The Mighty Oregon Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sport & Story
The official podcast of the Oregon Ducks. There are a lot of great stories that go untold. The Mighty Oregon Podcast changes that by featuring the best Oregon stories from past and present, packaged in a way fans haven't heard before. Join host Rob Moseley as we take you inside the stories of current and former student-athletes, coaches, staff members and fans in a way that's equal parts entertaining and interesting.
New York City has some of the most recognizable fixtures of any city in the world. The Statue of Liberty. Central Park. The Empire State Building. Dive even further and you’ll find some of the most famous basketball courts in the world as well. Madison Square Garen and Rucker Park. So it’s tough when you’re trying to make your mark on the football field in the basketball capital of the world. Ajani Cornelius took his talents from the Concrete Jungle to Rhode Island University, where in 2022, he would become a standout for the Rams and one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS. The transfer portal awaited, and Cornelius found himself surrounded by the sounds of silence.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is the Ducks new offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius…Now You’re in Eugene.
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Will Stein can trace his football journey back to grade school, where he can still recite the name of the play his dad, who coached him as a youth, would relay in. That drive as a youngster led Stein to become the quarterback at Trinity High School, one of the most established and prominent football programs in Kentucky. Undersized for a QB, Stein wasn’t highly recruited going into college. Just looking for a shot, Stein walked on at Louisville and made the most of the opportunity…a theme that would follow during every step of his coaching path.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is Oregon’s offensive coordinator Will Stein - Bitten by the Football Bug.
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Bo Nix has been in the spotlight since he first stepped onto a college football field. As a true freshman starting for Auburn in 2019, Nix would lead the Tigers on a game-winning drive on a national stage to open the season against the…Oregon Ducks. Circumstances would lead Nix to leave Auburn in 2022 and bring him West, to Eugene for a fresh start to his football career. Helping Oregon to a 10-win season and bowl victory last year, Nix returns as the Ducks have their sights set on a run through the College Football Playoff. I recently had the chance to sit down with Bo and his wife Izzy during Ducks Give 2023 for a conversation ranging from how he got to Oregon to how he and Izzy met. It was a great talk that peels back the curtain on one player under the spotlight in Eugene.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is Bo and Izzy Nix…A Couple Ducks from the South
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Most of the students walking around campus at the University of Oregon have long known the football program as winners. A national powerhouse. Conference championships. Rose Bowls. It’s all become the norm in Eugene. But that success didn’t happen overnight. It was a long and winding road to become a destination spot in college football. A road that points back to one man. Before Lanning and Helfrich…before Kelly and Bellotti…there was Rich Brooks. Brooks would bring success to the Ducks the team hadn’t seen in over a century of playing football. After taking Oregon to their first bowl game in over 25 years, Brooks had his sights set on more. Not only for the Ducks, but for himself as well.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is part two of our interview with Ducks legend Rich Brooks…Pasadena and Beyond.
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Most of the students walking around campus at the University of Oregon have long known the football program as winners. A national powerhouse. Conference championships. Rose Bowls. It’s all become the norm in Eugene. But that success didn’t happen overnight. It was a long and winding road to becoming a college football destination spot. A road that points back to one man. Before Lanning and Helfrich…before Kelly and Bellotti…there was Rich Brooks. Brooks would bring success to the Ducks the team hadn’t seen in over a century of playing football. It all culminated in a trip to Pasadena for the granddaddy of them all, which is where we begin our discussion with Coach Brooks.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is part one of our interview with Ducks legend Rich Brooks…The Ducks Taking Flight.
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Life can be hard. The ups and downs of the daily grind can be overwhelming at times. Most of us have a support system to fall back on in order to help us get through the tough times. Our parents usually top that list. Imagine taking that away? It would be easy to give up and feel sorry for yourself. To go down a path that not many recover from. But that’s not what Gloria Mutiri wanted for her life. She didn’t let her circumstances define her. She continued to fight. She dared to dream.
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We’ve help tell a lot of great stories in the nearly 100 episodes of this podcast. Tales of triumph. Tales of heart break. And tales of perseverance. Stories that would jump off the pages of a book. Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers have similar stories but author them in vastly different ways. Paopao is a vocal leader for the Ducks who has overcome significant injuries in her playing career well before she got to Eugene. Rogers is reserved on and off the court, even in the face of family tragedy. One bond they’ve shared since an early age has been basketball. The game has helped them face adversity and lead them both to Oregon. And that’s why we’re giving you a super sized episode with the ladies of the Ducks basketball team. For them to share their story…in their own words.
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Golf is typically looked at as a sport that requires a lot to get started. Clubs cost a pretty penny. Access to courses can be tricky. Not to mention the mental grind the game takes on even the best players.Former Duck Aaron Wise didn’t let anything keep him from reaching his ultimate goal, becoming a professional golfer. But before reaching the PGA TOUR, Wise was busy leading the Ducks to a national title oversome of the best players in college. Golfers who have gone on to have major success...something Wise is looking to accomplish as his professional career progresses.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is the 2016 NCAA National Player of the Year, Aaron Wise.
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Golf is typically looked at as a sport that requires a lot to get started. Clubs cost a pretty penny. Access to courses can be tricky. Not to mention the mental grind the game takes on even the best players.Former Duck Aaron Wise didn’t let anything keep him from reaching his ultimate goal, becoming a professional golfer. But before reaching the PGA TOUR, Wise was busy leading the Ducks to a national title oversome of the best players in college. Golfers who have gone on to have major success...something Wise is looking to accomplish as his professional career progresses.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is the 2016 NCAA National Player of the Year, Aaron Wise.
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Oregon football has made its name as a national power, especially over the last 30 years. Many memorable moments have helped cement the Ducks as perineal title contenders and the class of the Pac-12.
But Bowl games haven’t always been a given. There were some lean years for the Ducks in the 70s and 80s. A stretch in which Oregon didn’t go to a bowl game for over 25 years.
As a new decade came into focus, one team did stand out. The 1970 Ducks were one of only two teams during the decade to have a winning season. That team earned the nickname, “the fighting Ducks,” and one game in particular couldn’t have resembled that nickname more. October 10th…Oregon vs UCLA at the Coliseum. Oregon, down 40-21 with under 5 minutes to play against UCLA, scored three touchdowns to shock the LA crowd.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is our look back at one of the most dramatic comebacks in Ducks history featuring Dan Fouts, Ahmad Rashad and John Robinson.
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Oregon football has made its name as a national power, especially over the last 30 years. Many memorable moments have helped cement the Ducks as perineal title contenders and the class of the Pac-12.
But Bowl games haven’t always been a given. There were some lean years for the Ducks in the 70s and 80s. A stretch in which Oregon didn’t go to a bowl game for over 25 years.
