21 people that can ruffle the feathers of every Oregon Ducks fan

For one reason or another, there are just certain people in this world that can push your buttons to cause instant irritation. For Oregon Duck fans, that list can be lengthy, and sometimes it’s through no fault of their own.

Whether if it’s just having that ability to defeat Oregon on a yearly basis, saying something derogatory towards the Ducks, or leaving them high and dry for their supposed “dream job,” a select group of people will forever be on the ****-list for Oregon fans.

This is a list of 20 people or entities that can put any Duck fan in a bad mood right away just by mentioning them. And while this list is in no particular order, we will mention first those that have really drawn the ire of every Oregon Duck fan young and old.

Willie Taggart - Former Oregon football coach

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There are two words that make every single Oregon Duck fan's blood boil: Willie Taggart. The former Oregon football coach came into Eugene proclaiming Oregon was the No. 1 destination for him and as soon as he got the chance, Slick Willie bolted for yet another supposed "dream job." He also looked the media in the eye and lied through his teeth when he was saying that he wasn't talking to other teams. Taggart was also reportedly recruiting for Florida State on Oregon's dime. Karma came back to bite Taggart in the rear end as the Seminoles dumped Willie after only two seasons with a 9-12 record. He did do the Ducks a huge favor by hiring Mario Cristobal to be his offensive coordinator and the rest is history.

Rick Neuheisel - Colorado, Washington and UCLA football coach

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If it wasn't for Willie Taggart, Rick Neuheisel might have gone down as Enemy No. 1 in Duck football history. All it took was a fake punt in what was already a rout of the 1995 Cotton Bowl when Neuheisel was the coach at Colorado to draw Duck fans' ire. Fittingly, he came across the radar once again when he was hired to replace Jim Lambright as the coach of the Washington Huskies in 1999.

Gary Payton - Oregon State guard

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Perhaps the greatest Oregon State Beaver basketball player of all time, Gary Payton loved every minute of smacking the Ducks around in both Mac Court and Gill Coliseum. In Payton's four seasons, the Ducks defeated the Beavers just one time.

Pete Carroll - USC football coach

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Oregon was just beginning to enjoy its dominance over USC in the late 1990's, but that came to a screeching halt when the Trojans replaced Paul Hackett with Pete Carroll. Hackett could recruit, but could never do anything significant with the talent. Carroll could recruit and win big with the talent. USC went from a 5-7 team in 2001 to an 11-2 team in 2002 that won the Orange Bowl. In Carroll's nine seasons, the Trojans went 4-3 against Oregon, but they won four Rose Bowls and two Orange Bowls in that time.

Byron Hout - Boise State linebacker

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It was the punch heard around the Northwest. Chip Kelly eventually proved to be the greatest coach in Oregon history, but Game No. 1 didn't go according to plan. The Ducks opened the 2009 season at Boise State and the Broncos stunned the world by winning 19-8. Frustration got the better of tailback LeGarrette Blount and Byron Hout didn't do himself any favors by yelling in Blount's face. One thing led to another and Blount punched the Boise State linebacker in the jaw, which led to a 10-game suspension.

Adam Spanich - USC basketball player

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As if beating the Ducks on a midcourt buzzer-beater at Mac Court wasn't enough, Spanich decided to jump on the announcers' table in front of the Pit Crew and celebrate. Unfortunately for him, it was a game where the students were wearing hard helmets. One can only guess what occurred next. It wasn't the Pit Crew's best moment when they flung the hard hats at Spanich.

Jake Locker - Washington quarterback

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Jake Locker was supposed to be a Duck. He said if Oregon had a baseball team, he would have played for Oregon. Unfortunately, PK Park wasn't in existence yet, so the Ferndale, Wash. native became a Husky. It worked out for Oregon as the Ducks went 4-0 against Washington with Locker under center in Seattle.

Jake Browning - Washington quarterback

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Another Jake and another Husky. This Jake had a little more success than Locker as Browning went 2-2 against the Ducks. But Oregon managed to get the last laugh with a 30-27 overtime win over the Huskies in 2018 and the cameras caught a frustrating Browning slamming his helmet down on the sideline.

Brock Huard - Washington quarterback

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Most Duck fans will remember Damon Huard, the quarterback that threw The Pick to Kenny Wheaton in 1994. Two years later, younger brother Brock got a little revenge when he led the Huskies to a 33-14 win over the Ducks. Oregon would manage to set the world back on its axis by defeating Washington in 1997 and 98 before Brock was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks.

Nick Fairley - Auburn defensive tackle

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At 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, the Auburn defensive tackle was the one guy that could slow Chip Kelly's offense and unfortunately for Oregon, the big man did just enough to do just that in the 2011 National Championship Game. Not only that, Fairley managed to irk Duck fans when he deliberately stomped on quarterback Darron Thomas after a play was over.

