 Classic SI photo by Sheedy & Long |
Hometown Hero
Track star Steve Prefontaine (shown here running at the Sunkist Invitational Track) is the pride of Coos Bay, Ore, where he was born in 1951. The standout runner, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 24, is honored every year at the Prefontaine Memorial Run, a 10K race across one of his old training courses, with its finish line at the high school track where he first competed at Marshfield High School.
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GREATEST ATHLETES |
Danny Ainge, Eugene
All-America in baseball, basketball and football at North Eugene High; spent 14 seasons in NBA, parts of three with Blue Jays; scratch golfer.
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Steve Prefontaine, Coos Bay
Three-time NCAA cross-country champion at Oregon; at time of his death, at 24, held every U.S. record from 2,000 to 10,000 meters.
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Don Schollander, Lake Oswego
Won 100-meter freestyle, 400 freestyle, 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay at 1964 Olympics.
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FLASHBACK |
1994: Leader Of the Pac
At long last they can party with the people who created their
defiantly ludicrous mascot. The Oregon Ducks are going to Disneyland The world's most famous theme park will be on the Rose Bowl-week
agenda of college football's least likely 1994 conference champion.
Oregon's first Rose Bowl bid in 37 years wasn't assured until the
penultimate play of last Saturday's rainy Civil War, as the Ducks'
annual battle with Oregon State is known, when a last-gasp pass by
Beaver quarterback Don Shanklin splashed down, incomplete.
FULL STORY
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THE SI POLL |
Who do Oregonians root for? SI asked the Beaver State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
Seattle Mariners | 34% |
New York Yankees | 9% |
San Francisco Giants | 8% |
Favorite NFL team
Seattle Seahawks | 15% |
San Francisco 49ers | 12% |
Green Bay Packers | 8% |
Dallas Cowboys | 8% |
Favorite NBA team
Portland Trail Blazers | 49% |
Los Angeles Lakers | 6% |
Favorite NHL team
Detroit Red Wings | 6% |
No favorite | 62% |
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Favorite pro team
Portland Trail Blazers | 15% |
Seattle Mariners | 10% |
Favorite college
Oregon | 41% |
Oregon State | 23% |
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your state
Steve Prefontaine | 16% |
Clyde Drexler | 15% |
Dan Fouts | 14% |
Joey Harrington | 10% |
Bill Walton | 8% |
State's biggest rival
Washington | 52% |
California | 30% |
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Favorite announcer
John Madden | 24% |
Bill Schonely | 12% |
Al Michaels | 9% |
More a fan of college or pro sports?
Favorite sports to watch on TV**
Football | 82% |
Summer Olympics | 54% |
Winter Olympics | 54% |
Basketball | 52% |
Baseball | 42% |
**Multiple responses allowed | |
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*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 414 Oregon residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/-5%.
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FAST FACTS |
Admission to statehood: Feb. 14, 1859 (33rd)
Area: 98,386 square miles
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Capital: Salem
Economy: Agriculture: Cattle, vegetables, nursery stock, fruits and nuts, dairy products, wheat. Industry: Lumber and wood products, tourism, food processing, paper products, machinery, scientific instruments.
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Flower: Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Nickname: Beaver State
Population: 3,421,399 (28th)
Pro sports teams: Portland Trail Blazers
Major college programs: Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Pacific Boxers
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Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary |
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STATITUDES |
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1 Rose Bowl victory in school history for both Oregon and Oregon State.
13 School records broken by Oregon Ducks quarterback Chris Miller from 1983-86.
117-20 Record of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman (1948-72).
809 Consecutive sellouts for the Portland TrailBlazers at the Memorial Coliseum before the club moved into the Rose Garden in 1995.
867, 29,526, 5,339 Games, points and rebounds for Clyde Drexler as a Portland TrailBlazer -- all of which are team records.
0 Losses in cross country and track for Steve Prefontaine as a junior and senior at Marshfield High School.
$500 Cost to Oregon natives Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman to start Blue Ribbon Sports, which later became Nike.
2,172 Points for basketball player Gary Payton, Oregon State's all-time leading scorer.
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ENEMY OF THE STATE |
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaq becomes the first NBA player to be named a state's top Enemy. Oregonians' most hated opponents: O'Neal's Los Angeles Lakers (34%), the University of Washington (27%) and USC (6%).
Shaquille O'Neal | 27% |
Rick Neuheisel | 12% |
Rasheed Wallace | 9% |
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