As a new decade came into focus, one team did stand out. The 1970 Ducks were one of only two teams during the decade to have a winning season. That team earned the nickname, “the fighting Ducks,” and one game in particular couldn’t have resembled that nickname more. October 10th…Oregon vs UCLA at the Coliseum. Oregon, down 40-21 with under 5 minutes to play against UCLA, scored three touchdowns to shock the LA crowd.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast and this is our look back at one of the most dramatic comebacks in Ducks history featuring Dan Fouts, Ahmad Rashad and John Robinson.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The quarterback position at Oregon has a long and storied history. Especially in the last 25 years as the likes of Harrington, Dixon, Mariota and Herbert have all made their name as a Duck and taken their talents to the professional level. But the Ducks had several stars at quarterback long before Kenny Wheaton ever scored. There were names like Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Fouts, Bob Berry and George Shaw. And before the Heisman trophies and Times Square billboards, Chris Miller was making a name for himself in Eugene...even before he put on a Duck uniform.
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The quarterback position at Oregon has a long and storied history. Especially in the last 25 years as the likes of Harrington, Dixon, Mariota and Herbert have all made their name as a Duck and taken their talents to the professional level. But the Ducks had several stars at quarterback long before Kenny Wheaton ever scored. There were names like Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Fouts, Bob Berry and George Shaw. And before the Heisman trophies and Times Square billboards, Chris Miller was making a name for himself in Eugene...even before he put on a Duck uniform.
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Starting a new job can be difficult. So imagine taking over the reigns after a track and field team who’s nickname is Tracktown, USA. That’s the pressure that Jerry Schumacher is facing in taking over as the new cross country and track and field coach for the Ducks. No small task for the former All-American and Nike coach who just looking to forge his own path within the Ducks historic program.
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Nick Aliotti is a self proclaimed college football junkie. His love for the game goes back to when he was a college kid trying to figure out a career. Before college football was a national treasure and well before Oregon football was on the "map." Aliotti would bring a passion and drive to the Ducks that helped turn the program from a perennial .500 team to a national power.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast with former Ducks defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti.
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Alex Forsyth is many things. An anchor on the offensive line for the Ducks. A standout on the field with NFL as a real possibility in the future. He's also felt the affects of gun violence. His father was killed at the Clackamas Town Center shooting in 2012. But that's not what defines Alex, something he understood even at a young age.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast featuring Oregon center, Alex Forsyth.
Micah Williams is a true rags to riches story. Growing up in Portland, the track he practiced on as a kid was in such poor condition, he would take to the basketball court to practice his drills. Sprinters weren't coming from his neck of the woods. But with determination and A LOT of hard work, Williams was able to catch the eye of Tracktown, USA in Eugene, as well as those in the country and around the world.
This is the MIghty Oregon podcast with Duck track and field sprinter, Micah Williams.
College softball players can sometimes find themselves identified as just that, only college softball player. The pressures of college life are hard enough but then add on top of that the pressure to perform at the next level and it can get to even the best. And that's what happened to Jordan Dail.
A high school standout at pitching in Virginia, she would transfer from Virginia Tech to Oregon after her freshman year. That's when things started to go south for Dail, as mental health struggles turned into on-the-field struggles, which resulted in more mental health issues. But with the help of others, and her own perseverance, she's been able to fight through and come out on the other side healthier than before.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast with softball pitcher, Jordan Dail.
We take a deep dive into the women's Cross Country and Track & Field teams from the 2016-2017 season where they accomplished something that had never been done before, win national titles in the cross country, indoor and outdoor championships. From the 12th seeded cross country team becoming a long shot winner to the outdoor title, and the triple crown, coming down to a must win in the final race of the year, relive all the drama with first hand accounts from the ladies who were there. Featuring interviews with Raevyn Rogers, Ashante Horsley, Maggie Schmaedick & Coach Robert Johnson.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast.
A lot of people can say they faced obstacles and challenges over the last two years. Very few have faced adversity like what Jaylon Redd has gone through. As a fifth year senior due to COVID, Redd's year got off to a rough start with a foot injury in spring that he would injure again during the season. Shortly after that, Redd got news that what he thought was a stomach bug was actually pancreatic cancer. Following surgery, Redd is now looking to fulfill a lifelong dream of making it to the NFL. Hear his story from humble beginnings in California to how he got to Eugene.
Kids say the darndest things, right? Enter five-year-old Tayyiba Haneef-Park, who said she wanted to be an Olympic athlete after visiting Tracktown USA and watching the 1984 Olympics. But it wasn't just a dream for the two-time Olympic medalist in volleyball; it was planting the seeds of a drive and determination that would take her all around the world and back.
Back to Eugene, as Haneef-Park was recently hired as the women's assistant volleyball coach for the Ducks.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast.
In part two of former Duck wide receiver Keanon Lowe's story, unfortunate circumstances have led him back to his hometown of Portland. Forgoing a career in the NFL to make an impact in his local community would put Keanon in a spot he never thought possible...in a position he was meant to be in.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast.
Keanon Lowe has spent his life with a compassion for others. He understood his father's battle with addiction even at a young age. In college, he always put the team first, often celebrating touchdowns by teammates more than they would. A personal tragedy would prompt a move back to his hometown to make an impact in his community rather than pursue a NFL coaching career. All that lead to one of the most incredible feats of human empathy when he helped stop a school shooting in 2019.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast with former Ducks wide receiver, Keanon Lowe.
Order his new book, "Hometown Victory" here - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hometown-victory-keanon-lowe/1139985487?ean=9781250807632
De'Anthony Thomas' time in Eugene flew by. Literally. The blazing fast "scat" back flashed his explosiveness from day one at Autzen Stadium and never looked back. The legacy defining moments remain; two rushes, 155 yards & 2 TDs in the Rose Bowl. The 94-yard kickoff return for a TD in the Fiesta Bowl. But the Duck is still looking to add to his resume as a pro, on and off the field.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast featuring De'Anthony Thomas.
Head coach of the Oregon women's golf team Derek Radley arrived in Eugene 4 years ago with lofty goals. He wanted to bring women's golf back to a place that most UO sports are familiar with...prominence. Radley's plan is coming together as he helped the women's team win it's first Pac-12 Championship in school history last week at Eugene Country Club.
The golf nut sits down on the latest edition of the Mighty Oregon podcast to recap a wet and wild Pac 12 Championships, having the 2nd ranked team in the country, how he got started in the game and how good this team really can be.
In part two of our conversation with Dan Lanning, coach gives us insight on why Oregon was the perfect fit, bringing a National Title to Eugene and what he hopes to get out of practices as the Spring game is approaching.
