A Legacy of Excellence: Exploring the History of University of Oregon Athletics

The University of Oregon (UO) boasts a rich and storied athletic history, marked by pioneering athletes, championship moments, and innovations that have shaped the world of sports. From its humble beginnings in the late 19th century to its current status as a national powerhouse, Oregon's athletic program has consistently strived for excellence, inspiring a worldwide audience. The Special Collections and University Archives of University of Oregon Libraries are committed to preserving UO’s rich heritage of athletics excellence, ensuring that future generations will appreciate the full scope of this legacy.

Early Years and Growth

The University of Oregon has been involved in athletic competition for over a century. Athletics at UO began in the early 1880s with a baseball game against Monmouth College. While athletics was available for women, competing was frowned upon. The first football game took place in 1884. The old athletic field was constructed west of Deady and Villard Halls. A major theme over time has been growth in the number of opportunities for all social groups.

In these early years, track emerged as one of the university's top sports under the guidance of legendary coach Bill Hayward. The team secured nine conference crowns in eleven years. Dan Kelley became the university's first world-record holder in 1906. The Women's Athletic Association was formed in 1913. It included canoeing, tennis, golf, baseball, archery and walking.

Defining Moments and Program Expansion

The second-coming of Hugo Bezdek to Eugene (he had previously coached briefly at Oregon years prior) saw the coaching legend lead multiple Oregon programs to prominence. In 1916 Bezdek’s football Webfoots earned the right to play in the third-ever East-West Tournament Game, the precursor to the Rose Bowl. Three months later World War I broke out and many Oregon students enlisted for the war effort. During the war Bezdek was asked to coach a military team that featured two of his players from his 1916 championship team, a team that would be asked by President Woodrow Wilson himself (the Mare Island Marines) to play in the East-West Tournament game of 1918. Winning was something Coach Bezdek did often, whether it was leading the football team, baseball team, or basketball team; all of which he coached.

Robert Robinson and Charles Williams, the first documented two black athletes in UO history, play for the football team, beginning in 1928. Oregon wins its only NCAA men's basketball title in 1939. Urgel Wintermute was named a first-team All-American and Robert Anet was named to the second team.

After World War II, the football team achieved success, including a Pacific Coast Conference title. The women's athletic program began to approach its present form, with varsity athletics and competition fully established, replacing the club system.

Track Town, USA: The Rise of a Dynasty

If there is one sport that has defined the University of Oregon for decades, it has been Track & Field. The Duck track team achieved national prominence, especially during the 1970s. The Cross Country and Track & Field programs at the University of Oregon boast one of the most distinguished legacies in American collegiate athletics, a tradition so influential that it helped earn Eugene the nickname “Track Town, USA.” The team claimed victory in its very first meet in 1895, setting the tone for decades of competitive excellence.

During a four-year stretch in the early 1960s (1962-65), the Oregon men’s track team won three national titles. Bill Bowerman became a legendary coach, bringing four national titles to Eugene before his retirement in 1972, while preparing 24 individual NCAA champions and 33 Olympians for competition. Steve Prefontaine, who ran at Oregon in the early 1970s, was a legend in his own right, setting 13 American records in seven separate events and only lost three races at Hayward Field during the span of his career.

Hayward Field: A Shrine to Track and Field

Hayward Field was originally constructed for the football team in 1919. But the UO also needed somewhere for its athletes to compete. Two years later, in 1921, a six-lane cinder track was laid down around the outside of the field. The paddock had a creek that needed to be filled in before it could be converted into an athletic venue. The football and track teams shared Hayward Field until 1967.

Over the years, Hayward Field has undergone several transformations. In 1970, the cinder track was replaced by an all-weather surface, and six lanes became eight. In 1975, the west grandstand was completely rebuilt. While the look of Hayward Field may have evolved over the years, the feel never has. The stadium is the only site to host four consecutive US Olympic Trials (2008-2021), and it has helped place Eugene at the center of the running universe.

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Many items salvaged from Historic Hayward Field were incorporated into the new facility showcasing the rich heritage of the original stadium through graphics and signage as well as exhibits in Hayward Hall. The University of Oregon made a collection of remaining salvaged materials available to benefit the community. Befitting its world-class status, Hayward Field is hosting many major events, even before the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22. As part of its highly anticipated outdoor schedule, the Oregon track and field team has already hosted three meets at the newly reimagined Hayward Field.

The stadium is the only site to host four consecutive US Olympic Trials (2008-2021), and it has helped place Eugene at the center of the running universe.

The tower features a lobby filled with interpretive exhibits, an observation deck, viewing areas, and an elevator and staircase to the top. “What I like the most is how the design reminds you of all the people who have come before you, from the tower with medalists to school record holders around the stadium. “The tower is an incredible showcase of our program’s history. “It’s unbelievable.

