about time http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2010/11/oregon_football_ducks_unveil_p.html Featured in the expansion, which will wrap around the north and west sides of the Casanova Center, will be a new 25,000-square-foot weight room, an enhanced grass football practice field as well as the addition of two new synthetic turf practice fields, and a full-service dining facility available to all University athletes, students and staff. STOMP
About time? I'm as big a Duck fan as the next guy but wow... it's almost too much. When they're done those are going to be better facilities than any NFL team.
Gotta hand it to them, they just get better and better all the time. And the nice thing is that the facilities are open to all athletes on all teams at the U. I've read that in Oklahoma's hey day years ago the best facilities and food was reserved for the football players only.
Unlike the NFL, they have to recruit ALL their players, so I think it makes perfect sense and it's worth the investment.
This is incredible. I opened the article and was ready to post about how it is a bad use of funds, but reading it is funded entirely by Knight is amazing. Phil is an incredible guy - he's so involved, but not controlling. What an asset to UO! I suspect that Oregon sees this as a ripe time go for the kill as USC is under sanctions. Recruiting might look pretty sweet in the years to come!
It's great that uncle Phil does all these things for Oregon, but what happens when that stops? I thin oregon is going to be sad many years down the line if they don't take care of the academic side as well. That is what is going to help in the long run....ie after Phil
Well, I completely understand what you're saying, but these facilities will have a great longterm benefit. They will help Oregon long after Phil is gone. Look at a school like PSU.... their buildings are all like 30 years old. The problem will be the uniforms and the other Nike gear that the athletes get. Unless Phil puts some kind of stipulation in a contract between Nike and UO, I don't see how that could last after the Phil is gone.
Clearly Phil needs to adopt me so I can continue to take care of the Ducks in the generous way that I know he'd want me to.
Guys, I've done a fair amount of traveling as a Duck fan and taken in several away games. I cannot believe what a dive USC plays in. It's like it was designed in the 1800's or something. We literally waited in line for 45 minutes to get through a narrow gate to get to our seats. What a crap hole. Husky stadium is impressive when it's full, but it's old and has a track (HAHA!) around the football field. Oregon is just at an elite level when it comes to facilities. I know this isn't news to anyone but after I toured one of the newer NFL stadiums (Qwest) and it wasn't on par with Oregon's facilities - Wow! And to think we're upgrading!
I hope UO is doing everything on and off the field to do right by their athletes. I don't want star players driving sports cars in exchange for mowing lawns... I want them earning their degree through hard work so as to help them go on to productive lives after UO. That tact will obviously eliminate some recruits, but IMO it's the best choice for the long term. With the Jaqua Center and the recently announced expansion, they have invested heavily in the academic side. Since large portions of a student athlete's time goes towards practicing their sport, facilities that assist them to be efficient with their time can have a positive affect on the quality of their education. If an athlete can practice/work out, rehab, eat, and study in centralized areas instead of having to walk all over campus, their ability to be productive multi-taskers increases. Upgrading the facilities as they've continued to do should have long term positive results for both the individual and the college. the highly rated LB they just added (Wallace) had a relevant quote...“Oregon wasn’t originally a school on my list at first, but after taking my official visit I learned about their sports marketing program and they jumped to the top of my list,” Wallace told the website. “My parents love the idea that I’m picking a school for books and not just for football.” http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cm...577724-41/ducks-wallace-star-oregon-state.csp STOMP
