Editor's note: This post is part of a continuing series of stories on the ongoing demise of the Pac-12 Conference.
Enrolling at the University of Oregon in the early 1970s, I immersed myself into campus culture. In those days, the Duck football team was in a major swoon, with more losses than wins. Coaches came and went frequently, and attendance was dismal. But long before the football team became a national brand, UO garnered notoriety for its crazy men's basketball program.
Unfortunately, student tickets to basketball games were distributed through a lottery. Because I had enrolled as a student at the beginning of a winter quarter, I missed out, and I was bummed. The UO basketball team -- known as the "Kamikaze Kids" for their dive-on-the-floor mentality inspired by their coach, Dick Harter -- was the hottest ticket in town.
In his book "Shooting Ducks," legendary Duck coach Howard Hobson described how the team acquired its nickname: "Wichita coach Harry Miller barked out the catchword that would characterize this era of Webfoot basketball. The veteran Miller's Wichita Shockers had just lost to the Ducks that opening week of the 1972-73 season, and by 20 points."
Hobson quoted Miller thusly: "They play more aggressively than kamikaze pilots did during World War II. I have never seen a basketball team go after you like that." The "kamikaze" label stuck, and these Ducks -- led by legendary Ronnie Lee (bottom photo) -- won. The team became so popular that students would camp out overnight at McArthur Court to see a game.
One day, an old girlfriend called. "I must go to home to Portland this weekend," she began. "Do you want my tickets to the Duck basketball game?" "Hell, yes!" I replied. "Who are we playing?" "UCLA," came her reply. "Oh, boy!" I thought to myself. Camping out with other students the night before the game, I had prime seats on the floor in the student section.
UCLA came into Mac Court coached by one of the very best of all time in any sport, John Wooden. The Bruins had defeated the Ducks the week before in Westwood, 84-66. After the game, local media noted that the Kamikaze Kids were "foolishly tenacious." Unfortunately for UCLA, they would be playing this game in a building full of loud, taunting Kamikaze Krazies.
The scene was intense. The crowd was deafening. The scoreboard swayed as the Kamikaze Kids overcame an early deficit to win 56-51 in a game that defied expectations. The experience left a deep impression of those in attendance, including yours truly. I became a true believer in Duck basketball and their rough-and-tumble style of play.