Hayward Field has also been the site of numerous record-breaking performances. In 1982, Mary Decker broke the women’s 5,000-meter record at the Prefontaine Classic in June, then returned one month later and broke the women’s 10,000-meter record at an Oregon Track Club all-comer’s meet. At the 2011 Pre Classic, Moses Mosop broke two men’s world records in one race.

Football's Rise to National Prominence

After struggling in the 1980s, the football team became a regional power in the early '90s, and recently has become a national power. Two decades later football began awakening from its slumber, earning bowl berths in 1989, 1990, and 1992 before the amazing 1994 season that is commonly thought of as the watershed moment in Oregon sports, when the team improbably won the Pac-10 title earning a Rose Bowl berth. This growth reached a fever pitch in 2001, when Oregon reached as high as #2 in the national rankings in football culminating in a Fiesta Bowl victory, while on the basketball court much noise was being made by a trio of Pacific Northwest ballers who would all go on to be NBA draft lottery picks-Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson, and Freddie Jones.

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Then came 2007, a year that saw the hiring of a brash young offensive coordinator named Chip Kelly to take over the football team’s offensive resources and transform it into the flashy unstoppable machine that it continues to be to this day, with Chip now the head coach. That season the Ducks looked to be national championship-bound led by the presumed Heisman Trophy winner Dennis Dixon, but injuries curtailed those hopes.

Winning its first Rose Bowl in 1917 against the University of Pennsylvania under head coach Hugo Bezdek, the Ducks have returned to the Rose Bowl seven additional times in 1920, 1957, 1995, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2020. While in the Pacific Coast Conference, the Ducks won five conference co-championships in 1919, 1933, 1948, and 1957. The Pacific Coast Conference was disbanded in 1958, and the Ducks played as an independent until they joined the PCC's effective successor, the Pacific-8 Conference (then officially the Athletic Association of Western Universities), which later became the Pacific-10 Conference and eventually the Pac-12 Conference, in 2011. In the Pac-8/10/12, they have won seven conference championships (1994, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019) and shared one championship (2000). In 2014, Oregon won a school record 13 games and saw junior quarterback Marcus Mariota win the school's first Heisman Trophy. That same year, the Ducks made the first ever College Football Playoff and beat the defending champion Florida State Seminoles 59-20 in the 2015 Rose Bowl semi-final. The loss to Oregon ended the Seminoles 29 game win streak and moved the Ducks into the final.

A Unique Style and Influence

Perhaps it is justified, because Oregon football is not only successful, but flashy. It’s not enough to just win, but doing so with such unique flair and style that it has at times seemed to dwarf other sports at the UO by its achievements. If it’s possible to play football sexy, then the Ducks make a punishing brutal game look as good as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. The success and profits earned in football have trickled down to other sports within the program, fueling increased donations for improved facilities that then spur recruiting and national media attention.

A Golden Era: Unprecedented Success Across All Sports

Great success came on the track as well, as the men’s cross country team won back-to-back national championships and Pac-10 titles, while the women’s team finished as runner-ups for the Pac-10 and national titles. In all, the track teams featured 11 All-Americans at the outdoor championships, with Coach Vin Lananna being named as the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.

So what is it that makes Oregon athletics right now so special, greater than these previous tremendous eras of athletic dominance? Across the board, Oregon features more individual stars and teams at or near the top of the national rankings than any time previously in the program’s history. Oregon athletes have some of the best facilities in the nation, top-level coaches, and an academic, training, and treatment support structure that is the envy of every collegiate athletic program in the country. Never before has the University of Oregon experienced the kind of athletic success that is seen right here, right now.

Just take a look down the list of sports in which Oregon competes, and the storylines of success associated with each that make this without question the greatest time ever to be a Duck.

