The Greatest Oregon Duck of All Time Bracket: Round One
Who is the greatest Oregon Duck of all time?
It’s a loaded question and one that has a handful of different answers that are all respectable, and hold a lot of truth. It’s a question that spans the sporting landscape, not just touching on football players inside Autzen Stadium, but traverses over to the hardwood at Mac Court and Matthew Knight Arena, and finds a home at the track at Hayward Field as well.
It’s a question that has stirred up a debate for decades in Eugene, and likely will go on for years into the future as the Ducks continue to see massive success across all of the major sports.
It’s a question that we are trying to find an answer to here at Ducks Wire and on the Sco-ing Long Podcast.
In honor of the start of March, I sat down with JD Pluid and Shane Potter, co-hosts of The Flock Pod, and we went through a 32-person bracket of who I deemed worthy of the title ‘Greatest Duck of All Time.” Cutting the bracket down to just 32 was incredibly tough, and it left a long list of honorable mentions. Seeding the bracket was even tougher, pitting some of the most beloved figures in Oregon sports up against one another in the first and second rounds.
Here is a look at the seeded bracket:
In the end, we boiled down the bracket of 32 to a single winner, crowning one Oregon legend as the Greatest Duck of All Time. To hear the entire conversation, you can listen to the Sco-ing Long Podcast.
If you’re more of a reading fan, here is the first round of the bracket:
(1) Phil Knight vs. (8) Sulman Raza
Phil Knight
Co-Founder of Nike. Uncle Phil. Most impactful Duck of all time. There is no Oregon without Phil.
Sulman Raza
Eugene kid. Drained National Championship winning putt at Eugene Country Club in 2016 to win match play vs. Texas, the first championship in Oregon men’s golf history.
Votes
Zac: Phil Knight
JD: Phil Knight
Shane: Phil Knight
Winner: Phil Knight
(4) Raevyn Rogers vs. (5) De'Anthony Thomas
Raevyn Rogers
Olympic Bronze Medalist in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 4th fastest 800m time in US women’s history. 6x NCAA champion, 10x all-American. 800m 3-peat champion. 2017 Bowerman Award winner.
De’Anthony Thomas
7th-highest rated recruit in Oregon history. Most TDs by a true freshman in UO history (18). 2 TD, 314 all-purpose yards in 2012 Rose Bowl. 94-yard return TD vs. Kansas State in 2013 Fiesta Bowl. 19 on UO career rushing list (1,890 yards, 41 TD).
Votes
Zac: Raevyn Rogers
JD: De’Anthony Thomas
Shane: Raevyn Rogers
Winner: Raevyn Rogers
(3) Galen Rupp vs. (6) Devon Allen
Galen Rupp
2012 London Olympic Silver medal in the 5K. 2016 Rio de Janeiro Bronze Medal in the Marathon. Inaugural Bowerman Award winner in 2009.
Devon Allen
3x U.S. National Champion in 110m Hurdles (2014, 2016, 2018). 2014 NCAA Champion in 110mh. 5th in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and 4th in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Votes
Zac: Devon Allen
JD: Devon Allen
Shane: Devon Allen
Winner: Devon Allen
(2) Ashton Eaton vs. (7) English Gardner
Ashton Eaton
World Record Holder for Indoor Heptathlon. Previous World Record Holder for Outdoor Decathlon. 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (2012 London, 2016 Rio) 7x Gold Medalist in combined Olympics, Outdoor World Championships, Indoor World Championships. Arguably the greatest Athlete of All Time.
English Gardner
Olympic Gold Medalist (2016 Rio 4×100 relay). Olympic Silver Medalist (2020 Tokyo 4×100 relay). 5x NCAA Champion, 8x All-American. 100m time ranks inside the top 10 of all time (10.74).
Votes
Zac: Ashton Eaton
JD: Ashton Eaton
Shane: Ashton Eaton
Winner: Ashton Eaton
(1) Marcus Mariota vs. (8) Jonathan Stewart
Marcus Mariota
Only Heisman Trophy winner in Oregon history. Holder of almost every UO passing/TD record. Ranks 14th on the UO career rushing list. 136 total TD at Oregon (the next closest has 108). Winner of virtually every major award in 2014. No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick in 2015.
Jonathan Stewart
4th-highest rated recruit in Oregon history. No. 7 on UO’s all-time rushing list. No. 13 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Votes
Zac: Marcus Mariota
JD: Marcus Mariota
Shane: Marcus Mariota
Winner: Marcus Mariota
(4) Dennis Dixon vs. (5) Royce Freeman
Dennis Dixon
2x Super Bowl Champion. 2x All Pac-10 (2006, 2007). 2007 Pac-12 player of the year. No. 10 on the UO career passing TD list.
Royce Freeman
No. 1 on UO career Rushing list (5,621 yards, 60 TD). Pac-12 Freshman of the Year (2014). 15th highest-rated recruit in UO history.
Votes
Zac: Royce Freeman
JD: Dennis Dixon
Shane: Dennis Dixon
Winner: Dennis Dixon
(3) LaMichael James vs. (6) Kenjon Barner
LaMichael James
Doak Walker Award winner in 2010. Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2009. 2x first-team all-American. No. 3 in Heisman Voting in 2010. No. 2 on UO rushing list (5,082 yards, 53 TD).
Kenjon Barner
3x Super Bowl Champion. No. 3 on UO career rushing list (3,623, 41 TD). Holds the record for most TD in a season (21 in 2012), the most TD in a game (5 vs. USC in 2012), and the most yards in a game (321 vs. USC in 2012).
