery. Oregon makes Rose Bowls about once every 40 years.
It was really all set up by the Washington game. And for those of you newer fans, you may not understand just how much hatred there was for Washington at the time, because they have been so bad lately. Oregon State is more of a friendly rivalry. Washington is hatred. Seeing them run the table in reverse last year may be the highlight of my sports fandom. At the time, they happened to be really good. They won a national title in '91. They were expected to win the Pac 10 in '94. And they rolled into Eugene against a 4-3 Oregon team that looked to be on its way to another mediocre season. This was the first game I ever attended. I was in the boy scouts, and our troop was ushering the Washington section for the game (they had 11 year old Boy Scouts ushering back them, could you freaking imagine the disaster if they tried that now?). I could smell the arrogance wafting off those smug bastards in the visitors section. I can still see the shit-eating grins. I will hate those sons of bitches as long as I live.
But our boys played well, and had a 24-20 lead. But the Huskies were driving, and with two minutes left, they were going to break our hearts again. Then Kenny Wheaton happened.
You know the story from there. And that we lost the Rose Bowl was almost an afterthought. We were there, and who knows if we'd ever get there again. But we were the Pac-10 champions. If heaven exists, its probably like the winter of '94-'95 in Eugene. This was the best present we'd ever gotten. And we were going to cherish it.
If you've ever wondered why the Pick is still played before every Oregon game, this is really the reason why. Not only did it catapult us to Pasadena, but it made us believe in this little team that could. Tickets had been plentiful before this. Afterward, sellouts were the norm. But, more importantly, people began donating money--serious money to this football program. The things that have gotten us the personnel to sustain our success--the Moshofsky Center, Pape Field, the Autzen expansion, all the cool locker rooms, etc., were all made possible by the influx of cash that our athletic department got after that season. The Rose Bowl was everything--and that was the seminal experience of our success. And I've never seen Eugene so delirious. Partly because it was so unexpected, and party because our happiness over the '01 Fiesta Bowl win was somewhat muted due to bitterness about the BCS.
But this didn't spoil us. We made the Cotton Bowl the next season, and missed the bowl season entirely after that. Nobody was trying to push Bellotti out of town. And when we made the Vegas Bowl after finishing 6-5 in 1997, many Duck fans were just happy to be back in the bowls. Now, I'm glad that we've raised our expectations. And we shouldn't be giddy if we win six games and go to the Las Vegas Bowl this season. That would clearly be an underachievement. But can you imagine if we had run Bellotti out of town after two six win seasons? That's what any school in the SEC would have done.
We pretty much know the story after that. In the ten seasons since that Las Vegas Bowl, we have five bowl wins (two Sun, two Holiday, and the Fiesta). We've been to a bowl all but once. Twice we've been legitimate national title contenders. Fans can enter every season with a legitimate hope that we could be in the national title hunt. And not even making it to a bowl game, which was the norm for 25 years? That is completely unfathomable.
And yet, in spite of all this success during the Bellotti era, some are glad that he's gone. After we went 5-6 in 2004, there were people saying that he was a bum and his time had passed. Of course, he almost won a national title just three years later.
What I'm saying is this. We are not the SEC. And that's a good thing. We are at a stage where we are going to have consistent success. But don't take it for granted, or assume its a God-given right. Look at the history of our program. If we finish 9-3 and make the Sun Bowl, that is still pretty cool and still something to be savored. If Chip Kelly goes 7-5 this season (which I don't anticipate), it doesn't mean he's a bum and needs to be canned. Alabama or Florida would have fired Bellotti after 1997 or after 2004. We didn't, and reaped tons of benefits as a result. Yet mpst fans in this what have you done for me today society want the coach gone at any sign of struggle. Unfortunately, many Oregon fans, spoiled by success and, like an addict, craving it at all times and at all costs, are becoming this way as well
Good coaches don't become terrible overnight, and Oregon has had remarkable consistency. Mike Bellotti was our head coach for 13 years. Ernie Kent has been our basketball coach for almost as long. I find that refreshing and, ultimately, I think experiencing all our successes with the same people have made them that much more special. After all, Duck Nation is a big family, and guys like Bellotti and Kent are undoubtedly the patriarchs of that family.
Now, that doesn't mean we let our programs deteriorate. Bev Smith had to go because she consistently underperformed and clearly damaged the program. This is also why the situation with the men's basketball program needs to be monitored this season. But one disappointing game or disappointing season shouldn't have everybody wanting the coach's head on a torch. And, even more importantly, a good but not great season shouldn't be met with groans and disappointment. After all, this is supposed to be fun, right? (And does anyone really think Auburn is better off with Gene Chizik than Tommy Tuberville? That's what a reactionary quick trigger will get you. Its why some jobs are coaching caroseuls).
We are going to win a national title sooner rather than later. The program is just too committed not to. There are going to be BCS bowls and 10 win seasons to come. But, inevitably, there will also be struggles. Monitor them, but don't let them define who we are as a fanbase. Keep it classy, keep it fun, and savor every bit of the journey. Our lows are few and far between, and there are a lot of schools out there that would kill for even them.
All that said, I don't anticipate those lows this year, but reflecting on where we've come from make me appreciate our success all that much more. Football is almost here, and its been far too long.
GO DUCKS!!!
--Dave
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Rec'd for excellent perspective from a young guy.
Great analogy. I got about 20 years worth of coal – first game I attended was in ’73. In those years we only got excited about players, not seasons…Reggie Ogburn, Lew Barnes, Gary Zimmerman, Derek Loville, etc. Oregon football was so bad for so long, I became a lifelong Cornhusker fan (go Scott Frost!!!). I remember how huge it was to play Tulsa in the Independence Bowl like it happened yesterday.
By the way, I don’t know about you guys, but the drawers I got from Ludwig were two sizes too small and rode up like a son-of-a-bitch. Well put Dave.
Last time I checked, there is no "Hall of Average." - Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly
Good to have you back Dave.....and good perspective as always
That thread on Blazersedge really just ratcheted up the excitement level another notch for me.
I actually started following Duck football at the same exact time. I still have a commemorative rosebowl license plate signed by Ricky Whittle, Cristin Mclemore, Danny O’Neil, and a bunch of others.
Thanks
good to be back.
--Dave
Addicted to Quack, SBN's Oregon Ducks blog
by David Piper on Aug 28, 2009 10:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Great article!
I was at UO in the late ’70s, among the leanest of the lean years. (I was at Autzen when TCU, ranked last in the nation, visited Oregon, ranked next-to-last. TCU won.) (But it may havebeen the best battle of nicknames in the history of college football,)
Your article resonates on every level. Thank you!
"Heaven and earth alike revolt against a parched and withered duck." (Stephen Maturin)
Stay classy, Oregon
Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Six-hundred and ninety-four yards of total offense.
I'd trade with you (UW)
but only in program success, your uniforms are flat out uncalled for. Also, Oregon is lame.
Note: Had to throw a shot, CFB is only 6 days away and you may be my most hated school.
Awesome
Great post. I also started following college football at the same time. I remember getting the SI and checking out the preseason rankings that year. If I remember right, wasn’t Arizona ranked #1, and weren’t we and Oregon State ranked #10 and #9 in the conference?
I listened to all the games on the radio and watched the few that were actually on tv. I remember listening to the SC game when Tony Graziani went to the Coliseum and ended our winless streak there. And My best friend who lived down the street got to go to the Rose Bowl with his dad and I had to watch it on TV. Then when he came back he wore all his Oregon Rose Bowl gear to school for pretty much the next week. Bastard.
Great post again, Dave.
GO DUCKS!
Look at it this way, if we were in the NBA, we'd be completely amped up for a high probability of landing the #1 lottery pick...
That's Pretty Much It
i have made a pact with myself to smack anyone who asks me what happened to chip. or something of that accord if we lose at boise.
In my opinion, driving drunk with a ram in the back of a pickup still beats shooting ducks in a pond. -Graciously, Ben Michael Siegert.
I expect to win that game
But if we lose, I’ll be fine with it. It is Boise’s season after all (since they should have little trouble winning all the rest of their games).
Chip was handed a lot of talent but also a brutal schedule, don’t forget that.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
My first game was in the early 70's against USC. In a heavy, heavy rain storm the Ducks trailed at halftime 7-0.
The public announcer let us know in the second quarter that two steelhead had been spotted swimming up stairs in aisle 17. The fish got away but I was hooked. Second half, the sun came out and the Ducks won 10-7.
That was the day that I became a Donalduck.
I just finished watching the Ducks beat Texas, Holiday Bowl 2000. I watched some old heroes, at least one of whom is with the team again. God, this is great.
Dave, thank you for the beauty of your thoughts and your writing. What I read between the lines was something like this: “We too, as Duck fans, have a great responsibility, that of maintaining the integrity of our collective memory, unsullied by pettiness, bitterness or of ANYTHING else that would detract from the honor due always to our team, the Mighty Oregon Ducks.”