Lute Olson - Arizona basketball coach

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SIT DOWN LUTE, SIT DOWN LUTE!! That would echo throughout McArthur Court whenever Arizona would come to town to play the Ducks. Hall of Famer Lute Olson knew how to orchestrate his team, the crowd, and the Pac-10 referees to perfection. In his 24 years on the bench in Tucson, the Wildcats quickly rose to national prominence. In only his second year, Arizona notched their first winning season in six years and made the first of what would be 23 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under his watch, winning one NCAA tournament title. He was a coach you loved to dislike but you had to respect the success.

The Big Ten officials at the 2011 National Championship Game

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Back to the 2011 Natty. Even after 10 seasons and three coaches later, this game still stings and many think Auburn got the benefit of most of the calls by the Big Ten officiating crew. From Michael Dyer not being down (he was) to other questionable decisions, they made Pac-12 referees look capable.

Cam Newton - Auburn quarterback

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Many believe Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was on a payroll of some kind and shouldn't have been eligible to play in the Natty. Newton would have made bank nowadays with the NIL in place, but Newton was a decade behind the times.

Reggie Miller - UCLA basketball player

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Before breaking New York Knick fans' hearts with the Indiana Pacers, UCLA's Reggie Miller was doing the same thing in the Pac-10. The college three-point line came into existence in 1988, Miller's senior season. Who knows what kind of numbers he could have put up if he was able to shoot threes in those first three seasons in Westwood. Most likely, there wouldn't have been a senior season.

Ralph Miller - Oregon State basketball coach

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Legendary Oregon State basketball coach Ralph Miller was a human fire hazard with all of the cigarettes he smoked, but unfortunately for the Ducks, it was his Beaver teams that were on fire when they played Oregon. The Ducks defeated the Beavers just 14 times in Miller's 19 seasons in Corvallis.

Kevin Love - UCLA basketball player

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When a Portland kid goes elsewhere to play, it always hurts, but especially with a once-in-a-generation talent like Kevin Love was. The only thing that would have made it worse was if he went to Oregon State. Love was a one-and-done player with UCLA and in his only game at Mac Court against the Ducks, Love led the Bruins to an 80-75 win. Needless to say, the Pit Crew didn't have any nice chants and there was no love lost.

California coaching staff promoting fake injuries

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Every Pac-12 team was in frantic mode when Chip Kelly's offense was going up and down the field. Nothing was slowing the Ducks down, but California and the coaching staff came up with an inventive way to stop the Ducks. Stop the game entirely. Cal had defensive players lay down after a play and fake an injury in order to give the defense a breather. The problem was they were poor actors. Kelly caught on right away and alerted the officials. To this day, fairly or not, every time a defensive player is hurt, the Autzen crowd rain down the boos.

Ezekiel Elliott - Ohio State running back

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Ohio State tailback Ezekiel Elliott was unstoppable in the 2015 National Championship Game. It wasn't what he said that bothers Oregon fans, it's what he did. That was to run around and through the Duck defense to help the Buckeyes to a 42-20 win. Elliott rushed for 246 yards and scored four touchdowns, including three scores in the last 15 minutes of the game to put Oregon's first title out of reach.

Nate Robinson - Washington basketball player

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Before being laid out in the middle of a boxing ring, Nate Robinson was a really good basketball player for Washington and several NBA teams. He made it a point to play his best basketball against the Ducks and the Pit Crew would compare him to a certain Different Strokes actor, and we're not talking about Todd Bridges. Washington went 4-2 against Oregon while Robinson was there and in his last appearance inside Mac Court, he scored 24 points in a 95-88 overtime win over the Ducks.

Marcus Arroyo - Former Oregon offensive coordinator

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It might be a little unfair that Marcus Arroyo appears on this list, but when the former offensive coordinator took the head coaching job at UNLV, no one in Eugene shed a year. In his three seasons at Oregon, the Ducks went 26-12 and won the 2020 Rose Bowl. But there were several times where the offense was stagnant, even with Justin Herbert at quarterback and a lot of people felt the playcalling under Arroyo was questionable at best. Herbert had Heisman Trophy talent, but it seemed like he was handcuffed in Arroyo's offense, despite the overall success.

Michael Dyer — Auburn running back

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HE WAS DOWN! MICHAEL DYER WAS DOWN! WE ALL SAW IT! This blown call will stick with Oregon fans for the rest of eternity, with it undoubtedly costing them a national championship. The rules say that any part of the arm to touch the turf signals a player is down, and Dyer's wrist definitely made contact. It may not have been his fault that the incompetent refs missed a call, but the former Auburn running back will always be Public Enemy No. 1 for Duck fans.

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