My first Duck-Husky game was at Multnomah Stadium (now known as Providence Park) in Portland, my hometown. In the 60s, the most significant games were scheduled in the City of Roses because the stadium held more fans than Hayward Field in Eugene. Hence the UO could net more revenue for the big games against opponents like UW, USC and Oregon State.
As a student in the early-to-mid 70s, my beloved Ducks typically lost more games than they won. UO would beat the smaller schools on the schedule but lose many of their league games. During my five years as an undergraduate, the UO had four different coaches: Jerry Frei, Dick Enright, Don Read and Rich Brooks, who finally started to turn the program around.
The Ducks became more competitive with the Huskies, coming close yet losing in spectacular fashion in several games, Then Brooks recruited a young quarterback from Grand Junction, Colorado named Bill Musgrave and the team's fortunes took a dramatic turn in 1987 when the Ducks beat Washington and USC on consecutive weekends. More was on the horizon.
In 1994, the Huskies came to town ranked in the top ten in the country. But the Ducks had assembled quite a collection of talent and led most of the game going into the fourth quarter. The Huskies, however, also had talented players. When Duck quarterback Danny O'Neil led the team down the field on a 98-yard drive for a score, things looked good for the Ducks.
But there was way too much time left on the clock. The Huskies marched down the field with ease, picking up first down after first down. "Not looking good," said my buddy Roger, a Michigan grad. "We need a turnover," I countered. "What do you want, a fumble or an interception?" he asked. "I want an interception," I replied. "Granted," he pronounced.
The clock read 1:08 and the Huskies, on the 8-yard line, were driving to score the winning points. Incredibly, instead of running their All-American tailback Napoleon Kauffman, their quarterback threw a pass toward the sideline, where it was promptly incercepted by a redshirt freshman cornerback named Kenny Wheaton, who ran 97 yards for the deciding score.
The rest, as they say, is history. The win would lead the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl in 37 years, and suddenly, the rivalry became more competitive than it had ever been. This weekend, the UO-UW rivalry becomes a contest of biblical proportions, with both teams currently undefeated and ranked in the top ten. Should be a heckuva game. Go Ducks!