I was wee
when we got to the Poulan/ Weedeater Independence Bowl, and it was fantastic. I had watched and listened to Duck games with my dad for years before that and I thought it was, like, important or something that we had made a bowl. I turned 16 the Rose Bowl season. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that the Fuskies were going to win and had convinced myself it was OK because the Pac10 needed a national championship contender.
That lasted until kickoff.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been more animated while watching a game by myself in my life. That final fateful drive I was pacing, biting my nails, doing whatever I could to occupy myself as the seconds labored by and then just prior to the snap, I would assume a proper base running pose to watch the play.
I called the interception that play. To be fair, I called for a turnover pretty regularly during an opponents momentum swing. It didn’t matter to me, though, as all kinds of testosterone driven emotion were flowing through my veins. I felt in that moment, as I was alternately jumping up and down and pumping my fist, like I had played a role in that success. I do not recall a single sporting event moment that equaled that moment of exhilaration, disbelief and ecstasy. This, I believe is the reason that play is shown at every game. Every time I see it I get a little bit of that back, and from the cheers in the crowd I would guess a fair chunk of them get it back too.
**
I like what you are saying, and I appreciate the way you said it. We aren’t the SEC. I don’t want to become jaded like the SEC. Go Pac10 and GO DUCKS!!!!
It wasn't the first time I'd been kicked in the cherries and called a rat by a woman, but it was the first time I didn't mind.
Awesome post Dave. It’s always great to remember where we’ve come from. And with the growing success of the team, it’s something that’s easy to lose track of.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Agree Mostly...
At the risk of being “that guy”, I definitely see your point Dave but I honestly don’t think it’s as bad as people make it out. The Internet is a powerful at amplifying opinions…both positive and negative. It’s easy for people of all types to come online, spout off something controversial in the veil of anonymity, and return to the shadows. It isn’t “most duck fans” at all. It is a very small majority who just happens to be very vocal.
Several people like to pick on the SEC but the majority of SEC fans just aren’t like you describe. There is a silent majority, going out of there way to be good fans, always overshadowed by the vocal minority.
There are good fans and bad fans. Bad fans would be bad fans regardless of which team they rooted for and its the same way with good fans. It’s just a lot easier for the bad fans to be more vocal when there is success
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
I like this blog because most times when I f' up, somebody finds a way to call me on it , many times with humor, so much so that I just sit and laugh
and laugh. Most times I really haven’t intended to be Hostile, just argumentative. And, I still get ‘stuffed.’ Cool. I think that is responsible behavior on the admin and the bloggers to help me. If there are just a ‘few bad fans’ (I’m not sure that I really agree with that assessment) it is still an act of kindness to remind us all that we might have all been dorks at one time. And now we’re semi-dorks and fine sort-of-upstanding bloggers. I think Dave’s piece is classic.
by DONALDUCK on Aug 28, 2009 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I understand your point and completely agree. We can all be asses sometimes and it’s good to be reminded…see the coverage of the fans booing Masoli last year. What I’m trying to say is that having access to the Internet is like giving a bad fan a case of red bull and a megaphone. Just because they are yelling at us doesn’t mean it represents the majority. The SEC point is an example. We look at a small section of their fans online comments, blow it up to represent their fanbase and that’s the perception when it just isn’t reality.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
That's not necessairly the way I intended it
most fans are great in all places. But look at how many coaches have been run out of town in certain places. Its asinine that Tommy Tuberville was run out in Auburn, for example. Or take Oklahoma, where death threats were given to a referee. I know that this is a vast minority of fans, but I still don’t like it.
I think that you are right that the anonymity of the internet has made this problem seem worse than it probably really is. But I think a reminder to stay classy and, most of all, humble, is good from time to time.
But, mostly, I wanted a history lesson, because I’m not sure a lot of newer fans appreciate, or even know, the history.
--Dave
Addicted to Quack, SBN's Oregon Ducks blog
by David Piper on Aug 28, 2009 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions
God after the infamous Oklahoma game in 2006
Part of what made me hate Oklahoma fans so much was how they exploded on us and just hated on us constantly online.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
I have a confession to make.
I liked Oklahoma.
Until their reaction after that game – and quite frankly, that program is now in my bottom 5 with Ohio State, Notre Dame, Washington, and (TBD).
"It’s spelled S-H-U-T-U-P-I-M-S-M-A-R-T-E-R-T-H-A-N-Y-O-U"
TBD?
