The Hayward Field Tower sits on the corner of 15th and Agate. It stands at 188 feet and eight inches — the second tallest building in Eugene, Oregon. It’s 10 stories of shimmering aluminum that is visible from as far as Autzen Stadium to Spencer Butte.
To Eugenians, it signifies the heart of the city known as TrackTown, USA.
To one former Oregon track athlete, it represents more. Something personal.
The tower sports five past Ducks’ silhouettes and former track coach Bill Bowerman’s figure sits at the top.
Right under Bowerman is Raevyn Rogers: the only female athlete on the tower.
During her time at Oregon, she earned eight All-American honors and six National Championship wins. Oregon showed its adoration by placing Rogers on the tower.
Not only did it signify her athletic greatness, but it also resonated with her grandma — whose recognition of Rogers trumps any comparison.
“It’s an honor, but it’s an expectation,” Rogers said. “They put me on the tower with the expectation that I would do great things.”
Her accomplishments will forever be stitched in Oregon’s thread. Throughout her young professional career, Rogers has made many strides to fulfill that expectation.
Along with her collegiate accolades, Rogers won the Bronze medal in the 800 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and a Silver medal at World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019.
However, 2022 will be different. The Worlds will be held in Eugene, marking the first time in event history that the championships will be on American soil.
And when it begins, Rogers will compete in her red, white and blue jersey, under the watchful eye of her supersized image on the tower. She’ll also compete in front of her hometown fans that had the pleasure of watching her grow from a freshman into an Olympic medalist.
“I’m so deeply rooted here in Oregon, I just want to keep expanding on that. And this is a different chapter of growth that everyone in Oregon will be able to experience with me,”
Rogers said. While the pressure of her figure on the tower may make her nervous, the fans will provide a comforting and familiar feeling.
When Rogers returned to Eugene for the 2022 Prefontaine Classic, she was welcomed with open arms and a loud roar from the crowd as the Public Announcer introduced her before the 800-meter race.
In July at the Worlds, she said she hopes to reward those roaring fans with strong performances.
“I want to go out there and make the Ducks family proud,” Rogers said. “I want to go out there and perform my best… I really want them to know that I left it out there. They’ll be able to tell, too. They’ve watched me since I was a freshman, they’ll be able to know if I left it out there or not.”
Making the Duck family proud is one thing. Making her family proud will always take precedent — and that’s what happened when they saw Rogers’ figure atop the tower.
In 2014, Rogers made the decision to come to Oregon for college, meaning she’d be moving away from her family based in Houston, Texas. The separation was tough, but it motivated Rogers to compete at a high level in order to justify the long move.
So when her parents and grandmother made the trip to Eugene for the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials, seeing Rogers’ figure atop the tower helped warrant all the years of missing her.
To Rogers, seeing herself on the tower signified success, recognition and expectation, but it was her grandma’s reaction to her image that solidified its place in Rogers’ heart.
“My grandmother is the closest thing I have to my grandpa and my grandpa passed,” Rogers said. “So she’s a very strong figure in our family and to see her so excited that it was worth it for me to come all the way out here.”
Returning to Eugene for Worlds will mark another chapter in Rogers’ career competing at Hayward Field. Winning a medal in front of the fans that watched her mature, her family who sacrificed to send her halfway across the country, and her silhouette on the tower would be the cherry on top.