A dominate junior golf career followed by success at the collegiate in the form of an individual and team national title. No, we're not talking about Tiger Woods. We're chatting with Oregon women's golf assistant coach Monica Vaughn. Her success at Arizona State signaled a long professional career ahead of her. But the game of golf had different plans with Vaughn instead choosing to coach the game instead of competing. We follow her story of triumph, burnout and peace on the Mighty Oregon podcast.
The General was back in town for Oregon's pro day and we decided to flip the script on him. He's been the host of this podcast three times but now we're putting him under the microscope and giving you an inside look at what makes the man tick on and off the field.
Jenna Lilley has always had something to prove. She was overlooked by schools recruiting her in softball because of her small stature. Major injuries affected her on the diamond, including a pitch directly to the face, but she refused to let it keep her down and out. And now as she's moved on into the professional world, she's using the lessons softball has taught her in every day life.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast with former Oregon Ducks softball star Jenna Lilley.
Fred Jones is known by most for his posterizing dunks. The high flyer threw down some monstrous jams that would get Mac Court rocking in the early 2000's. But there is so much more to the man than his hops. A small town boy from Arkansas, Jones helped turn around UO's basketball program with a magical run to the Elite Eight in 2002. Dunking would put Jones in the national spotlight as he won the 2004 NBA dunk contest but it would be the following year that would truly change his career when he was on the floor for the infamous Malice in the Palace. Hear all that and more on the latest edition of the Mighty Oregon Podcast!
Peg Rees has seen a lot in her life. Growing up outside L.A., she witnessed the Watts Riots in 1965. She was enrolled at Oregon during the Vietnam War and saw protests across the country. When Title IX was introduced in 1972, she helped female athletes in Eugene get the fair treatment they deserved. Her advocacy didn't stop in the 80's, 90's and through the 2000's. Oh, and she was one hell of three sport athlete for the Ducks.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast with the PA voice of Ducks softball, Peg Rees.
New Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning's ascent to one of the premier jobs in college sports may have seemed quick. Being a coordinator on a national championship winning team will give that impression. But Lanning's road to Eugene has been full of hard work and determination, much like what he's expecting from his Ducks this year.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast with Oregon football coach, Dan Lanning.
Sedona Prince sits down with Rob for an inside look at her life on and off the court as one of the most prominent college athletes taking advantage of the NIL deals. Hear how Prince deals with fame, why she's always trying to fight for equality & how she won't let money affect her relationship with her followers.
It's part two of our conversation with Duck legend Luke Jackson and we dive into the magical 2002 Elite Eight run, the Colorado game, becoming a top 10 pick & playing against LeBron, Kobe & MJ.
Luke Jackson was apart of a magical team that will always be remembered in the history of Oregon athletics. The Elite Eight run during the 2002 NCAA Tournament was special. But his story begins way before that. What is it like living in Alaska where your dad is a commercial fisherman? Ever win a state wide free throw shooting competition in jeans?
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast with Ducks great, Luke Jackson.
You can find an Oregon's women's basketball game without much issue these days. That wasn't always the case. Growing up in a small town didn't help either for Duck alum Jenny Mowe, who will always have a special place for L.A. Laker Kurt Rambis, who she did watch growing up. Mowe helped turn the tide and bring attention to the women's game as a Duck, as well as the WNBA and overseas. Now, she's back to her small town roots and has her own bakery, which she says is much like a basketball team.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast featuring former Duck center Jenny Mowe.
Growing up in Sweden, Nils Schyllander knew from a young age that he wanted to come to the States. Tennis would be the path that would guide Schyllander to America, and eventually Eugene, where he has been with the program for nearly two decades. Schyllander has helped put Oregon tennis on the map while dealing with tragedy on his team.
This is the Mighty Oregon Podcast with Men's Tennis coach Nils Schyllander,
Dana Altman teams have a tendency to performance at their best once the calendar hits February and March. Will Richardson's career at Oregon has looked a lot like a Ducks late season surge, as his scoring has improved every year since his freshman year. Having won his high schools first ever state title, Richardson is now looking to help the Ducks make another deep run in March as he also looks to see what his basketball future holds after leaving Eugene.
Think Tony Washington and his scoop & score against Florida State in the 2014 Rose Bowl is what comes to mind for most Duck fans. Playing for the Roses was a dream come true for the Southern Cal kid as friends and family got to watch his iconic play. But there is so much more to Washington's story than that. Hear him in his own words on this week's Mighty Oregon Podcast!
It's a special repair of the Mighty Oregon podcast featuring one of our best episodes to date.
Kelly Graves has seen it all. From coaching at the junior college ranks to reaching the Final Four at the Division One level, the Oregon women’s basketball mentor has had transcending success. But for Graves, success is more than what happens on the basketball court. Graves values family. And togetherness. And people. Those are not empty catchwords for him or his program. He was taught early on his coaching career that those things really matter. As a head coach, Graves has won 13 regular season conference titles and reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times. In tournament play, he boasts one trip to the Final Four, four career trips to the Elite Eight and six total Sweet 16 appearances. His teams have won 20-plus games in 13 of the last 14 seasons and 18 total times overall. His teams win. And people love to watch his teams. They are now a must-see attraction in Eugene. But the reason behind the wins and the crowds - Graves thinks it’s pretty simple. The game has been good to Kelly Graves. But if you ask Oregon fans, Kelly Graves has been even better for their game.
N'Faly Dante has always been motivated to help his mother. She pushed him to stick with basketball as a kid and that dedication has paid off. What do the hardwood, peanut butter and Jordan's all have in common? Find out of this edition of the Mighty Oregon Podcast.
Adversity hit Anthony Trucks at a very young age. Abused in a foster home before entering elementary school, Trucks has used that as motivation throughout his entire life. Through the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, Trucks has transformed his life and now uses his story to help inspire others.
Jake and Janie Reed both flourished on the diamond while at Oregon. So it's only natural that their love flourished as well as both have been there for each other on and off the field. All that culminated in a fairy tale summer in 2021 as Jake made his MLB debut while Janie was going for gold at the Olympics.
Oregon do-it-all safety Verone McKinley III caps off his stellar season with the Ducks by jumping back into the hosting chair one last time to chat with his lifetime buddy from Texas, Oregon guard De'Vion Harmon.
Cam McCormick's injury list looks like a collection from a roster for a full year. A season ending knee injury as a senior in high school. A broken leg that ended another year as a sophomore for the Ducks. Complications from the surgery on his leg would take another two seasons from him, not to mention the second was in the middle of a pandemic. Finally back on the field in 2021, an Achilles tear would end his 5th year in Eugene in only the second game. But through all of that, McCormick has continued to comeback and prove that no injury will keep him down.
Dennis Dixon helped usher in a new era for the Oregon Ducks. The dual threat quarterback will always be revered for his style of play that showcased the high octane, fast-paced offense the Ducks ran once Chip Kelly showed up in 2007. And had it not been for a series of injuries that derailed that '07 team, Dixon might (definitely, for sure) have lead Oregon to their first National Title.
