Between his roles as president of TrackTown USA and associate athletic director at the University of Oregon, Vin Lananna has brought a number of renowned events to Eugene and the state as a whole.
Each spring, elite track athletes from all over the globe travel to Hayward Field to compete in the Prefontaine Classic. In January, Portland hosted the World Indoor Championships.
But it’s not just track that is grabbing all of the appeal.
This summer, in addition to hosting the U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials for the third consecutive time, Eugene will be the site of an International Champions Cup match at Autzen Stadium between soccer super clubs Paris Saint Germain and FC Internazionale (Inter Milan).
The last time a major, non-American football event was hosted at Autzen, the rock band U2 performed in front of 35,000 fans in 1997. That show was nearly shut down early due to noise complaints.
A match featuring two of soccer’s most prestigious clubs could yield a much more positive result.
“Obviously there’s an economic impact benefit,” UO athletic director Rub Mullens said. “But for us in the community of Eugene, it’s another opportunity to introduce something: an A-level international soccer match for our community.”
When the University of Michigan hosted an ICC match between Real Madrid and Manchester United in 2014, 109,000 fans filled “The Big House” to watch the match. It was the largest draw for a soccer match in U.S. history.
Aside from the attendance the match will attract — Mullens said the athletic department will attempt to fill Autzen to capacity for the match — the additional television coverage will expose Eugene to an enormous and diverse audience. According to the International Champions Cup website, more than 80 million fans viewed the eight-team tournament in 2014. 
“[Eugene] would probably never be one of the cities where, off the top of their head, they say ‘let’s go visit Eugene,’ but this gives people an excuse to visit, as well as fans from all over the country,” Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevant Sports, said. “There may be a Paris fan from New York coming out to see the game.”
Eugene embraces its rich track and field history more than any city in the country. But in the last decade, soccer’s popularity in Lane County has increased. The recent success of the Portland Timbers has drawn an influx of fans who now have a vested interest in the successful local club. Lane Community College announced last fall it will add a men’s soccer program due to growing interest in the sport.
By all indications, Lananna’s efforts to grow the sport of track and field are paying off. Lananna led a surprisingly successful coup last year that resulted in Eugene landing the rights to host the 2021 IAAF World Track and Field Championships — the first time a U.S. city has been awarded the honor.
“I think the international flavor does so much for the University to showcase itself as a global institution,” Lananna said. “Globally, it’s gigantic.”
Sometimes in the past, chatter about Oregon football has taken a backseat in the summer due to the buzz of another sporting event. But this summer, track and field won’t be the only reason.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney