Just a few Civil War facts to whet your appetite.
Look up Wikipedia's reference to the Civil War football game. Right at the top, the first tidbit you'll get under "Memorable Games" is the 1983 0-0 Toilet Bowl. I was 16. I was there. The name fits.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful...that both teams have come a long way since 1983. Whether you bleed Lightning Yellow or Anita Bryant Orange, it sure beats bleeding purple.
Wiki also tells us that from 1959 to 1961 the two teams shed blood, sweat and tears for the coveted Platypus Trophy. Someone lost the trophy for 40 years...or so the fable goes. The Beavers won the '61 game 6-2. Blame them.
Between two universities, no one could come up with something better than "Platypus Trophy"? Seriously?
The Civil War was not played a few times over the years, most notably in 1942 and 1943, when apparently Ducks and Beavers banded together to help put the nation's boot to some fascist rear-end.
The good guys lead the 111-game series 55-46-10. We've won 49.5% of the time. They've won 41.4% of the time. Throw out the ties, we look even better. Unless my calculator lies, I believe we've answered the question of who has the better program.
Homerism aside...55-46-10 is why we enjoy a nearly unrivaled rivalry.
Would anyone else here at ATQ like another helping of Oregon's 1987 44-0 victory? Is it just me? How about an extra slice of the Ducks' 1895 win by the same score. If you're really starving, grab yourself two handfuls of back-to-back 38-0 shutouts by the Ducks in 1898 and 1899.
After that the Beavers stopped trying to play football with their baseball team and things got a little tighter.
If you haven't yet read Doug Bender's (The Oregonian) complete game-by-game history of the Civil War, I highly recommend it.
Lastly, and only because I cannot help myself...
The Mighty Ducks of 1907 outscored their opponents, Beavs included, 139 to ZERO! That was 100 flippin' years - or so - ago and now some of our science makes the Jetsons look like hicks. Someone please locate that D-coordinator, let's get past the ethical questions of advanced cell technology, clone those genes and get back to playing some defense.