As I promised, here is the comparison between Galen Rupp, the most decorated UO athlete in school history, and Steve Prefontaine. Rupp has accumulated a lot of accolades, but how does it look when you get down to nuts and bolts? (For simplicity’s sake, I’m only comparing their collegiate careers.)

NCAA Titles

Pre: Seven. Three in cross-country, four in the three-mile.

Rupp: Six. One cross-country, three indoor (3k, 5k and DMR) and two outdoor (5k and 10k).

Records

Pre: Eight collegiate records and one American record in the 5k. Two still stand today (3-mile and 6-mile). Also holds record for fastest drunk tricycle bar lap at The Old Pad.

Rupp: Two collegiate records and American indoor record in the 5k.

Mustache?

Pre: Yes

Rupp: No

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UO track and field phenom Galen Rupp just finished up his collegiate career in a big way, taking first in the 10,00o at the U.S. Track and Field Championships. It’s hard to really get a handle on his mountain of wins, records and assorted achievements, but here’s the highlights:

• 2008 Olympian and fastest non-African in the 10,000
• 2009 U.S. champion in the 10k
• Currently holds the American indoor record in the 5,000 and collegiate records in the outdoor 10k (fastest American-born) and indoor 3k
• Three-time consecutive U.S. national team member
• Only person in NCAA history to win the 3k, 5k and distance medley in a championship. If Rupp had entered the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships as a one-man team, he would have taken 10th.
• Overall, six NCAA distance titles in the 2008-2009 season – first in cross country; first in the indoor 3k, 5k and DMR; and first in the outdoor 5k and 10k.
• Ran anchor leg on the Ducks’ record-breaking 4xmile relay team.
• You might as well throw in a handful of Pac-10 championships, as well as nine time All-American and NCAA Division I Men’s Track Athlete of the year.

Rupp is the most decorated Duck in school history. Of course, this begs the question: Better than Pre? When I get the time and the gumption, I’ll stack them up against each other.

(The ODE also has a list of Rupp’s stats.)

We don’t talk a lot about sports on the Commentator blog or in the magazine. This isn’t a problem, maybe in the print version but that’s a debate for another day. Occasionally we showcase the stupidity of University of Oregon athletes, like the three basketball players who shot ducks with pellet guns at Alton Baker park.

Considering my strange love for American football, and my current internship at a sports journalism site, I thought I would share a few thoughts about the NCAA that have become increasingly apparent to me. You may have come to this conclusion long ago yourself but I didn’t start following collegiate sports and its myriad of issues until I became a freshmen. Even then it took a few months.

My conclusion: The NCAA is the United Nations of the collegiate sports world.

I don’t mean this in a good way. I’m talking about the U.N. that has no power (which it doesn’t) and mostly allows for easier (or if you care to argue the other way) diplomatic ties for various countries. The power that the media, fans, and schools ascribe to the NCAA is on the whole ridiculous.

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Yesterday was the first ever (to my knowledge) inter-campus publication dodgeball tournament between the Oregon Daily Emerald, the Commentator, KWVA and the Comic Press, and you know who won? You’re damn right: The Oregon Commentator!

Held in the rec center, the round robin tournament was a spectacle of sport and trash-talking. (Okay, so most of the trash-talking was done by the OC.) Our first match was against the ODE. Surly, in varying states of sobriety (or a lack thereof) and clad in our sudsy tank-tops, we quickly dispatched the ‘Ol Dirty with gusto.

CJ Ciaramella, Drew "you could lick me and get drunk" Cattermole and Matt Tham survey the competition

The Comic Press beat KWVA in the next round, and the stage was set for a clash of titans. After I gave the team an inspiring pep talk, we set out to work. It was a nailbiter of a match. In the end, it came down to two people: OC Managing Editor Matt Tham and a really sweaty, angry-looking guy from the Comic Press. (Seriously, he looked like was going to have a temper tantrum.) But Tham prevailed over the sweaty man! Commentator wins! Holy cow, Commentator wins!

