An “Unprecedented” Gift
The most prominent names associated with the University of Oregon gathered for an evening full of high emotion on Saturday, capped off with host Phil Knight’s announcement that he and wife Penny has pledged a $100 million gift to create the Oregon Athletics Legacy Fund; it is the largest gift ever given to the University.
UPDATE: The Ol’ Dirty finally got their story posted. Took ya long enough!
President Dave Frohnmayer and Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny did not elaborate on the festivities of the announcement, only that many top donors, both athletic and academic, were in attendance, 
and the announcement was “suspenseful,” “inspired everyone present” and was bestowed in an “almost spiritual” fashion. Something about a “strategic seizure of the moment” by Knight was also mentioned – is it possible that Knight is a sorcerer? A gift like this has been expected for some time, especially since the University hired Kilkenny. Knight did not attend Monday’s press conference, but Frohnmayer said the Nike co-founder had decided “the time was right” for this gift given the current direction of the athletic department.
The $100 million will go toward Campaign Oregon, putting the total over its $600 million goal – at roughly $630 million. The fundraising campaign will continue for 10 months and hopes are it will reach $700 million total with Knight’s gift. Mac Court has simply run past its age and is unsafe, Frohnmayer said, and replacing it has been considered part of Campaign Oregon from day one. He made clear that the future of Mac Court will be for academic use.
Sure he has sex with men, not because he wants to, but because he ran out of women
Hey, hey, hey. Let’s not bring David Bowie into this, now.
Kilkenny does what what in the butt.
Ossie: Dude, can’t rape the willing.
Pat Kilkenny threw a knife into heaven and can kill with a stare.
He date raped David Bowie
When Pat Kilkenny was born, he roundhouse-kicked the nurse and choked both his parents. No one delivers Pat Kilkenny but Pat Kilkenny.
If Killkenny ever lost his temper, Mac Court would tear itself down.
If everyone listened to Kilkenny, there wouldn’t be ’24’, there would only be ’12’.
Kilkenny has had it with these motherfuckin’ old arenas on this motherfuckin’ campus.
Kilkenny isn’t hung like a horse. Horses are hung like Kilkenny.
Kilkenny had facial hair in kindergarten.
He killed Kenny! the bastard!
Kilkenny doesn’t see dead people, he makes dead people.
Kilkenny first learned of his powers way back in 6th Grade when, in the middle of show-and-tell, he suddenly got a boner in front of the whole class.
There were no survivors.
There’s talk that Kilkenny could be the first black UO president. I’m sure you’re thinking that Kilkenny isn’t black, but that’s just racist.
Kilkenny did three tours of Nam. Last time I was over there I had a waiter that was eight feet tall. When I looked at his nametag, sure enough it said Cu’ong Kilkenny.
He doesn’t consider it sex if the woman survives.
He steals hearts like they’re horses and horses when hearts can’t be found.
Pat Kilkenny’s tears cure cancer, it’s too bad Pat Kilkenny never cries.
Pat Kilkenny once ate a woolly mammoth raw.
PLC need to be imploded and replaced with a hole in the ground. Move the Econ department to that fancy B-school, let the other denizens fight over turf in the hole.
The worst dorms in the country (Referring primarily to Bean) are being slated for a major renovation either next year or 2010.
PLC, as big of a monstrosity as it is, needs to stay.
Columbia…They need to tear the roof off the sucker and add a couple of floors to it.
The Frohn’s massive ego and lack of perspective.
Columbia blows. And how about them dorms, huh? Shouldn’t the worst dorms in the country be knocked down first?
Dudes, the color-changing helmets proved that we already had more money than sense. Knocking down Mac Court in the name of “Athletic Legacy” is as good of an idea as invading Iraq in the name of 9-11.
What am I missing?
PLC, also, don’t forget PLC. Maybe Eslinger.
Personally, I’d like to see certain buildings knocked down…just not Mac Court.
Susan Campbell, Hendricks, Friendly. I’d also say education, but that’s apparently getting an upgrade so I’ll have to wait and see on that.
They don’t have to knock down Mac Court to start over. The new arena is going up on Franklin. I get the private ownership issues, but they just don’t apply at a public University.
For me, it’s actually an issue of pride. Mac Court is one of the Fenway Parks or Wrigley Fields of basketball arenas… it’s age is almost an argument for keeping it in some form or another. Besides, if you ask Pac-10 basketball players where the scariest place to play on the road is, they’ll list The Pit in the top three every time. As sad as it is, even the fact that it was built on the student dime seems to me like a reason to not just knock it down.
I do get the impression that fighting this is will be an exercise in futility. Minds seem to be pretty well made up in the hallowed halls of Johnson and Casanova.
If it’s of any consolation, I do encourage the demolishing of Susan Campbell and Hendricks hall in order to build two new buildings.
Andrea: Thanks for the heads up, I actually didn’t know that about Mac Court. The lamella thing.