Acrobatics & Tumbling: The youngest collegiate sport in which Oregon competes, the defending national champion A&T team is undefeated on the year looking to likely repeat as champs with only one meet left before the national tournament at the end of April.
Baseball: Revived from extinction just a couple years ago, the program is ranked #22 with a recent sweep of #14 ASU and taking 2-out-of-3 vs.
Basketball (Men’s): Coach Altman has revived a program that seemed floundering, winning the CBI Tournament last season.
Basketball (Women’s): It was a little bit of a disappointing year due to multiple injuries, yet not without its accolades as senior Amanda Johnson was named the Toyo Tires National Scholastic Athlete of the Year and named to the All-Pac-12 team, and four other Ducks received Pac-12 All-Academic honors.
Football: The Rose Bowl victory in January is only the latest achievement in a string of victories that has put Oregon among the elite programs in the nation.
Golf: Both the men’s and women’s golf teams are ranked the top-25 (M-#12, W-#22), featuring several notable players, such as wunderkind freshman Cassy Isagawa and senior Eugene Wong, both of which we may be seeing on the PGA tours soon.
Soccer: Coach Erickson has reason to be excited for this year’s upcoming season to rebound from last year’s disappointing results. The team did feature eight All-Academic Pac-12 honorees last year, and this season returns sophomore goalkeeper Abby Steele, twice invited to the 20-and-under USA National Team Camp, and was a member of the 18-and-under USA Women’s Team in 2010. The Ducks return 22 players from last year, and feature one of the best recruiting classes in years.
Softball: The Duck softball team sits at 17th in the nation in the most recent rankings, winning six of their last eight games including victories over #14 Stanford and #5 ASU. Oregon Softball plays home games at the new Jane Sanders Stadium. Oregon began WCWS success under former Coach Mike White who had taken Oregon to the Women's College World Series (WCWS) four times in 6 years. Oregon has appeared in seven WCWS, in 1976, 1980, 1989, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
Tennis: The men’s team rocketed to success early on the year starting out 8-0 thanks to the strong play of Alex Rovello and Robin Cambier, but have been on a recent downturn losing four of their last 5 matches leading into the Pac-12 championships April 26-29.
Track & Field: No school in the country can boast the kind of single-sport dominance like Oregon has had the last few years on the indoor track. The women’s team are 3-peat national champions, while the men’s team hold a 2009 national title. The Ducks haven’t been too shabby outdoors or in Cross Country either, placing numerous athletes on All-Academic and All-Conference honors while bringing home multiple individual championships. The women’s team is currently ranked #1, while the men’s team is 16th. This summer when the Olympic Trials are once more held at Hayward Field, it will be merely the stepping stone for multiple Oregon athletes towards representing the United States at the Olympic Games in London.
Volleyball: This past season Oregon’s women’s volleyball team climbed as high as 13th in the country, reaching the NCAA Tournament and starting off the season with a bang, ending one of the most impressive streaks in the history of athletics. The Ducks took down #1 Penn State on their home court, ending a consecutive home-winning streak that was the third longest in NCAA history…in ANY sport. The team returns two All-Pac-12 selections in Alaina Bergsma and Lauren Plum, with Bergsma being named an All-American and Plum honorable mention for the All-American team. Five starters return, and there are high expectations for last year’s All-Pac-12 Freshman team selection Liz Brenner, who was the Oregon Prep Athlete of the Year in 2012 before joining the Ducks, leading Jesuit High School to two state championships while being the 6A state basketball player of the year and state champion in the shot put.

Oh sure, teams and athletes in the past have done great things for the University of Oregon, but as a collective group this level of success has never been achieved before. …And this doesn’t even touch on the club sports. Oh, but they’re pretty darn good at that too. Didn’t you hear?

The Oregon Brand: Identity, Mascots, and Rivalries

Oregon teams were originally known as Webfoots, possibly as early as the 1890s. The Webfoots name originally applied to a group of fishermen from the coast of Massachusetts who had been heroes during the American Revolutionary War; their descendants had settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley in the 19th century and the name stayed with them. A naming contest in 1926 won by Oregonian sports editor L. H. In 1978, a student cartoonist came up with a new duck image, but students rejected the alternative by a 2-to-1 margin.

The University of Oregon sponsors teams in eight men's and twelve women's NCAA sanctioned sports.

Oregon's biggest rivalry, however, is their "civil war" matchup against in-state rival Oregon State University. The Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies have enjoyed a border rivalry (also referred to as the Cascade Clash). The rivalry began to build steam in 1948, when the Ducks and the California Golden Bears tied for the conference win and the Huskies’ vote went to Cal which inked them in for a trip to the Rose Bowl.

The Oregon Ducks have an in-state rivalry with the Oregon State Beavers in which they play for the Platypus Trophy. The rivalry, dubbed the Civil War, has been scored across ten different sports that the two universities share over the past nine years.

The University of Nike: A Powerful Partnership

The University of Oregon is commonly referred to as the University of Nike due to Nike co-founder Phil Knight's influence through his donations to the school over the years. Knight ran in the University of Oregon Track & Field program under Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. Knight graduated from the University of Oregon in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and went on to earn an M.B.A. at Stanford University. Knight returned to Oregon and with Bowerman, also a University of Oregon alumnus, later founded Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, which officially became Nike in 1978. In 1970, Bowerman revolutionized the athletic shoe by pouring molten rubber into a waffle iron, creating a prototype rubber sole.

The relationship between the University of Oregon and Nike was the topic of the book, "University of Nike" by Joshua Hunt. In the book, Hunt describes the influence that Nike held over university administrators as well as the tactics Nike employed to the benefit of their own interests via their philanthropy.

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