The OC team enjoys some delicious tobacco after stomping the competition.

Our only loss of the day came at the hands of KWVA, which had a guy on its team who, by the looks of it, must be pitching some AAA baseball in his free time. In any case, all the teams who lost to us are now our slaves in Valhalla.

Dodgeball … blog contests … ain’t no thing.

P.S. Where were you, Kai Davis? I didn’t see you on the field of battle. Your honor is in question, sir!

If any of you follow Oregon track and field, you no doubt heard about javelin thrower Cyrus Hostetler’s monster throw at the Pepsi Invitational. (It was 271’10” – first all-time in the Pac-10, fourth all-time in the NCAA and an A” standard mark for 2009 IAAF World Championships, not to mention the leading throw in the world so far this year.)

But have you ever wondered what the athletes think of their performances – the ecstasy of victory, agony of defeat, etc? Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, now you can. Here’s part of Hostetler’s account of his throw, from his personal blog (where he goes by “King Cyrus,” natch):

I started my approach and pulled back, did my sideways cross over steps and hit the block leg. my hips cranked thru and my shoulder pressed forward, but my arm was still reached back and had not pulled thru, then at the last second my arm shot thru the point of the javelin, it was like I didn’t even use my arm, it just followed thru. I screamed and shouted. The throw had a low angle but it just didn’t seem to want to come down. I knew it was a big throw. I was thinking that I wanted to start to yell again, lots of throwers yell at their throws while they are in the air, but I normally just think those guys are dumb, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys. Lol. But I was just thinking “don’t scratch this throw!” I made sure the javelin landed before I walked off, and I was thinking “don’t trip” because rules say u  have to exit the runway in control, so hopping off, skipping, falling, tripping out of the runway is a scratch. I exited the ring and I was pumped.

LOL indeed, sir.

In a perfect cap to the UO men’s basketball team’s craptacular season, police discovered three freshmen players shooting ducks with pellet guns in Alton baker Park. From KATU:

Police cited Michael R. Dunigan, 19; Teondre Javon Williams, 19; and Cedric Josh Crittle, 19, on suspicion of violating park rules against discharging pellet guns and hunting in Eugene city parks.

All three are freshmen members of the University of Oregon basketball team. Dunigan is the 6-10 starting center for the Ducks; Williams is a 6-4 guard; and Crittle is a 6-8 forward.

The report doesn’t say if any ducks were maimed or killed. Presumably not, at least if the boys’ basketball skills are any indication of their aim.

But really, shooting ducks with pellet guns? Fuck those guys.

Recently, I was able to go to the first University of Oregon baseball home game. Let me say that already PK Park is one of the best looking stadiums in college baseball. Sadly, there is no beer garden in place yet, but $2 hotdogs and a sweet view of Autzen make up for it with atmosphere.

The student section is small but seats will always be available at home games. Even though they are temporary stands they are really close along the left field sideline and allow students to get up close when heckling opposing players.

If you want to become a fan, I highly suggest smooth hitting shortstop KC Serna, a Eugene native and first Duck to hit a home run at PK Park. Other notable players are Antony Kreitz and our Ace and future pro, Tyler Anderson.

I must admit one thing pissed me off about PK Park, though. After I caught a foul ball during the game, my first foul ball after hundreds of baseball games, stadium personnel then hunted me down and made me return the ball.

This paragraph is from an AP story by Michael Marot about Rulon Davis, a defensive-end competing in the NFL combine who survived a horrible accident:

In July 2005, he was rear-ended on a California highway, thrown off his motorcycle and into the path of an oncoming semitrailer, which ran over both his legs. Somehow, Davis survived with no broken bones and no ligament damage, though he couldn’t walk for a month and had to retrain his legs.

And this is a paragraph from today’s Oregon Daily Emerald article about the combine by Robert Husseman:

In July 2005, Davis was rear-ended by a semi on a California highway while riding a motorcycle, throwing him off the bike. The semi ran over both of Davis’ legs. Somehow, his bones weren’t broken and his ligaments weren’t damaged, but it took Davis a month to relearn how to walk.