Votes
Zac: LaMichael James
JD: LaMichael James
Shane: LaMichael James
Winner: LaMichael James
(2) Joey Harrington vs. (7) Darron Thomas
Joey Harrington
Captain Comeback. No. 6 on the UO Passing list (6,911 yards), and No. 3 on the all-time TD list (77). 2001 Pac-12 Player of the Year. 2002 Fiesta Bowl MVP. No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Darron Thomas
No. 9 on UO’s career passing list (5,910 yards), and No. 4 on the career TD list (75). Made it to BCS National Championship (2011) and 2012 Rose Bowl.
Votes
Zac: Joey Harrington
JD: Joey Harrington
Shane: Joey Harrington
Winner: Joey Harrington
(1) Sabrina Ionescu vs. (8) Dillon Brooks
Sabrina Ionescu
Arguably the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time. Only NCAA player with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists. Most triple-doubles in NCAA history with 26 (the next closest is 9). Like Marcus, owns almost every record in the book for Oregon women’s basketball.
Dillon Brooks
The best player on arguably Oregon’s best team ever (Final 4 in 2017). Also led team to the Elite 8.
Votes
Zac: Sabrina Ionescu
JD: Sabrina Ionescu
Shane: Sabrina Ionescu
Winner: Sabrina Ionescu
(4) Luke Jackson vs. (5) Aaron Brooks
Luke Jackson
No. 2 leading scorer in Oregon history. No. 8 Oregon rebound leader. No. 7 Oregon assist leader. No. 3 Oregon steals leader. Led team to Elite 8 in 2002. One of 2 Pac-10 players with 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, and 400 assists.
Aaron Brooks
No. 5 Oregon assists leaders. Pac-10 Championship in 2006. First Team All-American.
Votes
Zac: Luke Jackson
JD: Luke Jackson
Shane: Luke Jackson
Winner: Luke Jackson
(3) Payton Pritchard vs. (6) Luke Ridnour
Payton Pritchard
No. 4 Oregon scoring leader. No. 1 Oregon assists leader. No. 2 Oregon Steals leader. 4-straight state championships at West Linn. Helped team reach Final 4 in Freshman season. 2019 Pac-12 Championship, MVP of Pac-12 tournament, Sweet 16 run. Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2020. Won Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s top PG.
Luke Ridnour
No. 4 Oregon assists leader. No. 6 Oregon steals leader. Elite 8 in 2002. Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2002.
Votes
Zac: Payton Pritchard
JD: Luke Ridnour
Shane: Payton Pritchard
Winner:
(2) Justin Herbert vs. (7) Satou Sabally
Justin Herbert
No. 2 on UO’s passing list. No. 2 on UO’s Passing TD list. No. 2 on UO’s all-time TD list (108). 2020 Rose Bowl MVP. No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Satou Sabally
No. 4 UO’s career points leader. No. 6 UO career FGs made, No. 4 FG%. No. 4 career points per game. 2021 WNBA All-Star, 2020 All-Rookie Team.
Votes
Zac: Justin Herbert
JD: Justin Herbert
Shane: Satou Sabally
Winner: Justin Herbert
(1) Steve Prefontaine vs. (8) Greg Ballard
Steve Prefontaine
Set American records at every distance from 2K-10K. 4x NCAA Champion in 5k. 3x NCAA Champion Cross Country. Only 2 defeats in his college career. Died at Age 24. Hard to quantify his legacy because he doesn’t have endless accolades. No Olympic medals. Anyone who grew up in Eugene or is at all familiar with the sport of track and field knows the legend of Pre.
Greg Ballard
No. 5 on UO’s career points list. No. 1 on UO’s career rebounds list. Single-game scoring record (43 points). One of the ‘Kamikaze Kids.’ NBA Champion (1978).
Votes
Zac: Steve Prefontaine
JD: Steve Prefontaine
Shane: Steve Prefontaine
Winner: Steve Prefontaine
(4) Ahmad Rashad vs. (5) Haloti Ngata
Ahmad Rashad
No. 12 UO career rushing list. No. 10 career receptions. No. 10 UO career TD catches. College Football Hall of Fame. 4x Pro Bowler, Vikings Ring of Honor. Legendary Sports Broadcaster.
Haloti Ngata
3rd-highest recruit in Oregon history. First-Team All-American (2005). Pac-10 Player of the Year (2005). Super Bowl Champion with Ravens, 5x Pro Bowl, 2x First-Team All-Pro. Expected to be an NFL Hall of Famer once eligible in 2024.
Votes
Zac: Haloti Ngata
JD: Haloti Ngata
Shane: Haloti Ngata
Winner: Haloti Ngata
(3) Kenny Wheaton vs. (6) Fred Jones
Kenny Wheaton
Responsible for arguably the most famous play in UO history ‘The Pick.’ Launched a new era of Oregon football. Owns the school record for most interception return yards.
Fred Jones
No. 8 on the UO career scoring list. No. 8 on the UO career assists list. No. 7 UO career steals. No. 8 UO career blocks. Helped team reach 2002 Elite Eight. Winner of the 2004 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Votes
Zac: Kenny Wheaton
JD: Fred Jones
Shane: Kenny Wheaton
Winner: Kenny Wheaton
(2) Dan Fouts vs. (7) Ron Lee
Dan Fouts
No. 8 UO career passing leader. Pro Football Hall of Fame. 6x Pro Bowl, 1982 MVP, 1980’s All-Decade Team
Ron Lee
No. 1 on UO career points list. No. 3 UO career assists leader. 3x All-American. 3rd most points in a single game (41). 1 of 7 Ducks with jersey retired (#30).
Votes
Zac: Ron Lee
JD: Ron Lee
Shane: Dan Fouts
Winner: Ron Lee
Updated Bracket
Here is an updated look at what the bracket looks like after the first round. Tune in on Wednesday morning to find out who we voted on from the Sweet 16 into the Elite 8.
