4 Minute Mi-liar wrote:
I remember in the '60s, '70s, and '80s the UofO was horrible at just about every other sport but track and field. Meanwhile Athletics West worked hard to get every good distance runner to come to Eugene in the '80s.
Over time the Nike money got the Oregon really good in football... and very representative in other sports. All those old AW athletes aged out and the new ones that emerged first went to Boulder and now Flag. And the Eugene crew moved their operations to Beaverton.
The legacy of Pre and Bowerman fades with time.
In the old days, the locals never missed a meet. That generation is pretty much passed on and the younger folks are way more worried about getting Ducks football tickets than watching track and field at the now no longer venerable... but very corporate looking Hayward Field.
I lived in Eugene from 1989-2007, went to high school there and still have many friends and family in the area. This is the most accurate explanation. When Oregon made the Rose Bowl for the first time in 94, that was a game changer. Soon Autzen stadium went from a glorified high school stadium, to a top facility. Now you've got a beautiful new basketball arena (RIP Mac Court), highly competitive Baseball/Softball/Volleyball, and Football competing for titles. I know of a couple people that used to go to some meets, who switched their entertainment dollars over to Women's Basketball season tickets, because they loved Sabrina Ionescu.
People in Eugene love their Ducks. There was a generation that truly loved track, but as you say, they have mostly passed on. There's not too many people walking around now telling stories about seeing Pre tending bar at the Pad. It's still a good running town but it's not Track Town anymore.