Fast is a family thing for Cooper Teare. It's in the genes. Which explains why that history of running in the family lead him to Eugene and one of the most decorated track and field programs in the country. Long before the record breaking mile times, the NCAA championships and the state championship, Teare knew one thing. Oregon...It was always Oregon.
Nyara Sabally’s career at Oregon has been one strange twist after the other. It’s hard enough to rebound from one devasting knee injury, let alone two! And to top it all off, a global pandemic shut down her junior year on a team that had National Title hopes. Sabally is now a senior, healthy and looking forward to hearing Matthew Knight Arena rocking again.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast!
The Pick is one of those "where were you when" moments as an Oregon fan. Journey back with our deep dive into one of the most pivotal moments in the Oregon & Washington rivalry and THE turning point for both teams that can still be felt decades later.
Oregon's men basketball record during Jim Barnett's time in Eugene doesn't exactly pop out of the record books. No NCAA tournament appearances. No conference titles. Not even a winning season. But none of that would stop Barnett from carving out a place of his own in the history of the Ducks. Barnett’s basketball career now spans seven decades, from playing with some of the all-time greats to having an up close view of the revolution of the game.
This is the Mighty Oregon podcast!
There haven't been many bigger fan favorites in the recent history of Oregon's men basketball than Jordan Bell. His name was synonymous with one of the great eras of Oregon basketball. The good, the bad and everything in-between. Bell's journey through Eugene would eventually lead to the NBA and a world title. But success was never a given for the big man from California. It took hard work, determination and a lot of resilience. Many obstacles have been thrown at Bell in his 26-years, but those hardships have helped forge the man he is today.
Oregon great Dave Wilcox had quite the career in the NFL and if you ask him, he’s had an unbelievable life. And the stories…well, as you can imagine, he has them in spades. The farm boy from rural Oregon made it on one of the world’s biggest sports stages. He played for the San Francisco 49ers for 11 seasons and in 2000, became the 204th player inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The Wilcox family name continued at Oregon, with his sons Josh and Justin both starring for the Ducks, and Dave appreciates what athletics and the sport of football have done for him and his family.
This is the second of two episodes with longtime Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen and Dave Wilcox.
Toughness. Grittiness. Oregon Strong. Those are some of the words that describe Oregon great and NFL Hall of Famer Dave Wilcox. From Willow Creek, Oregon, Wilcox came from a family of athletes that realized early on that football was going to be their way to college. For Wilcox, who brought his rural, winning mentality to Eugene and helped the Ducks to their first bowl game in 47 years at the 1963 Sun Bowl, the recipe for his success started early in his career. Preparation and a will to win. Although the game of football today is physical by nature, some say that the game back when Wilcox played was built on fear. And intimidation. And no one personified that role more than Wilcox, who actually earned the nickname, The Intimidator. Wilcox doesn’t know exactly where it came from, but he has an idea of the reasoning behind it.
This is the first of two episodes with longtime Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen and Dave Wilcox.
Junior running back Travis Dye comes from a very athletic family, with football being the sport of excellence for the family. But it wasn’t always that way. And when football became the go-to sport for the family, a lightly recruited Travis decided to come to Oregon to play with his brother Troy, who was a Duck star in his own right. He excelled early in Eugene, mainly due to his desire to live in his own light and not his brother’s shadow. His excellence has continued, and in 2020, he led the team in rushing and was the only player in the Pac-12 to record at least 400 yards rushing and 200 yards receiving. Dye’s time at Oregon has enabled him to gather wisdom beyond his years and a mentality that allows him to be free and clear on the football field to achieve things he didn’t think he could accomplish.
This week’s episode of the Mighty Oregon Podcast presented by the Oregon Community Credit Union is another special edition with guest host Verone McKinley III.
Johnny Johnson III is not the biggest Duck on the field. Or the fastest. But his drive to be a contributing cog in the Ducks football machine cannot be questioned. Johnson III came to Eugene as an unheralded recruit from Arizona, where he came from a big family and fell in love with the game of football. Playing time came early, and he immediately made an impact with the Ducks when he arrived on campus. But in his second year, Johnson III struggled, and he learned quickly that preparation is the key to success. How has he used that disappointment to become one of the Duck’s more reliable receivers and a true difference-maker for the program?
When you think of the term, “American Dream”, former Duck cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and his family’s life in America fit the bill. His parents emigrated from Nigeria and gave him and his siblings a life that he continues to be thankful for. Ekpre-Olomu excelled early in sports, and his mentality and drive led him to Eugene, where he quickly became a defensive mainstay for some of Oregon’s most talented teams. But just when his football star was shining brightest, darkness came in the form of a devastating knee injury before the Ducks’ Rose Bowl appearance in 2015. And although he was drafted in the NFL and participated in training camps, he never saw the field again in a competitive game. Leaving the game he loved as a player caused him to do some soul searching, but Ekpre-Olomu knows he has a lot to be thankful for. His family. A prolific college career and an Oregon degree. The love of Oregon fans. And the love for the game of football, which taught him so many valuable life lessons that he continues to use today.
This week in a special episode of the Mighty Oregon Podcast presented by the Oregon Community Credit Union features starting safety Verone McKinley III interviewing starting quarterback Anthony Brown, who examines his exceptional, and sometimes devastating, experiences in college football and how he is using those experiences to help lead the Ducks in 2021.
Brown began his career at Boston College, where he became the first freshman to ever start a season opener for the Eagles, and he led the team to some big wins and bowl seasons. But in a horrible twist of fate, Brown had devastating injuries to both knees during his time with the Eagles, and despite the hardships, his positive mindset never changed. Brown and his experiences across college football are now in Eugene, where he is showing leadership up and down the Oregon sideline. He is making sure his Duck teammates are prepared for whatever may lie ahead in 2021.
Mike Bellotti was never afraid to seek out better ways of doing things. And although he ran his offense for 30 years, midway through his time as a coach with the Ducks, he knew something had to change. And after some research and the idea that he can always be better, Bellotti convinced his offensive staff to make that change. The Ducks offense took off, and Bellotti’s newfound offensive scheme was here to stay. Bellotti took the Ducks to new levels of prosperity and notoriety during his time in Eugene. There was a lot of success, and after 35 years of coaching, what are his main takeaways on how he accomplished big goals and transformed Oregon football into a national brand?
The winds of change began blowing with Oregon football in the ’90s. Iconic new uniforms. Upgraded, functional facilities. And winning football at a historic level. Mike Bellotti helped steer the Ducks onto the national stage and watched the Oregon brand go from a regional identity to sweeping the nation and world by storm with innovation and a futuristic look. It helped that Bellotti was also putting a winning product on the field. Double-digit win seasons. Conference championships. Heisman Trophy candidates. But more important than anything was the mindset change of the program. Gone were the goals of just going to bowl games or competing for a conference title. The Ducks now wanted to make their mark across the entire college football landscape.
