The loud roars of a motorcycle signals to fans in Autzen Stadium what is about to happen, and the crowd begins to cheer.
The Oregon Duck climbs aboard the motorcycle and clings to the helmeted man driving it. The motorcycle then shoots across the field with the football team following.
For most students, it’s a familiar start to an Oregon Ducks football game. For the motorcycle driver, Doug Koke, it’s the final ride he’ll take in Autzen Stadium after 23 years.
“It’s been a good ride,” Koke said.
After the home game against Brigham Young University, Koke decided it was time to retire as the person who leads the Oregon Ducks football team onto the field.
Koke has only missed two games since his first ride in Autzen in 1999. He didn’t miss a home game for the next 20 years, until he needed a backup in 2019 for a game against the University of Montana.
He was only the second person to ever lead the football team after former football player Gary Zimmerman. Zimmerman did the first two seasons on the bike before stepping away. Jim Bartko, a former Oregon athletic administrator, knew Koke could ride and convinced him to take over. Bartko knew Koke through the Oregon Club, a group that raises money for Oregon Athletics, which Koke was the president of.
Koke said he was hesitant at first to agree. “I was pretty nervous the first time and wasn’t too sure of myself there,” he said.
But once Koke was in the position and gained experience, the nerves started to go away.
“You know the process; you know what’s going to happen,” Koke said. He said that when time went on, people started looking to him for advice on how to do things, which helped with the nerves.
When asked about some of his favorite memories while riding, he is quick to mention his 2002 penalty. Koke believes the motorcycle just scared the referee, causing him to throw a flag. “I didn’t do anything different than what we’ve been doing for the previous two years,” Koke said, “this one zebra didn’t like it though.”
Despite Oregon having a five yard penalty applied to the kickoff, Koke didn’t realize he got a penalty until the next morning. “In the paper the next morning, the articles were talking about there being 11 penalties, including one on the motorcycle,” he said. “I just about died when I read that.”
Besides the memories Koke has gained over the years, he has also collected a lot of Ducks memorabilia. His collection includes autographed helmets and footballs.
With Koke no longer leading the team, the job will switch off between Arlen Rexius and Matt Hogan. Both are lifelong Ducks fans with plenty of riding experience and Koke personally recommended them.
Rexius has been the backup for Koke since 2019, practicing directly with him and even taking over for him on two occasions. Rexius has a decent amount of “turf experience,” as he called it, and he owns an identical model to the iconic bike. He often brings out the Eugene Emeralds mascot out at their home games on his bike.
Koke and Rexius have known each other for years, and Rexius spoke highly about Koke. “He’s just a genuine Oregon Duck fan,” Rexius said. “He just wants to make the experience better for everyone.”
“It really is a shame to see him go,” he said. “Although, I am glad that I get a bigger piece of the action.”
Hogan is the newest addition to the game day tradition. After his entrance against Stanford on Oct. 1, Matt became just the fourth person to ever lead the team on a motorcycle. Aside from having to navigate the hoard of Stanford players, his first ride was perfect, he said.
Hogan first met Koke at the Oregon Club, and they became friends quickly, he said. Hogan acknowledged the importance of taking over the role, but he still is in awe at Koke’s dedication over the past two decades. “It’s an honor to be able to take over,” Hogan said. “But my word, the man is a legend.”
Although Koke is no longer leading the team, he still plans to keep the same season tickets he has had for 40 years. Koke has been a Ducks fan for life and nothing will ever change that, he said.