Hmm.

UPDATE: Husseman also incorrectly listed the top four football positions in terms of highest average score on the Wonderlic test. (He claimed they were offensive tackle, quarterback, center and guard.) The correct order is offensive tackle, center, quarterback and guard.

From our inbox:

This may have been brought to your attention 10 years ago. “Beyond Erniedome,” by Melissa Logan. Oregon Commentator, May 17, 1999, Vol. XVI, Issue X. From a sidebar story: “Caught Traveling.”

“[Mike] McShane will be playing next year in Division II for Montana State University for a coach who seems to care a little more about his players than his personal image.”

Montana State University competes in the Big Sky Conference at the NCAA Division I level in basketball and the Football Championship Series (FCS — formerly Division I-AA) level in football.

If this was already corrected, thank you. I found your article doing a search using the terms “ernie kent lousy.” I was challenged by a die-hard Ernie Kent supporter on a Register-Guard sports blog to examine the “body” of Kent’s work. I suggested it may be time for cremation, because the “body” stinks.

Keep up the good work.
Jeffrey S. McDowell
Missoula, Montana

The Emerald reported today that the ASUO is considering cutting the contract for student tickets.

The discussion began when members of the budget committee that administers the ticket purchases asked senators for their suggestions. Sen. Cassandra Gray then asked her colleagues what they thought of “moving this completely off of the contract for the ASUO,” which she said would be fair to students who have no interest in attending Ducks games.

I just want to ask a couple questions and point out some stupidities here.

The question:

I realize that money is tight and blah, blah but when did the Senate think to themselves, “You know taking away free student tickets to football and basketball games won’t backfire at all. We won’t upset a majority of the campus in doing so. In fact, I bet we’ll make people very happy.”

When?

Because there is no way that taking student tickets away won’t blow up in their faces. Now, I realize that they offered some compromises like not offering tickets to pre-term games but Gray’s initial suggestion seems like the least thought out suggestion to ever grace the lips of an ASUO senator.

The killer part of their argument is really that last quote though. It would be fair to students who don’t care about Duck sports, wouldn’t it?

If that’s the logic we’re taking here, I’d like to suggest that we defund the LTD contract, remove all the student unions, also the contract student lawyers, I don’t use the craft center either, LGBQT doesn’t need money because I’m not gay so I don’t need their services. Fortunately, if we use this logic OSPIRG gets the axe too (but other more logical reasons should get them cut anyway).

I wonder what kind of protests, if any, would happen if they actually decided to go through with a full cut.

Doesn’t have the same ring as Mac Court. Knight Arena. Meh.

For those who want more proof that Phil Knight and company own the University of Oregon, I refer you to the Register Guard and the Ol’ Dirty:

UO President Dave Frohnmayer was happy to comply and on Saturday, at a news conference in the Rose Garden arena just before the Papé Jam basketball double-header tipped off, he announced that excavation will begin on the Matthew Knight Arena this week. The $227 million stadium will replace 82-year-old McArthur Court — Mac Court to students and fans.

Maybe Susan Palmer just hates Nike and Phil Knight but I do enjoy the way she wrote the first sentence there. Frohny was happy to comply. Ha! Who wouldn’t be happy to comply with Phil Knight when he’s bankrolled 3 other buildings on this campus, two of which already hold the Knight name. Let’s list them: Knight Library, Lillis Business Complex, and Law School/Library.

I for one am not complaining about Knight’s money. The dude is rich, bored, and likes sports. However, other than the uniforms and various other Nike donations to UO athletics, the three buildings noted above are not athletic facilities and do support the entire campus.

Mostly I’m just waiting to hear the bitching and moaning from the rest of the UO campus and Eugene area.