If there’s anyone who had a front-row seat to the emergence of Oregon Football, look no further than former head coach Mike Bellotti. At face value, Bellotti’s Division-two resume did not look like the one that would lead the Ducks to the talk of college football. For him, it was all about doing the best he could, one day at a time. The Ducks found Bellotti, and under head coach Rich Brooks, Oregon football became a force. And when Brooks took off to the NFL, Bellotti brought the Ducks to even bigger heights and became the winningest coach in the history of Oregon football. But the turnaround wasn’t easy. He had to change the narrative around the program because, for many years, the word was not good.
This is the first of a three-part series into the story of Oregon’s winningest football coach, Mike Bellotti, and the emergence of Oregon football told through the eyes of the man who led the program to their first four ten-win seasons in school history and a total of 12 bowl games, three more than Oregon had attended in their entire history before his time in Eugene.
If we played a word association game when it comes to Oregon Football, there are plenty that comes to mind. But these two may be the words that get spoken the most: Marcus Mariota. Mariota’s foundation for his success in football came from his hard-working parents in Hawaii, who taught him and his brother to be competitive, but compassionate at the same time. After a unique recruiting process, Mariota found Oregon, where his skills were a perfect match for the Ducks’ innovative offense. The program excelled and became the talk of the college football world, with Mariota commanding the controls. Oregon played for a national championship. Mariota won the Heisman Trophy and was taken second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. And although he found success at the NFL level, injuries and a coaching carousel with the Titans brought the game of football, his love of the game, and his future, into focus.
Is becoming only the third man in the history of the world to win back-to-back Olympic decathlon gold medals as easy as treating everything like a video game and leveling up? Or is at simple as just imitating what you see on television? For Duck track legend Ashton Eaton, it may just be. Eaton’s journey to greatness is an unlikely one. The only child of a single mom, Eaton, who grew up in LaPine, Oregon, had limited scholarship offers out of high school. That is until he was convinced to try a track event called the decathlon by his high school coaches. It was a conversation that would change his life. Oregon scholarship in hand, Eaton began his rise to the top of the decathlon world. Five-time NCAA champion. Eight-time All-American. 2012 Olympic Gold medalist. And then the 2016 Olympic Gold medalist. All of it came from a mentality he learned in his childhood playing video games. He just leveled up.
As his career progressed, Tinker Hatfield became known as a great shoe designer. His talent was unmistakable. More importantly, he figured out how to crack the code with some of the world’s best athletes. Michael Jordan. Andre Agassi. Roger Federer. Alex Rodriguez. All friends and clients. Hatfield made connections with the famous and well-known, but he also came to the overwhelming realization that the world is filled with his work. No matter where he went in the world, he saw one of his designs. It didn’t take long for Nike founder Phil Knight to call on Tinker for important projects, and he became the go-to designer for the company’s top athletes for both innovation and style. With his reputation solidly in place for Nike, Knight appealed to Tinker to take part in a passion project for the company. Renovate the Oregon Duck brand. Tinker gladly obliged.
This is the third and final part of a three-part series into Tinker Hatfield’s role in reshaping popular culture and how being an Oregon Duck vaulted him into a world he could have never imagined.
Tinker Hatfield is not the designer he is with Nike today without legendary coach Bill Bowerman. He gave him a scholarship, helped him become an architect, and guided him to get into drawing and designing shoes. After a serious ankle injury sidelined Hatfield’s on-the-track career, he quickly became one of Bowerman’s most trusted testers of his new inventions. Architect's degree in hand, Hatfield designed showrooms for Nike until he won a shoe design contest. From there came the Air Max and other shoe designs.
In part two of our three-part series, we’ll examine how he became an innovator in shoe design and how a ping pong match introduced him to a basketball star that would forever change his life.
There’s not a day that goes by that you don’t see a Tinker Hatfield creation. No matter where you are in the world, whether it’s a shoe, a shirt, or a building, Tinker is probably there with you. As overwhelming as that idea is, it’s even more improbable that the journey to become a household name in popular culture began in rural Lynn County, Oregon. Hatfield, like his father, was a three-sport athlete in high school, and the early beginnings of his mindset for change were established by his dad, who as a coach and athletic director at his high school, was known as an outside-the-box thinker. It’s safe to say that trait was passed down to him. Fear was not a word in the Hatfield vocabulary, and that attitude served him well as he began to do bigger and better things.
In this episode, we’ll explore the beginnings of Hatfield’s life and how he developed the confidence to embark on a life of change.
Three-Part Series
This is the first of a three-part series into Tinker Hatfield’s role in reshaping popular culture and how being an Oregon Duck vaulted him into a world he could never have imagined.
The designer of the Air Jordans, the Air Max, and many other popular designs, Hatfield was a student and athlete at Oregon during the sweet spot of creating the Nike brand. An architectural student, Hatfield became involved in shoemaking with legendary Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and Nike founder Phil Knight, and the rest is history.
Oregon football strength and conditioning coordinator Aaron Feld has a mustache known around college football. What started as a way to motivate his players at the University of Georgia in their national championship run in 2017, quickly became a calling card for Feld. After an injury early in his playing career at Mississippi State, Feld found about the art of strength and conditioning, and his hard work and career perseverance now have him at the helm of one of the nation’s top programs. It’s his job to make sure his players are ready for the throes of competition. But also, he feels he can use his position to make a change in the world.
Former Duck women’s basketball star Ruthy Hebard has quite a story. One that begins in Chicago, but plays out mostly in Fairbanks, Alaska, where Hebard was raised with two adopted black siblings and her white parents. And although she noticed her family was different, it didn’t matter to her, as she learned to love the outdoors and the Alaskan lifestyle. Hebard also began to excel on the basketball court and eventually became a member of the most-decorated recruiting class in Oregon women’s basketball history. Hebard and that class of Ducks turned around the program, and after graduating in 2020, she is now playing professionally overseas and ironically, for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. How things have come full circle.
Do you ever wonder to yourself if your dreams and goals are too outlandish to chase? For Duck track great Raevyn Rogers, the more outrageous, the better. The results she posted on the track at Oregon aren’t just crazy, they’re extraordinary. She’s a six-time NCAA Division I champion and ten-time All-American and played a key part in the Ducks’ Triple Crown in 2017. Her accomplishments have her in rarefied air in the Oregon Track annals, and on the new Hayward Field tower, there are five Duck greats. Bill Bowerman. Steve Prefontaine. Ashton Eaton. Otis Davis. And Raevyn Rogers.
