Oregon announces the Hall of Fame Class of 2022
All hall of fame classes has greatness. That’s why they’re in the hall of fame.
But when the University of Oregon announced the Class of 2022, they weren’t messing around where it comes to greatness.
This particular class includes perhaps the greatest team in their sport, a coach that put his sport on the national map, a seven-time NCAA champ and 10-time All-American, a golfer that has achieved what no other Duck golfer had before, and the first women’s tennis player ever to be inducted into the UO Athletic Hall of Fame.
Every class is unique, but this group of Hall of Famers are legitimate Oregon legends and they’ll all be remembered as such.
Ernie Kent, Head Coach, Men's Basketball
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Ernie Kent had a little extra motivation to make the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program great when he arrived from St. Mary’s. Kent played basketball at Oregon as one of the Kamakaze Kids in the late 1970’s. He embraced Mac Court for what it was and was the first coach to make the old building from a recruiting disadvantage to a huge advantage.
In his nearly 15 years at the helm, the Ducks reached national status with two Elite 8 appearances with players such as the Luke (Ridnour), Luke (Jackson) and Freddie (Jones) trio and a whole host of others. That success led to the school finally replacing Mac Court with Matthew Knight Arena where the Ducks continue to enjoy national success.
But it all started with Kent’s vision of greatness.
2010 Football Team
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No one ever thought it could happen.
But it did.
A perfect 12-0 regular season and a trip to the BCS National Championship Game. That was Oregon football is 2010. Perfection.
This team ran through the Pac-12 with a style of offense no one had a clue of how to stop and a tough defense that played with a chip on its shoulder.
Head Coach Chip Kelly found the perfect quarterback in Darron Thomas to run his offense and along with La’Michael James, Kenyon Barner, Jeff Maehl, Michael Clay, Clay Matthews and a whole host of others, the Ducks advanced to the national title game to play Auburn.
Although they came up just short, this team showed that a national championship is within the Ducks’ grasp.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Track and Field
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When you’re married to the World Greatest Athlete, it’s difficult to make a name for yourself.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton has done just that.
She’s a seven-time NCAA champion and 10-time all-American and when she ended her career at Oregon, multiple records went down.
As a freshman in 2009, Theisen-Eaton won the heptathlon national title and set the Oregon record with 6,086 points. By the time she was a senior, she broke the Pac-12 record held by UCLA’s Jackie Joyner-Kersee with 6,440 points.
Overall she won three national titles in the heptathlon and three indoors in the pentathlon. In her wake, Theisen-Eaton left Oregon with five school records and ranked in the top 10 in 12 different events.
In 2016, competing for Canada, she won a world indoor title in the pentathlon and an Olympic bronze medal in the heptathlon.
Daniel Miernicki, Men’s Golf
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During his four years at Oregon, Daniel Miernicki only four-time all-conference player in program history.
At the Amer Ari Invitational in the fall of 2010, Miernicki turned in a program history-making round with a 10-under par 62. That score matched the program record for lowest in a round, but his 10-under has not.
Miernicki also owns the school record for most birdies in a career (563) and his career scoring average of 71.40 ranks third all time.
Daria Panova, Women’s Tennis
Daria Panova becomes the first member of the women’s tennis program to join the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame.
She holds the Oregon school record for most singles victories in her career with 94, as well as the most wins in a single season with 32, which she accomplished twice, in 2003 and 2004.
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