Tonight is the first in a four-part series regarding what you need to know about the biggest bowl opponent in Kansas State history. We'll be tackling a number of different issues the Cats face with the Ducks and breakdown both teams over the course of the next month and how each compares to the other.
We'll also be diving into more statistical information, looking at the the Fiesta Bowl itself, and of course get into all the hype surrounding the game as the date nears.
- Part II: The KSU Defense vs. The Oregon Offense
- Part III: The KSU Offense vs. The Oregon Defense
- Part IV: Stats Overload III
- The Fiesta Bowl
- The National Hype
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PART I: OREGON HISTORY 101
Just as Kansas State hasn't always been the Wildcats, Oregon hasn't always been the Ducks.
Oregon teams were originally known as Webfoots, possibly as early as the 1890s.
The Webfoots name originally applied to a group of fishermen from the coast of Massachusetts who had been heroes during the American Revolutionary War; their descendants had settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley in the 19th century and the name stayed with them.
A naming contest in 1926 won by Oregonian sports editor L. H. Gregory made the Webfoots name official, and a subsequent student vote in 1932 affirmed the nickname, chosen over other suggested nicknames such as Pioneers, Trappers, Lumberjacks, Wolves, and Yellow Jackets.
Ducks, with their webbed feet, began to be associated with the team in the 1920s, and live duck mascots were adopted to represent the team. Journalists, especially headline writers, also adopted the shorter Duck nickname.
Beginning in 1940, cartoon drawings of Puddles in student publications began to resemble Donald Duck, and by 1947, Walt Disney was aware of the issue. Capitalizing on his friendship with a Disney cartoonist, Oregon athletic director Leo Harris met Disney and reached an informal handshake agreement that granted the University of Oregon permission to use Donald as its sports mascot.
When Disney lawyers later questioned the agreement in the 1970s, the University produced a photo showing Harris and Disney wearing matching jackets with an Oregon Donald logo:
Relying on the photo as evidence of Disney's wishes, in 1973, both parties signed a formal agreement granting the university the right to use Donald's likeness as a symbol for (and restricted to) Oregon sports. The agreement gave Disney control over where the mascot could perform and ensured that the performer inside the costume would "properly represent the Donald Duck character."
In 2010, Disney and the University reached an agreement that removed the costumed Oregon Duck mascot from its association with the Donald trademark, and allowed The Duck to make more public appearances, such as at college mascot competitions. The mascot in graphic art, which is more similar to Donald Duck than the rounder head and body of the costume, is still covered by the trademark agreement.
Here is an even more comprehensive article outlining the fact that, yes, Donald Duck is actually the University of Oregon's mascot.
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As we all know, Oregon is known as Nike University for a reason: Phil Knight.
Knight's influence on Oregon is so great that calling him a booster is like calling the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a concerned citizen.
Without Knight, Oregon would be thrilled to go to the Holiday Bowl. Without Knight, Oregon would be asking for money instead of printing it.
Without Knight, Oregon would be ... (gasp!) Oregon State.
Knight holds the key to Oregon athletics in his wallet, and everybody there knows it. The new basketball gym -- Matthew Knight Arena, named after Phil's late son -- is his project. The school's uniforms, more than any other team's, are a billboard for his company, Nike. There is a sense that every new building and every important hire needs Knight's stamp of approval.
Knight graduated from Oregon, but so much of his spending in Eugene is not about education. It isn't even really about athletics, because let's face it: After you spend your first $100 million or so, you probably have all the jockstraps and barbells you need.
No, most of Knight's spending is about recruiting. He spends to excess in order to impress high school kids. Knight has poured tens of millions of dollars into what amounts to makeup and jewelry for the athletic department.
And after reading this article, it's a little sickening. Maybe because it's seems like such a conflict of interest: a company as visible as Nike, a SPORTS CLOTHING company, just miles from the campus, with a co-founder and chairman the alumni of the local university, just blatantly pouring money to fund, what else ... the athletics program, to the tune of $330 million.
In 2000, Knight was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his Special Contribution to Sports in Oregon.
He is believed to have contributed approximately $230 million to the University of Oregon, the majority of which was for athletics.
On August 18, 2007, Knight announced that he and his wife, Penny, would be donating an additional $100 million to the University of Oregon Athletics Legacy Fund. This donation is reportedly the largest in the University's history.
His significant contributions have granted him influence and access atypical of an athletic booster. In addition to having the best seats in the stadium for all University of Oregon athletic events, he has his own locker in the football team's locker room.
An athletic building is named for him, the library for his mother, the law school for his father, and the basketball teams' home, Matthew Knight Arena, is named for his late son, who died in a scuba diving accident.
Doesn't there seem something unethical about it all? Or is it just good American capitalism at its best and this is just the jealous KSU fan in me? I mean, we certainly have our fair share (no we don't) of rich alumni (not that rich) contributing to the university (not very often), so maybe it shouldn't be that big of a deal? (It is).
Sure, Mike Belotti, U of O coach from 1995-2008, had a big part in putting them on the national scene and getting them bowling consistently, and Chip Kelly has taken them another step forward since taking over in 2009 in competing for league (and national) championships, but the financial excess makes me dislike them the more the I read about them. (especially as I stare grimly at my $50 Telefund donation this year.)
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It's no secret Nike loves to showcase it's creativity and advertises it weekly with a seemingly new uniform combination for Oregon every few weeks.
Which uniform can we expect to see January 4th? Who knows. Who cares? Nike now does it nearly every week and they get a lot of attention for it. While I understand the hype and the excitement of a new uniform (and the designs are impressive), this showcases a glaring difference (one of many, a topic for another post perhaps) between the two programs: Snyder's complete adherence to tradition and doing the same things over and over again to achieve perfection, against Oregon's flash of doing nothing the same to create excitement and the aura of unpredictability.
The stark contrast in style are why this game is so intriguing, making it perhaps the best game of the bowl season.
So get ready ... there's lots more to come!
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VERSUS