70 years. That’s how long Oregon Associate Athletic Director Herb Yamanaka has been involved with Oregon athletics, and the changes he has seen are not lost on the Hawaii native. Raised by his grandmother, he came to Eugene and became the first person in his family to earn a college degree. After earning a biology degree and figuring out the science world was not for him, he latched on to Oregon athletics, where he tackled all tasks, big or small. But more importantly to Yamanaka and to the world, he figured out one of life’s greatest secrets.
Duck baseball player Kenyon Yovan doesn’t lack confidence. A hometown boy from Gladstone, Oregon, he used that confidence in himself to become one of the best collegiate players in the nation. Yovan’s career began at Oregon on the mound as a pitcher, and was named a Freshman All-America and was on his way, or so he thought, to a baseball career striking people out. Until the unthinkable happened, when his baseball career was turned upside down in 2019 after multiple surgeries to alleviate blood clots. Now the Ducks’ all-time leader in home runs in a season, where did he find his confidence after everything in baseball was almost taken away from him?
For many people on this planet, former Oregon football player Daryle Hawkins may have the best job in the world. Designing the Ducks’ Ohana uniform and making cool Nike products are a part of his job description. Hawkins’ eclectic upbringing in Omaha, Nebraska, helped charge his interest in sports and art, and after being recruited at the FCS level for football, Hawkins found his way to Eugene in 2009, where he played for some of the most successful teams in Oregon football history. It’s not lost on Hawkins that his journey at Oregon led to his fun work-life of design and creativity that he currently enjoys, and he also understands that his career with the Ducks was his one shot at making the life he wanted. He just had to have the fortitude to go get it.
New women’s basketball assistant coaches Jackie Nared Hairston and Mike Moser have come back to their home state and the University of Oregon. Nared Hairston comes back to Oregon after spending the 2017-18 season with the Ducks and recently helping the Arizona Wildcats to the NCAA Championship game. The opportunity to work with headman Kelly Graves again was too much to pass up. Moser played for head coach Dana Altman and recently worked for the Dallas Mavericks, and although he is new to the women’s game, he is no stranger to basketball and the University of Oregon. Both Nared Hairston and Moser traveled different paths to get to their current position, and both are excited to keep the Duck women’s program on an upward trajectory.
Oregon softball coach Melyssa Lombardi grew up in a competitive and rambunctious household with her two younger brothers. It was all she knew. Her parents also filled their household with tough love, and Lombardi used those lessons to fuel her to success and a college playing career at the University of Oklahoma. After playing with the Sooners, Lombardi latched on to coaching and was an assistant with Oklahoma softball for 21 years, where she helped direct one of the nation’s top pitching staffs in route to four NCAA titles. Now in her third season at Oregon, she challenges her Duck players to get out of their comfort zones to achieve things they never thought they could.
Brady Breeze was born to be a Duck. They were his team for as long as he can remember, and when the time came to choose a place to play football, it had to be the Ducks. In the beginning, Breeze struggled for playing time and thought about leaving. But, the man from Medford stuck it out, and Oregon fans are glad he hung around. His exploits in 2019 led the Ducks to the Pac 12 title and a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin, and despite the ups in 2019, Breeze encountered downs in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic ended his chances at a senior season and his hometown burned due to wildfires. Through it all, the recent NFL draftee learned a valuable lesson through those tough times: Always be thankful for the opportunity.
Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski has seen it all on a baseball diamond- the highs and lows. And if you ask him, his ability to accept those moments come from the tough love and discipline he got from his parents. Those core lessons learned in his life helped him overcome adversity in his early college days and eventually led to winning a national championship at Pepperdine, where he was a throwback player for the Waves that was tough, disciplined and showed no fear. After initially wanting to work on Wall Street, Wasikowski instead chose to coach and after a winding coaching journey, which included being an assistant coach with Oregon, he was named the head coach of the Ducks in 2019. Wasikowski has his Ducks playing with his throwback mentality and the team is excelling, and he knows that there are expectations across the board for the Oregon athletic department. He wants to live up to his end of the bargain.
The Hold. Extra Point Jesus. Just a couple of nicknames for a play that will be associated with Nate Costa and the annals of Oregon Football history. Oregon fans also associated Costa with a career that might’ve been. Multiple knee injuries derailed his chance to become the next great Oregon quarterback, but to Costa, it’s just part of the game. Costa’s gracious attitude has now turned to coaching, where he is an offensive analyst on Mario Cristobal’s staff. He sees lasting impacts as a coach – even more so than when he played for the Ducks. One thing is for certain for Costa. He knows how special his Oregon experience was and what it has brought him in his life, and there’s always something new to learn.
Oregon track athlete Charlie Hunter almost quit running. The fastest Australian to ever run the indoor mile and 800 meters had lost his love of the sport. Little did he know what a journey across the world to run for the Ducks would do for him. Hunter’s engine was fine-tuned in March of 2020 when COVID-19 destroyed any goals he had at the time. It had all been taken away from him in a blink of an eye. Interestingly, Hunter looks back at his time in lockdown in Australia as extremely beneficial to where he is in 2021. Which to put it mildly, is a pretty good place. COVID also brought a sense of appreciation to living in the moment for Hunter, because he always knew returning to a new Hayward Field and being with his teammates was a possibility when he was locked down in Australia. He knows he has a lot to be thankful for.
Former Oregon great Kenjon Barner was on some of the most explosive teams in Duck football history, playing alongside some of the Ducks’ greatest players and winning at an unprecedented clip. To Barner, his success stems from being raised in a large family and doing whatever it takes to win. Barner left his home in Southern California and headed up the coast to play for Oregon, where he became a consensus All-American in 2012 and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was used all over the field, on offense and defense, and was truly a jack of all trades for the Ducks. His versatility and unselfishness landed him a spot in the NFL, where he has thrived on special teams and been a part of three Super Bowl champions, including this past season with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Barner’s mentality is contagious, and it’s quickly apparent why NFL teams would want him on their roster.
Oregon great and all-things-golf Peter Jacobsen has had quite the journey. He’s played in the world’s top tournaments, befriended some of the greats of the game, and lived a life around the sport he loves. But before he became a household name in the golf world, he and his family just wanted to play golf. Jacobsen turned his early life lessons with his family into a very successful golf playing career. He was a three-time All-American at Oregon, won the Pac 8 individual title in 1974, and went on to have a stellar career on the PGA Tour, where he won seven Tour events and played in two Ryder Cups. With his on-course success, Jacobsen would also come to appreciate the social aspect of the game and how he could connect with others. And it all started with his dad and the lessons he was taught on the course when he was young. Jacobsen cherishes those early days, and to him, the game has taught him many life lessons and given him a life that he could have never imagined.
Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal has lived a life of football since a very young age. But at the end of his football playing career, Cristobal entertained other options for his future work life, but eventually chose football, and life has never been the same. Cristobal has learned from the best throughout his coaching career, and he’s taken those lessons to great heights for the Ducks since becoming the team’s head coach in 2017. The Ducks won the Pac 12 conference championship in 2019 and 2020 and are considered among the nation’s best football programs. Accolades and championships are nice, but it’s the day-to-day grind to get better and the potential he sees for his team that motivates the Oregon head coach.
From the bottom to the top. That’s a good way to describe Oregon women’s soccer coach Graeme Abel’s career path. Abel played soccer at small schools in his first foray into American life and his move was a culture shock. Bye-bye big city. Hello rural Kentucky. Abel wound his way around the country as an assistant coach at Nevada, Washington State, and Oklahoma before securing the goalkeepers’ coach position with the U.S. Women’s National Team. His success with stars like Hope Solo helped project him into premiere coaching circles, and when Oregon came calling, it was too much for him to turn down. A boy from Liverpool is now the head women’s soccer coach in one of the nation’s best collegiate athletic departments and has helped the U.S. Women’s National Team to two World Cups and tremendous international success. But in the beginning, it took a leap of faith.
Eugene Omoroyi has lived quite a life. Emigrating from Nigeria to Canada as a young boy, he has seen his share of obstacles. Although he lived a Canadian life outside of his home, inside it was Nigerian language, Nigerian customs, and an appreciation for the sacrifices his family has made for him. After playing soccer growing up, Omoruyi came around to the sport of basketball late in high school and found his way to the United States. After spending three years at Rutgers, he transferred to Oregon in 2019 and has been a major force in the Ducks’ second consecutive Pac 12 regular season title this season. Omoruyi has big aspirations. He’d like to play in the NBA and succeed at the highest level. But more importantly, he wants to give back to those who have helped him get to where he is today.
The Canadian Larry Bird. Duck women’s basketball great Bev Smith was an early pioneer of the women’s game, and people in her native country knew all about her skills on the court. At 6′1″, Smith was playing center for her high school team, but she knew she had to develop a different skillset for her to advance her athletic career. Her skill development took her to the University of Oregon, where she became the school’s first All-American in women’s basketball, and her success with the Ducks took her around the world to play, where she represented the Canadian national team in two Summer Olympic games and played professionally in Europe for 15 years. After coaching her alma mater for eight seasons and serving as an assistant on the Canadian National Team, Smith is now using her worldly basketball knowledge to help the youth of Eugene understand the life lessons and positivity that come from playing sports.
For Oregon volleyball star Brooke Nuneviller, volleyball is an integral part to her family life. Her father and brother played competitively. And her mom was a star player at the collegiate level and spent time coaching in Division I volleyball. Her family’s influence has shaped her into a leader on the court and there’s not too many things she hasn’t accomplished on it. After a complicated recruiting process, Nuneviller found herself in Eugene as a freshman with a very talented and veteran team. A team that reached the Elite Eight and knocked off a perennial power, Minnesota, on its home court to get there. But adversity struck on the floor as a sophomore a year ago. Losses and injuries last season have vaulted Nuneviller into one of the best all-around players in the nation this year. And more importantly for her team, she has emerged as a vocal leader for the Ducks in their run to the postseason. Nuneviller has truly lived a life of volleyball, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Quarterbacks are, more often than not, the face of a team. And when you’re talking about Akili Smith—who helped launch Oregon into the stratosphere of the college football elite—it’s quite a legacy … one that established a quarterback-producing powerhouse. But legacies are complicated, and to know Smith’s is to understand the tough love he got from a father who didn’t want his son to make the same mistakes that sent him to prison. The multi-sport star took advantage of those lessons, turning them into a brief baseball career and a football scholarship to Oregon. You could argue that his decision to play football was the precursor to the new era of high-octane offenses. He threw 30 touchdowns in only 11 starts for the Ducks, and was named the 1998 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. That led to being picked third overall by Cincinnati in the 1999 NFL Draft and an NFL career that lasted only four years, one many to be one of the NFL’s biggest busts. And though there was plenty of blame to go around for his lack of success, Smith has accepted it and come to grips with his legacy.
For former Duck standout David Peterson, there has always been one constant throughout his life to help him through good times and bad. The game of baseball. All of the hours of playing and practicing turned into an All-American career with the Ducks, which included semifinalist nods for national player of the year awards. He was so good, he once struck out 20 Mississippi State batters in a single night’s work on the mound—something only three players in major league history have done. Drafted with the 20th pick in the first round by the New York Mets in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, Peterson was on his way to reaching the show. And in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he got the call. What was once an escape from reality is now a reality he lives every day. The life of a big leaguer.
For Oregon softball standout Haley Cruse, is she as authentic as she seems on social media? For someone with over 20 million likes on Tik-Tok, she has a lot of eyeballs watching her every move. How did she achieve such social media stardom? Cruse, now in her fifth year with the Ducks, has seen her career go from one roller coaster to another. In her freshman and sophomore seasons, the Ducks go to the College World Series. A coaching change in her junior season sparks a mass exodus with some of her teammates that required a total rebuild with new coaches and players. And of course, her senior season, which started 22-2, was erased because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But through adversity comes strength and endurance, and Cruse has learned a lot. And in the process, she has built a personal brand that she started and built at Oregon, and will continue to grow when she departs Eugene. But how will that look? She’s still trying to figure that out.
How would you like to be Devon Allen? If you laid out a 110-meter hurdle setup, you could count on one hand the people on the planet Earth that are faster than you. That’s it. But there is more to Allen than the track. And when he was deciding on a college choice, he was going to make sure that he was going to find a place where he could diversify his athletic experience. Success followed Allen throughout his Oregon career, where he won the 2014 and 2016 110-meter hurdle NCAA outdoor championships and on the gridiron in 2014, he was widely considered the fastest man in college football and led the team in touchdown catches. After a major injury on the football field, he fought back to excel on the track and he set off on a magical spring of 2016. The 2016 NCAA Champion in the 110-meter hurdles and the winner of the Olympic Trials, which cemented his spot for the U.S. National Team at the summer Olympics in Rio. Throughout all of this, Allen never really had a doubt. Allen’s confidence, despite his setbacks, is inspiring, and we’re all looking forward to what he does next.
Joey Harrington. Captain comeback. Oregon fans will forever have his late-game heroics embedded in their memories and his career vaulted the Ducks into the national conversation for football success. It always seemed if he was born for those moments. Born and raised in Portland, Harrington’s dad played quarterback with the Ducks. His grandfather played at the University of Portland. He truly is an Oregon son. And when he got his opportunity to take the field, the Oregon native showed that he belonged. And that Oregon son did some mighty things on the football field. He finished his college career with a 25-3 record. He was a Heisman finalist. He had a 10-story billboard in New York City. And in late-game situations, he was nearly unstoppable. He amassed an 11-2 record in which the Ducks trailed or were tied in the fourth quarter.