Lane Kiffin is making Tennessee look awfully attractive
--Dave
Addicted to Quack, SBN's Oregon Ducks blog
by David Piper on Aug 28, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions
You and everyone else
Yes, you lost the game, yes it was a bad call but that’s no reason to demand an investigation and keep complaining about it forever.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
Yes, I find death threats to be in poor taste
Worked with a girl that grew up one house away from Gordon Riese. She could care less about sports but I found myself describing that game and incident to our UT coworkers one day, who love to see Oklahoma hurt in any way possible, and were amused with the whole thing. She brought it home for me – she knew this guy as a neighbor and friend, and she was flat horrified, justifiably so.
I originally thought it was a huge coincidence there was another UO grad in my small office here in Austin, but it turns out Oregonians seem to love Austin and are semi-common here, though I can’t seem to find a fanbase to hit zee pub with.
by Bill Musgrave on Aug 29, 2009 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I'll admit
Ironically given our opponent, I took SO much pleasure in Oklahoma losing the Fista Bowl that year to Boise State.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
Nice article, Dave. Good to see you writing again.
My first season of watching the ducks was ‘94. I didn’t care for college football much (I was young and stupid, instead of just stupid now). I remember thinking that these “Oregon college teams kinda suck”, but when I watched the Husky game go on – that was one of the most exciting moments in my sports watching career.
Then later reading about the rivalry between the huskies and the ducks, I had a better grasp of the rivalry. I know I came on board when Oregon started to have +.500 seasons be an annual thing, but hearing about the struggles, I have an understanding for where this program came from.
"It’s spelled S-H-U-T-U-P-I-M-S-M-A-R-T-E-R-T-H-A-N-Y-O-U"
I was a somewhat tepid Ducks fans until 1995
When I went to my first game at Autzen (back before the video board) and I was forever hooked. Fresno State, I believe, and we won in OT.
As for the UW rivalry, it actually dates back to the late 1950s when Washington voted to send another school (I forget which) to the Rose Bowl instead of Oregon because the conference title race was a tie. Our games in the 90s were something to behold Even now, walk around Autzen any game day and no matter the opponent at least 10% of the fans will be wearing anti-Huskie shirts (kind of like all teh Blazers fans that wear anti-Laker stuff). I too have my “Campaign for a Husky Free Northwest” shirt and bumper sticker.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
I would never suggest that you “had to be there” to appreciate Oregon’s struggles in the ‘70s and ’80s. The fact that you made the effort to understand the program’s history proves, at least to me, that you, JShufelt, well, aren’t all the way stupid.
Last time I checked, there is no "Hall of Average." - Oregon Football Coach Chip Kelly
My favorite Oregon moment came in 2001
I was at college listening to the 2001 Civil War, listening online because I was in Iowa (at Grinnell College) and there was not yet live video. When Keenan Howry returned that punt for a touchdown I let out the loudest scream I honestly ever have, causing several of my neighbors in the dorm to come in and ask if I was sick. Mind you I was covered from head to toe in Oregon gear as well as I did on every game day in college.
My response: “Heck yes, I am, I have Duck fever!”
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
Grinnell??!!
I thought I was the only Grinnell grad to go on to UO!!
"Heaven and earth alike revolt against a parched and withered duck." (Stephen Maturin)
Great read
I think this brings good perspective. We as fans may be spoiled by success which leads to high expectations, but that shouldn’t mean a “FireHeadCoach” website needs to be raised if they aren’t met. Stability at the top is what got the program to where it is now, and I have great faith in Mr. Kelly to continue that tradition.
"It amazes me that you understand (...) the number one play of what their offense is and what they do best, AND you still can't stop it!" - Craig James
by AcadianTraverse on Aug 29, 2009 2:06 AM PDT reply actions
Thank you Dave
Thank you, thank you!!!
by 76'77GridironDuck on Aug 29, 2009 5:10 AM PDT reply actions
Great piece
I have to admit, I did not become a Ducks fan until I attended school there in 2000. I was treated to two excellent years of football and got a little spoiled right off the bat. I still remember Maurice Morris bouncing off that defender in the Fiesta Bowl.
But I’m trying to stay humble and realistic. This is a quality team, and should be, year after year, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be struggles. There are inherent limitations to Oregon’s recruiting that will never allow it to reload every season like USC or some of the SEC programs. That’s simply reality. The athletics program is in good hands and I think we’re all safe in trusting their decision-making abiltiies when it comes to leadership, even during the tough times
I’ve only recently joined this community and I’m liking it more and more here every post I read. The commentariat is great. Thanks for running an awesome blog!