The UO administration is going to push 2010 graduations forward a week, meaning during finals week, so as not to conflict with the NCAA Track and Field Finals. From an email sent out to the deans and directors listserv on behalf of Senior Vice President and Provost Jim Bean:

We are planning ahead to accommodate a scheduling issue for June 2010. UO has been awarded the NCAA Track & Field Finals June 9-12, 2010. This coincides with UO commencement ceremonies currently scheduled for June 10-12, 2010.  After careful consultation with many groups, we are moving commencement back to June 3, 4, 5, 2010 (not this year) but not changing any class or exam schedules. This means that commencement ceremonies will be held June 3, 4, 5, 2010 and final exams will take place June 7 -11, 2010. Thus, seniors graduating spring term 2010 will march in commencement before they take their final exams. This is not ideal, but the preponderance of feeling was that it was the better solution.

It’s completely asinine to make seniors complete their finals and deal with graduation all in the same week. I usually have trouble taking the “athletics have completely supplanted education in American universities” argument too seriously, but this is just ridiculous. The email, by the way, was sent our way by everyone’s favorite gadfly Professor Bill Harbaugh, who had this to say:

I suppose the next step is to appoint our Athletic Director – a booster who doesn’t have a college degree and got the job after donating $2 million to buy out his predecessor – UO’s next President.

I’m guessing this is somehow related to the hundreds of thousands Phil Knight has given to UO to supplement Frohnmayer’s salary, and to the millions he (with some from AD Kilkenny as well) has given to the Frohnmayer’s Fanconi Foundation.

President Frohnmayer just announced the long-term plans of the UO Athletic Department:

EUGENE, Ore. — (Dec. 2, 2008) — University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer and Athletics Director Pat Kilkenny today announced their succession plan for several key positions in the UO athletics department. Frohnmayer said he intends to promote Mike Bellotti, head football coach, to athletics director when Pat Kilkenny steps down from the position at a time yet to be determined. When that occurs, Chip Kelly, offensive coordinator for the UO football program, will assume the role of head coach.

Which is funny in light of today’s column in the ODE, “Could Kelly leave Oregon?“

In case you didn’t notice, the R-G had an amazing article all about Bellotti’s facial hair. (In case you also didn’t notice, Bellotti has been rocking a goatee lately.) The kicker?

Bad news: Bellotti might shave it this morning, or tomorrow, or Sunday. The only good news is, when he does, he might clean the chin and keep the ’stache.

But only “for a day or something.”

Keep your eyes peeled, folks. The Bellotti ‘stache could return at any moment. Go for it, coach!

Most of the time, when you hear about censorship on college campuses it’s in response to something political in nature – a “bias incident,” a lecture or a newspaper editorial. This, however, is a new one to me:

The University of Virginia has banned homemade signage at all of its sporting events, citing a desire to promote a “positive game-day experience.” Not just offensive or inappropriate signs. All of them. Not even “go team!” Rick Reilly at ESPN was having none of it:

One thing is clear. This is un-American. This isn’t Havana. What’s next? No yelling? No grumbling? No heavy sighing? How are students supposed to effect change at their school? Morse-code flashlights? And if they can censor students at the stadium, what’s to keep them from doing it on The Lawn?

Reilly is right. This isn’t Havana. This is college athletics, where it’s the student section’s job to harangue the opposition into a neurotic mess. If the UVA athletic department is so concerned about hurting people’s feelings, maybe it should relegate itself to activities like croquet and knitting circles. Or perhaps it should promote a positive game-day experience by, I don’t know, winning games. (The UVA football team had a lackluster 5-7 season last year.)

Fortunately, the UVA students are not standing for this nonsense, either. At their most recent home football game, thousands of UVA students held up blank pieces of paper at predetermined times to protest the new rule, proving that freedom of speech is just as alive and well in the sports arena as the political arena. Protest organizers even quoted fellow Virginian (and UVA founder) Thomas Jefferson, who once said ” .. a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing …”

Cross-posted at the CAMPUS Magazine Online blog.