Erik R.
The past year has been as tough and tumultuous as any other off the field for the Oregon football family.
Marked by bad fortunes, tragedies and deaths starting at the beginning of last season, players, coaches and employees of the football family are hoping that this upcoming season shines a new light on the program.
The most recent and shocking turn of events occurred when heralded linebacker Terrance Kelly was shot and killed outside the home of his brother’s friend just one month ago. On Aug. 12, 18-year-old Kelly was pronounced dead at the scene. He had planned to come to Eugene and report to fall camp two days later.
When he visited Eugene for two weeks this past summer, Kelly had the chance to bond with several of the Ducks. He worked out with many current Oregon athletes and everyone seemed to take a liking to his quiet but funny personality.
“I talked to him frequently. He was an awesome kid and kind of quiet,” quarterback Kellen Clemens said. “We’re going to really miss him. It’s unfortunate.”
Clemens added that the loss of Kelly will not only be felt on the field, but off the field as well. Kelly went to fabled De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., which also saw his teammates, wide receiver Cameron Colvin and cornerback Jackie Bates, bring their talents to Oregon. Current Ducks wide receiver Demetrius Williams and defensive back Charles Favroth also attended De La Salle.
“It impacted the team, because we lost not only a teammate but a family member,” Clemens said. “But I’m sure it affects some guys more than others. I can’t comprehend how much it affects some of the guys.”
Clemens was asked if what occurred could be used as a positive and motivate the team for the rest of the season.
“Death is more like a wake-up call that there’s more to life than football,” Clemens said. “But it also told me personally and a lot of my teammates to make the most out of the day because tomorrow is not a guarantee.”
The team held a memorial service five days after Kelly was killed, and they talked about valuing life and not taking anything for granted.
Kick returner Kenny Washington, who met Kelly once during one of the workouts, said that head coach Mike Bellotti addressed the team at the memorial service.
“He said everybody’s got to keep their head up, and we talked about how nothing is guaranteed in life, so don’t take what you have for granted,” Washington said. “You can’t look to tomorrow because today is all you might have.”
Some of the players admit that Kelly’s death was a difficult thing to face with entering fall camp.
“It is tough dealing with that right into the season and getting ready to go at it for the year because he was going to be a contributor right away,” running back Terrence Whitehead said. “I think he really bonded with some dudes up here when he was working out.”
“Me and him hooked up and that hurt me to hear that he died. I think that we just got to move forward and just rally around that and try to turn this into a good situation.”
Moving forward is now what the Ducks need to do after suffering through a rough last 18 months.
This past June, the older brother of defensive back Rodney Woods died in an automobile accident. The incident was blamed on the other driver, who was under the influence of alcohol, according to reports. One month before, the wife of Dave Williford, an Assistant Athletic Director for the Oregon athletics department, died of a heart attack. Williford’s wife, Susan, was 49.
Last October, the mother of senior linebacker Ramone Reed passed away. Doctors told Reed that his mother, who was 45, died of natural causes.
Other losses in Ducks families include the mother of backup quarterback Dennis Dixon, the father of defensive lineman Haloti Ngata and the grandmothers of defensive backs Parris Moore and Ryan Gilliam.
“It’s definitely tough to deal with,” tight end Tim Day said. “The best thing to do is try to get past it and try to turn to the people that lost a loved one. Everyone on this team wants to dedicate the season to each one of them.”