I feel the need, the need...for speed!
I’m in the same era as you Gorb. It wasn’t until the uniform makeover that I got interested heavily in the games. It wasn’t until I found ATQ that my enjoyment was truly realized. Being able to comment on the blog during games makes for an incredible feeling of community.
Even though I’m a relatively newer fan, I love our history, both good and bad
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
by dvieira on Aug 29, 2009 10:40 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Point taken. :)
The makeover from block logo to the current O
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
by dvieira on Aug 29, 2009 11:39 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That's funny
I loved the uniforms during my first couple years at UO (2000 – 2002 or so). I was really disappointed when Nike started messing with them.
It’s been great following the team the last few years. I moved back down to Southern California after I graduated and a couple of my best friends are USC grads. We have a good natured rivalry and enjoy throwing a party for the annual SC – UO game.
I just got my two boys their first Oregon shirts and sweatshirts. We’ll be all decked out on gamedays this year.
I feel the need, the need...for speed!
Holy Alliotti! Right down there in Hell's Kitchen! Good goin,' Gorbie!
As I write, I got my new feathered white, yellow &green number 8 lookin ‘right at the monitor, ’showin’ off’. Black Nike O Shorts on….I ’m having a hard time waiting…GO Ducks!
I became a fan in 1998
I lived in the apartments across the street from Autzen and worked at the guitar store in 13th street. I used to ride my bike through the parking lot and across the bridge to get to work. All of a sudden it was September and I went to go to work one Saturday and I couldn’t believe how the parking lot had changed. It looked like a huge outdoor festival. I was so caught up in it. When I got to work they had a small tv set up in the back room. Everyone was huddled around and I just kind of joined in with them and BAM! I was hooked. Watching Akili Smith run all over the field that day is a great memory. I can’t believe how things have changed just from my perspective. I can’t imagine what it must be like for those of you who were there for “THE PICK” and all the tough years too. My hat is off to you guys for sticking it out.
Yes we will
Awesome!
“I could smell the arrogance wafting off those smug bastards in the visitors section. I can still see the shit-eating grins. I will hate those sons of bitches as long as I live.”
Words of a True Duck Fan!
great article(as always) dave
my first game and what really got me hooked on the ducks was the ducks win over Michigan in ‘03. I didn’t know a lot about college football but after watching the intensity and excitement of that game(and i really didn’t know much about the magnitude of the win) i knew i was a duck from there on out
Holy shit, I am older than I thought
I’ll try not to bore everyone with stories from the last 20yrs, but as a 1989 freshman I can attest first hand that the Independence Bowl and even a solid conference win was indeed a huge thing at one point in time. It was flatly different, going home happy with a good effort sometimes, going home out of my gourd giddy if we pulled off a win against #4 BYU or something, and we were starting to have occasional results like that.
Maybe the only real sentiment I might add to your list above is that for my money (and moniker) tBill Musgrave was really the original Pick and the original Joey Harrington, starting some expectations of bigger things. Rich Brooks was a decent, not great, but decent coach, but Musgrave just made magic. He was Mr. Comeback with one quarter the supporting cast, making that perfect pass when we needed it, never saying die. Musgrave inspired at that time, took us to our first two bowls in a gazillion years, and gone were the perenial 5-6 and lesser seasons. We’ve had some, but perennial is no longer an appropriate word.
As fans, we have changed. Winning as an underdog is just flat out more satisfying than expecting to win, as you get at above. It’s a Christmas present, not a paycheck. It also requires no emotional discipline – you don’t have to temper your expectations, you’re just supposed to go out and see what happens.
I miss the kind of Christmas present Marcus Woods gave us by flattening Ty Detmer in the endzone. Let’s call that one the gift of momentum. Momentum = mass x velocity. Marcus had more of that than Ty.
Of course, wanting to win more is also natural, and expecting to win is the only way to create more consistent results, so it’s somewhat impossible to avoid. Our athletic department has flatly stated those goals, and of course our fanbase wants more, I do too.
I end in true incoherent old guy fashion, with a non-comprehensive list of older dudes that really kicked ass, but we don’t hear much about anymore:
Derek Loville, Jeremy Asher, Chris Oldham, Chad Cota, Romeo Bandison, Eric Castle, Cristin McLemore, Justin Wilcox, Herman O’Berry, Alex Molden.
Bill was my favorite, too. I always remember his 3 x 3 yard screen pass to Derek Lovelle who blocked the blitzer and just as he did so..
