Grudgingly agree about Husky Stadium, I should have mentioned it . When I was a kid, the Ducks were never on TV, and the Huskies were on fairly often. Don't tell anybody, but I pulled for them pretty hard. I thought their stadium was really neat, especially the way it was positioned on Lake Washington. Hundreds of beautiful boats hauling fans to the stadium, I still think that's extra special. It's a big stadium, made out of wood, I hear that it moves around when things really start hopping. For quite a few years now, the intensity hasn't been what it was. I think they have a major refurbishment in the works. Visiting fans at Autzen also sit in a small corner endzone section. No second deck at Autzen.
I concur that the Civil War against Oregon State would be the best game. Throw out the records for that game. I've been to Louisiana before, but it was New Orleans, not Baton Rouge. I didn't see much more than a hotel bed, and the french quarter (and the bottom of many a cup of hurricane!). I'd love to see a game at Death Valley, especially at night!
You wouldn't be disappointed! My friend is from Florida and is a Seminole fan. I took him to a Saturday night in Death Valley and he was blown away. He said all they do is "war chant" and we got a cheer for every down. We sat in the North End zone which tends to be the loudest when opponents get close. :tigereye:
I've been to a FSU game. B-O-R-I-N-G! There was no buzz before kickoff like in tiger stadium. I almost missed kickoff. no excitement at all. tailgating? hmmm, i saw i tailgating "group" show up 1 hour before kickoff and started to put up a tent. now, the girls looked great. i think it has to do with the color scheme. The largest collection of short shorts i've ever seen. You can walk in with a gallon of daiquiris. The ticket taker asked "is that water?" Us-"uh, sure."
Bill Conti, who composed the theme song from Rocky ("Gonna Fly Now"), is an LSU grad. Drives my buddy from Philly nuts when I remind him of it.
Haha, that's the same here at Oregon. We hate the fact that the "Wave" that people do in most stadiums is from a Washington Huskie! But I always retort with: "Ted Bundy was a Huskie!"
Oregon was in the Pacific 8 Conference, When I enrolled in 1974. Duck football was in a sad condition. Oregon usually couldn’t fill their little 30k stadium. I remember attending games with less than 15,000. Present NFL coach Norv Turner was the Duck’s QB at that time, we made fun of him. Calling him “Norvell Turnover", because of his remarkable ability to fumble the snap from center. The student section would chant, "we're number 8". Oregon football was a joke. After the Duck’s home opener in 1975, a 5-0 loss to San Jose State, the UO President told a reporter he’d, “rather be whipped in a public square than sit through a game like that.” The Duck’s couldn’t even beat the pathetic Beavers. “The bottom ten”, consistently listed Oregon State as the worst team in America. Prior to 1975, the Ducks defeated the Beavers one time in 11 years. The "Civil war" had become a joke also. The victor wasn't hailed. The loser was ridiculed. Oregon football hit rock bottom in 1983, vs. Oregon State. Dubbed, ‘the toilet bowl’, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. Sadly, the score had little to do with defense, there were 11 fumbles, 5 interceptions, and 4 missed field goals. That game is doomed as the last scoreless tie in NCAA Div. 1 history. Rich Brooks became head coach in 1977 and got off to a shaky start. Oregon had a season record of 2-10, four times during Brook’s first six years. Still, you could see that the Ducks were improving. Interest was growing also, the stadium was being filled more often. During the mid 80’s the Ducks became competitive, a .500 season was the new standard. In 1989 Oregon posted an 8-4 record, they had to buy their way in, but the Ducks were going bowling. Eugene was ecstatic, Oregon was going to the Independence Bowl! The Washington Huskies were used to mopping up the floor with the Ducks. Oregon had beaten UW only 3 times in 20 years. There were some inspired efforts, but those damn dogs always seemed to prevail. In 1994 with the Ducks leading 24-20, the Huskies were driving down the field. With the ball on the ducks 8 yard line and 1:05 remaining, it appeared as if the Huskies would win again. And then it happened, Duck’s DB Kenny Wheaton intercepted the pass. The 97 yard touchdown return, sealed the victory for the Ducks. That year Oregon went to the Rose Bowl, for the first time in 38 years. Wheaton’s interception, is known as “the pick”. It is the precise, defining moment in Oregon team history. It is the exact moment when the Ducks arrived! Oregon football was now a force to be reckoned with. A replay of “the pick” is the last video shown before the Ducks take the field. Watching it is an emotional thing for longtime Oregon fans. It puts a lump in our throat everytime. I choke up writing about it.
Just ran all the way through the thread. Probably the best ‘guest’ thread I’ve ever read; a lot of good stuff. As I’ve stated (or at least hinted at) in other posts Oregon is probably my favorite Pac 10 or 12 team. You can guess from my signature who I’ll be pulling for when you play the USC.
