There’s a holy trinity of Oregon athletics and it has nothing to do with the athletes. No, it’s the trio of Autzen Stadium, McArthur Court and Hayward Field, the best set of three athletic facilities in the country.
I’m not talking quality of the buildings or even the quality of play, but about the fan experience and the history and tradition.
Autzen Stadium, the loudest stadium former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr had ever been to, is one of the biggest home-field advantages a football team can have. It’s known as the toughest place to play in the Pacific-10 Conference and as one of the loudest in the country. Once an unknown to ESPN, the GameDay crew couldn’t get enough of Autzen Stadium last year.
Mac Court’s best years are behind it, but they were some damn good years. Part of its allure is the fact that it has hosted Oregon basketball games for more than 80 years. In its heyday in the 1970s, from what I hear, it was even more deafening than I’ve ever heard it and the students were even nastier (if classier?) than today.
Those two combined are great, but it’s Hayward Field that puts Oregon over the top. One of the best track and field venues in the U.S., if not the world, Hayward Field is arguably the best of the three. The crown jewel of Track Town, USA, is the destination for track athletes. Nearly every visiting athlete I’ve talked to this year or heard about in the past raves about the atmosphere and the knowledgeable crowd. It’s hosted three Olympic Trials with two more on the way. It’s hosted six U.S. Championships with two more on the way. It’s hosted nine NCAA Championships since 1962, with a 10th on the way. That doesn’t even count the annual Prefontaine Classic, the best track meet in the world outside of Europe.
The upgrades to the track over the past year have only improved it. UCLA head track coach Art Venegas said this year, “(Oregon) preserved the integrity of Hayward Field and put it up to the 21st century in terms of handling a meet.”
That’s what it comes down to. In talking to people, it’s got the same feel it did in the Prefontaine era of the 1970s, but it’s still able to handle the increased demands of a meet like the Olympic Trials.
There are other schools that could match (or maybe even beat) Oregon with two. Off the top of my head, UCLA has the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion, but the Rose Bowl isn’t owned or run by the school. Penn has The Palestra for basketball and Franklin Field for track.
There are even more schools that could beat Oregon with one stadium. Duke has Cameron Indoor Stadium, but nothing else in that class. Same with Florida and The Swamp or Michigan and The Big House or Kentucky and Rupp Arena.
There are a couple SEC schools that a couple of co-workers and I came up with that give Oregon a run for its money, the best being LSU. The Tigers can bring out Tiger Stadium, the Pete Maravich Center and then either Alex Box Stadium for baseball (it’s been around since 1938) or Bernie Moore Track Stadium (the home of three NCAA championship meets, according to the school’s Web site).
I’m sure LSU and SEC fans will argue with me to the death, but I’m going to take Oregon’s triumvirate. LSU can have the title of best-four, but the Ducks have the best set of three. Autzen Stadium and Mac Court have arguably the best atmospheres in the Pac-10 and Hayward Field is arguably the best in the country. Call it regional bias, call it anything you want, but that’s the way I see it.
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