Ted: Oh, I’ve nothing against adaptive reuse, but I also think it’s kind of a weird thing to fetishize old buildings. Maybe I’m just sore because the Hysterical Society in San Antonio does a lot of fucking with people about not “maintaining the historical look of their homes” or whatever. But, at the same time, every now and again it makes sense to just raze something and start over. Then again I, for one, will be sad when irony is gone.
(1) It is the National Register of Historic Places.
(2) Mac Court is not on it, as the U of O does not like being told what they can and can’t do to “their” historic buildings.
(3) I say “their” buildings because Mac Court was paid for by student fees, so I think the students should have some say in what happens to it.
(4) This old arena was one of the first built in the nation specifically for the growing game of basketball in the 1920’s, and was the first on the west coast. For all of you engineering fanatics out there, it was the first building on the west coast to utilize a lamella roof, which would go on to influence modern use of lamella systems in sports facilities such as the Astro Dome and the Superdome in New Orleans.
(5) On GoDucks.com, Oregon Athletics seem to wax eloquent about the facility, and how, “… in its 79th season, anyone who has played in McArthur Court will testify it’s a special place. Picture a four story, classically architectured pavilion. From the outside, you can hear the roar of the crowd. Inside, it’s packed to the roof with the deafening cheers of nearly 10,000 boisterous fans. Overhead, three balconies vibrate to the sound of Oregon’s pep band and rally squad and the scoreboard suspended over midcourt appears to quiver. The atmosphere is electric.That’s what it’s like in McArthur Court, which is better known by players and visitors alike as “The Pit.” It’s the consummate place to stage a game. Opponents cringe at the thought of playing in Mac Court. Fans speak of it with unmatched reverence.”
And those are only the first three paragraphs. But I do have to say the best is:
“Even with its tradition, McArthur Court is a modern facility. The building has undergone more than $5 million in renovations over the last decade … making it a viable venue for numerous events well into the 21st century.”
Tim: I don’t study this stuff, but there are plenty of strong financial, environmental and community/identity-building arguments for adaptive reuse in general.
In this case, it’s specifically sad that when Ducks of the future ask “what’s that building in the famous picture of Bill Bowerman?” The answer will be “Oh, that’s Mac Court. They tore it down when they got the Athletic Legacy Fund.” Of course, irony won’t exist anymore by then, but it will still be sad.
Wubba, you should know by now that it isn’t hard for the administration to do anything it wants. As far as rivaling the Hult and Silva, that will be part of the new arena. No way would the University decide to create a rival-building to the new arena, which will need to attract several concerts and events each year to pay the bills.
Am I the only one who’s sort of sad such a thing as a National Record of Historic Places exists? It’s just an old stadium guys, it ain’t the Pyramids or the Parthenon or some other marvel of technology and engineering for its day: It’s a small basketball arena that smells like feet.
Actually Wubba, it isn’t on the Registry… yet.
I say we turn it into Thunderdome.
He’s going to have a very hard time tearing down Mac Court, simply because it is listed on the National Record of Historic Places.
What I think should be done is some renovation, and turn it into a secondary concert hall. Something that can be used to rival the Hult Center and Silva Hall.
I guess I should have been a little more specefic, of course he meant tearing it down and building new acedemic facilities.
Jake: I’m with ya there. I love it because it gets things done in a timely manner. I just wish that I was in the circle’o’Phil and was invited to the Saturday night fiesta, which I forgot to mention was on the Nike campus in Beaverton. Kilkenny was nearly choked up when talking about the night. I bet there was statues of Venus with Cristal squirting out her teets, an entire goat slow-roasting over a fire and Beethoven music running throughout the room.
Frohnmayer said it will be weeks until an announcement is made about groundbreaking of the new stadium – as soon as they raise 50 million more, which won’t take long at this point. The new stadium is going to be the largest public works project in the history of Lane County, Frohny said. It will also force the county and city to finally get off their ass and turn the Franklin area into something worth looking at…which I see as being beneficial to the area.
And now we know which one of us is Harpo….
The cover story in the Register Guard has Frohnmayer “Acknowledging that Mac Court is probably headed for demolition.” That must have been what he meant by “Academic use.” I mean, I’ve heard of deconstructionism, but that is just ridiculous.
*honk honk*
Higher education is a brilliant business model, really.
“Mac Court has simply run past its age and is unsafe, Frohnmayer said, and replacing it has been considered part of Campaign Oregon from day one”
“But,” added Frohnmayer, “when you know the money is gonna be there, you don’t really need to make a big deal about that somewhat contentious issue. That’s why ‘New Arena’ is the only mention of athletics in the Campaign Oregon goals at the very bottom of the very last goals bullet point. Obviously people tend to give more when you don’t tell them that $100 million will be going to Athletics.”
Frohn: “No no, athletes can’t perform in there… too dangerous I say. Let’s put academics in that building! Wait, why are the professors mad?”
I love cronyism
What do you get when you cross this story with the one about the DPS chief?
“A wannabe cop ‘n a Phil”!!!
Alright. I’ll be paying for that one when I’m burning in hellfire for all eternity.