Oh, it’s that time of year again, friends. That time when we look back on what happened, reminisce, laugh, cry, all that stuff.
It’s Emmie time.
For the third year in a row, we here at the Oregon Daily Emerald will give out the prestigious Emmies, rewarding the best of Oregon athletics. This has been a special year for the Ducks, without a doubt, but you know all about it. So we won’t waste time getting to the awards (all awards are voted on by the entire Emerald sports staff).
Most Entertaining Female: We start with the athlete who kick-started our year in a most entertaining way. Freshman striker Nicole Garbin scored the only goal in her first match this fall and never slowed down as the Ducks ran through their most successful season ever. Garbin finished third on the team with five goals, and we can only hope that there will be more excitement to come from Garbin.
Most Entertaining Male: When Onterrio Smith stepped on campus last spring, nobody knew what to expect from the flashy running back with the troubled past. But Smith proved all the doubters wrong by electrifying the field with his ooh-aah runs. With bobbing and weaving as his specialty, Smith also proved he could overpower defenders like the unfortunate Washington State safety who met Smith and lost on Smith’s drive for a touchdown in Pullman.
Biggest Heart: A lot of Oregon athletes have heart, but none were as big as Eugene Harris’ this season. Coming off knee surgery in 2001 and playing in pain for most of his matches, Harris still managed to win a Pac-10 title and earn the team’s most valuable player award, with his wife and 4-year-old daughter rooting him on. For that, he earns our Biggest Heart award.
Best Interview: This category was a no-brainer. We interact with hundreds of athletes over the course of the year, but not one was as funny, as refreshingly honest, as insightful as Rashad Bauman. The big-mouthed defensive back talked a lot on the field, and he talked a lot off of it, and we loved him for both. We’ll show you what we mean. After the Fiesta Bowl, while the rest of the Ducks talked about the “good win” and that “Colorado played well,” Bauman said this instead:
“They thought they were something they weren’t,” Bauman said. “And we went out and proved that they weren’t what they thought they were.”
Beautiful.
Worst Interview: Ernie Kent, rumor has it, actually schooled his team in how to deal with the media. It showed. When the national media crush descended late in the season, the same stories came out, and none were even close to controversial. Or close to interesting, after you’d heard them over and over. But we love the guys anyway. Really.
Best Athlete You’ve Never Heard Of: You’d be surprised how many talented athletes get overshadowed in the large Oregon Athletic Department. With that in mind, this category is a tie, between tennis players Manuel Kost and Daria Panova.

Kost, a freshman from Switzerland, took over the No. 1 singles job on the men’s team for the second half the season, no small feat with the presence of Oded Teig, last year’s winner of this category. Panova joined the team in mid-season and the Ducks promptly won seven of their last nine matches, including a first-round NCAA Tournament win over No. 18 UNLV.
Best Game: Late in Oregon’s remarkable men’s basketball season, the Ducks needed at least a win in Los Angeles to clinch the Pac-10 title and cap a surprising run to the top of the conference.
With 31 seconds left at USC, and the Ducks up by three points, Trojan senior David Bluthenthal hit a clutch three-pointer to even the score. On the ensuing Oregon possession, sophomore Luke Ridnour had the ball with 10 seconds left and found a driving Freddie Jones with the pass. Jones elevated, finger-rolled and hit the shot to send all of Oregon into celebration.
Best Play: Jones also gets part of the “best play” award, but he’ll have to share it with Maurice Morris. Jones’ play came against USC at McArthur Court, when he went up to block Errick Craven’s shot on a fast break. But Jones did more than block the shot, in an unbelievable display of athleticism he came down with the ball, too, and led the fast break the other way.
Morris’ play came in the Fiesta Bowl. The senior running back broke free of a tackler and only had two or three defenders beat. He was wrapped up by a Colorado defender. Play over, right? Nope. Morris danced around, sat on top of the defender, somehow stayed on his feet, and left the rest of the Buffalo defense behind as he rushed for the end zone.
Rookie of the Year: This category is also a tie, but only because we can’t differentiate between these two athletes. Help us out. They’re both freshmen. They both throw the javelin for the women’s track team. They were both heavily recruited and they both followed through on those expectations.
They’re both awesome. That’s why Roslyn Lundeen and Elisa Crumley get our Rookie of the Year award. Both won All-American honors in the javelin at last week’s NCAA Championships, the first time that two freshman did that in the same event since 1981. Most importantly, they’ll both be back for three more years.
Coach of the Year: Two Oregon coaches were named Pac-10 Coach of the Year this year. We had to choose one of them. Ernie Kent didn’t have to go though his entire season without the services of Luke Ridnour and Freddie Jones.
Martin Smith did.
Smith led the men’s track team to a second-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships despite playing most of the season without NCAA individual champions John Stiegeler and Santiago Lorenzo. Remarkable.
Most Valuable Female: Cathrine Kraayeveld stepped up in the postseason for the Oregon women’s basketball team this year, averaging a double-double in the WNIT and truly carrying the team on her back. She hit two game-winners in the tournament, including the championship game-winner.
But Kraayeveld was only continuing an excellent regular season, when she averaged 10 points and eight rebounds per game. For her regular-season stability and her postseason dominance, Kraayeveld earns her first Emmie MVP.
Most Valuable Male: We saved the best for last and this athlete dominated Oregon sports for more than just this year. He will be remembered years from now as perhaps the best quarterback to ever hoist the ball downfield for the Ducks.

Someday, you’ll be able to say that you saw Joey Harrington play. Really, he was that good. His presence on the field was matched only by his presence on the sidelines, where he led the team with a fierce attitude and a winning spirit. Joey Harrington brought the entire Oregon Athletic Department to a new level and deserves the Most Valuable award in every way.
Jody Runge Lifetime Achievement Award: We started this award last year as a joke and gave it to Jody Runge, figuring it would be a long time until another coach pulled a truly boneheaded move like she did.
But somebody did! Former softball coach Rick Gamez officially pulled a Runge! He alienated his players, messed with the athletic department and really made a nuisance of himself! Then he resigned.
For that, Gamez earns the second annual JRLAA. Hopefully this year will be the last year we give it out.
And that wraps up the Oregon Daily Emerald’s sports coverage for 2001-02, the “Year of the Duck.” We had a blast covering Oregon sports this year, and we hope you had as much fun watching as we did covering. For those of you in Eugene this summer, read us on Tuesdays. If you’re graduating, read us online. If you’re coming back next fall, get ready.
“Year of the Duck II — The Attack of the Quack” could be coming.