Most think it was Kenny Wheaton in 1996, even Kenny thought he was the first one to declare for the draft last time I spoke to him...but actually the first Duck to leave early for the draft goes back a lot further than that. At the link below is a reflection on the career of the first Oregon Duck to go pro, who also was the first Duck inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and was nearly hired as the Oregon head coach for the 1977 season, until they instead gave the job to some guy from Oregon State named Rich Brooks. http://www.campusattic.com/headline/early-departure-ducks-legacy