He was drafted in the NFL with the third pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft and put together a six-year career. But the success that he encountered on the field in Eugene did not follow him to Detroit. Many have called his NFL career one of the biggest busts in history.
What was really behind the wins and success? And what happened when football success disappeared?
It’s been over 20 years since Oregon men’s golf coach Casey Martin was at the heart of one of golf’s biggest controversies. Martin wanted to play golf at the highest levels and needed a golf cart to do so because of a disability. The Professional Golf Association had other ideas and challenged Martin in a case that eventually reached the Supreme Court. The biggest names in professional golf were against him. But all Martin wanted was a shot to compete, and he would’ve gladly traded a cart for a healthy leg and to just be a normal golfer. It’s been a long time since his media exposure for challenging the PGA Tour and bringing the American Disabilities Act into the sports world. Instead of a sports pioneer, most Duck fans identify Martin as the leader of their men’s golf program, a program that won a national championship on the course he grew up on, the Eugene Country Club, in 2016.
Martin has been through it all and seen a lot, but he would have preferred to just be one of the guys, carrying his bag and hiking around the golf course. But sometimes, life just doesn’t work out that way.
Oregon women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves has seen it all. From coaching at the junior college ranks to reaching the Final Four at the Division One level, the Oregon women’s basketball mentor has had transcending success. But for Graves, success is more than what happens on the basketball court. Graves values family. And togetherness. And people. Those are not empty catchwords for him or his program. He was taught early on his coaching career that those things really matter. As a head coach, Graves has won 13 regular season conference titles and reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times. In tournament play, he boasts one trip to the Final Four, four career trips to the Elite Eight and six total Sweet 16 appearances. His teams have won 20-plus games in 13 of the last 14 seasons and 18 total times overall. His teams win. And people love to watch his teams. They are now a must-see attraction in Eugene. But the reason behind the wins and the crowds - Graves thinks it’s pretty simple.
It’s hard to believe that one of football’s all-time great quarterbacks was overlooked in high school. But Dan Fouts, who had been around the game his whole life, took advantage of his only scholarship offer and transformed himself into a Duck great. Fouts’ experience before his playing career was one that many looked upon with envy and awe, having dinner with NFL greats and being on the sidelines with some of the world’s best athletes. But that experience provided him with a perspective that many people don’t get to experience. That perspective helped Fouts to a Hall of Fame career in college and in the NFL, where he transformed the game of football through the air with legendary coach Don Coryell with the San Diego Chargers. He would have a 15-year NFL career, entirely in San Diego. Fouts threw for 43,040 yards, and was the first quarterback to throw for over 4,800 yards in a season. He also became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards in three straight seasons, doing so from 1979 to 1981. To Fouts, however, those numbers were never a priority. He always just wanted a shot to win every week he put on a uniform.
LaMichael James likes to do his own thing. And for Oregon fans and supporters, they are very thankful for that. It brought him to the Pacific Northwest. And it helped him escape an upbringing that would have ruined someone that lacked his independent spirit. James’ story is a fascinating one. Unique. Trail-blazing. And inspiring. But overcoming his hardships was not an easy process. James’ career at Oregon reflected his upbringing. He was always getting that extra yard, and many argue that if there was any running back in the history of Oregon football that could get you that extra yard, it was him. The yards piled up for James. He rushed for over 5,000 yards in his three-year Oregon career. He was a Heisman finalist. An All-American. A Doak Walker Award winner, an honor given to the nation’s best running back. He played for a national championship. To know why he accomplished what he did, you have to know James’ story of perseverance and drive. And know that those are two traits that he continues to rely on today.
Oregon native Payton Pritchard may not be the most athletic guy in basketball. Or the biggest. But something about the 6’2 guard has pushed his career into what every young player dreams of when they first hold a basketball. A roster spot in the NBA. Pritchard’s meteoric rise from West Linn High School to Oregon Duck to now-Boston Celtic has been astounding. But his beginnings are rooted in a family life that knew about athletic success and taught him what it takes to excel. That foundation has led to unprecedented winning at every level of basketball he has encountered. He is the only player to win four state basketball championships. He is the winningest player in the history of Oregon basketball. He’s played in Final Fours and hit numerous big shots that Oregon fans will never forget.
Behind the scenes, he perfected his craft when no one was looking. His workouts took on a myth-like quality in basketball circles throughout the state. But for Pritchard, there is a method to his madness.
Rob Mullens’ path to one of the most prominent positions in college athletics began with humble beginnings in rural West Virginia, where his passion for sports grew on lonely baskets, dreaming of making the winning shot for the West Virginia Mountaineers. Don’t let Mullens’ upbringing and journey fool you. He has transformed himself into one of the nation’s best collegiate athletic directors. He’s the longest-tenured athletic director in the Pac 12. The Ducks came into this year as the reigning Pac-12 champs in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball. Track and field won the triple crown of NCAA titles in 2016 and 2017, the first women’s program to do so. Oregon has had top-10 Directors Cup finishes twice in the last five years. The list goes on and on. But those accomplishments don’t come without hard work. He knew the value of hard work – he just didn’t really understand exactly what it took until he arrived in Eugene. Mullens and his family love the Ducks and bask in their success, but his meandering path to this point was not always easy. And Mullens wouldn’t have it any other way.
A successful high school career in Phoenix, Arizona brought Kenny Wheaton to the Pacific Northwest, where he was a long way from his family, a main motivating force for Wheaton. But he excelled. He became an All-American. He became the first Duck football player to declare early for the NFL Draft. Football was his success story, and it was going to alleviate the burdens for the people he cared so much about. But life doesn’t work out the way we want it to. And for Wheaton, a dramatic change in what he values the most changed the trajectory of his life. Although he is synonymous with one of the greatest plays in Oregon history, The Pick, there is much more to Kenny Wheaton than that single play. A lot more.
Everything about Sabrina Ionescu is different. She had a different upbringing than others. She began her basketball-playing journey in a different way. She plays the game with a different flare. And her success on the court has bought a bigger audience to the women’s game. She garnered an NCAA-record 26 career triple-doubles, more than twice as many as the previous record holder, BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth, and she finished her career as the only player in NCAA history—male or female—with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists. For Ionescu, her path to greatness was a road less traveled.
The official podcast of the Oregon Ducks is coming Dec. 1. There are a lot of great stories that go untold. The Mighty Oregon Podcast changes that by featuring the best Oregon stories from past and present, packaged in a way fans haven't heard before. Join host Rob Moseley as we take you inside the stories of current and former student-athletes, coaches, staff members and fans in a way that's equal parts entertaining and interesting.