History
Track Town USA: Thank goodness we had an extra hour of sleep this
morning - due to that wonderful Daylight Savings Time. I needed my rest.
Yesterday was a very long day. DT and I were
quite lazy this morning... drinking coffee, checking our emails on the
interweb, tidying up a bit, watching the New York Marathon - YEAH
MEB!!! Fog
surrounded our motorhome. It was cold. Neither one of us were very
excited about exercising. Cheesy hash browns sounded better.
However, by the afternoon it became quite apparent if we stayed inside
our RV eating cheesy potatoes we would eventually explode... so we laced
up our NIKEs and hit the road. If you saw my photo of the
cows in the pasture a few days ago, you saw
the hill I ran up today. It was killer. I had to stop and walk THREE
TIMES on the way up. Unfortunately, I ran all the way back down the
hill, which I will undoubtedly regret in the morning.
But, enough about my creaky knees. Today's post is about History.
University of Oregon history. The history of the Oregon basketball arena
- McArthur Court, aka "The Pit".
Oregon became a State in 1859. The University of Oregon was founded in
1876. McArthur Court was built in 1927. Only
Rose Hill Gymnasium at Fordham University in New York is older in
the NCAA.
As I have written before, this season is the last for
Mac Court. A new basketball arena is being built on campus - the
Matt Knight Arena.
Tonight was the "final home opener" for the Ducks in "The Pit". History.
History hangs from the dusty rafters of McArthur Court.
In 1939 the "Tall Firs" of Oregon won the NCAA Championship. This
Championship was the first - and only - NCAA basketball title won by the
Ducks.
So far.
Older than old, but still magical.
The Concourse is positively ancient.
Do you like the pipes hanging from the ceiling?
Speaking of logistics... here is a photo of my new
NIKE
ID shoes... resting on part of the wiring puzzle inside MacArthur
Court. I can't believe the joint hasn't burned down. I noticed sixteen
OSHA violations from my seat this evening.
Our seats are behind the student section. This place can
really rock. Maybe not so much tonight... with the home opener against a
very small private college in Portland, Oregon.
Oregon students really love their basketball team.
Still, the joint can be intimidating. While we were in
college, students camped outside for days to secure seats to watch the
Ducks against serious rivals (such as the Bill Walton Bruins). Opponents
loathe playing in The Pit. The noise is deafening. The locker rooms are
awful.
Tonight? Not so much. Not a full house. Mid-terms.
Everyone is exhausted after the HUGE football game yesterday.
More History: Oregon head coach, Ernie Kent (far left),
was on the Oregon basketball team when we were in college about 90 years
ago.
I feel bad for these poor girls/guys. They must have
spent all day at the football game yesterday and had to cheer at the
basketball game tonight... in the middle of mid-terms. Poor things.
Just kidding.
How many crunches do you have to complete to get abs
like that???
Okay... enough gratuitous photos of fit young girls... back to our
history lesson.
Walt Disney hisownself sanctioned the use of Donald Duck
as the
official mascot of the University of Oregon. This the only use of a
Disney-sanctioned character outside of Disney.
The Duck is a very popular mascot. Kids love him.
Students love him. The press love him.
This photo could have been taken today... or when I was
a student. (Nope. If taken while I was a student, the photo would be
black and white.)
This is what The Duck looked like in 1975.
The Duck is very entertaining. Just as well, as the game
was not. Ducks 99, Concordia 61.
This completes your history lesson for the day. I hope you do well in
your mid-term.
Until my next update, I remain, your historical correspondent.