Musgrave lofted the ball just over Derek’s head, the blitzer slipped by to find Bill empty-handed. Lovelle simply took one step, turned and caught the little pass and headed down field. Just gorgeous….
You have probably seen this but among several over the summer, (I’ll try to find the others) this one was one of the best over several days easily. Enjoy.
http://blogs.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/which-all-time-ducks-would-you-take-in-these-situations/
Ok, Here are the others
Questions regarding Oregon’s best ever:
1 . Who, in your opinion, was the best Oregon quarterback ever?
2. What, in your opinion, was the best game at Autzen?
3. How should the Ducks handle themselves at Boise State this year after the apparent cheap shots by the Broncos last season?
4. If Oregon gets off to a poor start, how long will it be before fans are calling for Chip Kelly’s head?
5. Which program will turn it around first, Washington or WSU?
6. If T.J. Ward isn’t the biggest hitter in the entire history of Oregon football, who is?
http://blogs.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/questions-regarding-oregons-best-ever/
What is your favorite Autzen Moment?
http://blogs.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/weekend-discussion-your-favorite-autzen-moment/
Look for mine..I had a great time.
Great stuff
I been saying same about Utah and us Utes. Good luck Ducks, beat BSU but have a great season regardless of the scores, I know I will. A lot of fine young men that play on our teams, they deserve our support—win or lose.
Is it really wrong
to expect to find a magical pony snorting loudly and prancing around the tree on Christmas morning? It’s what I’ve always wanted.
. . . or, better, a magical blue pony lying beaten and broken under the tree.
"Heaven and earth alike revolt against a parched and withered duck." (Stephen Maturin)
So much depends upon . . .
a magical blue pony
broken and bleeding,
beneath the Christmas tree lights
Why, that’s poetry!!!
And as a haiku:
A blue pony lies
Crushed upon a Smurf-blue field,
Covered with feathers.
"Heaven and earth alike revolt against a parched and withered duck." (Stephen Maturin)
Both Green and Yellow Belts in Haiku
Feathered receivers
One, then two, cross the goal line
To subdue the blue.
my little pony
first an amusing blue toy
then broken, and gone
by Bill Musgrave on Aug 30, 2009 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Great Post, tyVm from the bottom of my heart :-)
Right on Dave. Thanks!
Go Ducks!!! Beat the Broncos!
I wanted to post on DONALDUCK’S Link but comments are closed.
by DONALDUCK:
6. If T.J. Ward isn’t the biggest hitter in the entire history of Oregon football, who is?
http://blogs.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/questions-regarding-oregons-best-ever/
There was a guy that played in 1976, the strongest guy on the team. He squatted 4 sets of 6 with 500lbs. He ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds. He was 6’5 255lbs. Key: He wore a neck roll.
In those days you could use the crown of your helmet and he always did. His helmet paint and face mask rubber was torn up after games — like no one else on the team. He was on the kick off team and always first to cross the kick off line and the first to break the wedge. He LOVED to hit.
He was on the Kick Return team. Back then we had a chart up on the wall that among other things listed knock down blocks on returns. He had over twice as many as the guy that was in 2nd place.
Impact = mass x velocity squared (T.J.’s prolly a 4.4 guy)
He was always the hitter. Never the hitee. Thus, never injured.
His favorite play was the reverse and the blind side, head over tea kettle, blind side shot!
T.J. Ward is awesome
God I LOVE Football. Can’t wait for Boisie
by 76'77GridironDuck on Aug 29, 2009 11:16 PM PDT reply actions
Dave, much obliged
You sparked some great memories, good and not-so:
1989, parked on sexton mt. pass, in a driving rainstorm, straining to hear the
closing moments of the win over tulsa. 1992, cursing and pounding the dash of
my work truck listening to our loss to wake forest. The truck went to public auction
a few yrs. later, the dent still visible. 1994, 1:28 left, 97 yds, kenny wheaton. Utter
pandemonium, there are no words. Couldn’t speak for 2 days. Still have the oct. 23
sun. edition of the oregonian sports section. 2001, wandering back to the car in the
uo district with the stunned masses after losing to stanford. 2007, 1st game at husky
stadium, walking through the dog poop (student) area of the parking lot, gladly taking
the verbal heat, already secure in the knowledge that we were going to win, and big.
I'm low maintenance
Beat the living shit out of Washington and I’m a happy man.
Yes your ass looks big, you need to lose weight. Sorry, had to vent.
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