Eric Mitchum is more than just the school-record holder in the 110-meter hurdles and a five-time All-American. Mitchum is Oregon’s answer to the high-profile college athlete.
He may be meeting you for the first time, but his handshake suggests that he’s known you since kindergarten. You’ll try to break the ice by asking him how he spent his weekend, but he’ll beat you to it. He’ll even call you “sir” if you’re out of college.
He’s always up for having a good time, but is in bed by 9:45 p.m. on some Saturday nights.
Ladies love him, but he knows nothing about it.
He’s lost only three times at Hayward Field, but never to another collegian. After every race, he’s happy to give interviews, but he takes a while getting to them. That’s only because he’s busy capering with his teammates and opponents.
When he does get a word in with you, it doesn’t sound rehearsed.
Mitchum is as colorful on the infield as he is talented on the track. A mixture of Michael Johnson and Eddie Griffin.
With only hours now separating Oregon from the Pacific-10 Conference Championships and defending its league crown, Mitchum is still not fazed by the hype or pressure surrounding this weekend’s meet.
“You can’t give in to that sort of stuff,” Mitchum said. “You have to focus just on winning this time of year. Not if you’ve won this year or last year. You just have to have some fun with it.”
As a senior team co-captain, Mitchum is the face of head coach Vin Lananna’s track program and one of its most decorated active members.
“It’s been a joy to have him on the team this year,” Lananna said. “When I first came here, he was one of the first athletes that introduced himself to me.”
It was the start of a close relationship between the two who have helped the program to new heights this season.
Mitchum is certain that both the team and Oregon’s track and field program is stronger than last year.
“Things are definitely better now that coach Lananna is here,” Mitchum said. “We have the same group of people from last year but there are more of us now, and we’re closer.”
Lananna feels that Mitchum and his classmates have played an integral part on this year’s team, which is ranked No. 13 in the nation by Trackwire.com.
“I think Eric is one athlete in a tremendous senior class,” Lananna said. “Eric has tremendous leadership qualities.”
Like the other seniors on the team, Mitchum will compete for the final time at Hayward Field as a Duck this weekend and hopes to go out a winner.
“It’s my last track meet with the Ducks so it’s pretty saddening,” he said. “I just want to go out with a bang.”
Mitchum did not compete at last week’s Oregon Twilight. He used the spare time to get some much-needed rest.
“I slept in, maybe more than I should have,” he said. “But I was in the stands watching my team later.”
Mitchum rang in this outdoor season much like his past three others – with wins.
He needed only his first race of the year to qualify for the NCAA Regional. At the outdoor season-opening Oregon Preview, he won the 110 hurdles by almost a full second. He crossed the finish line in 13.78 seconds.
Mitchum met the Regional standard again one week later at the Trojan Invitational. His time of 13.65 marked a season-best.
At the Oregon Invitational, he ran to an even faster time (13.48), but lost to unattached David Oliver. If you saw Mitchum after the race, it’d be hard to tell who won. Mitchum congratulated Oliver and gave him a one-arm hug.
Oliver became only the third person ever to beat Mitchum at Hayward Field since the Calumet City, Ill., native came to Eugene.
Mitchum got into running when he was a freshman at Mt. Carmel High School, but he wasn’t attracted to Oregon because of its storied track history.
“It’s a prettier place than Illinois,” he said.
At this weekend’s conference finals, Mitchum hopes to win the 110-meter hurdles and place in the top five in the 400 hurdles.
Some stereotypes for a nationally-recognized athlete do ring true for Mitchum.
He prefers wearing diamond earrings that have become signature for him. He’s also not very soft-spoken, as teammate Tommy Skipper will tell you.
“He’s always talking, always motivating people,” Skipper said. “We strike up competition with each other all the time even though we don’t do the same events.”
Skipper is one of Mitchum’s closest friends on the team and one of Mitchum’s pals who he plays cards with in his free time.
“We keep it simple during the season,” Mitchum said. “We’ll play spades and poker. We go out every now and then … you know, the same things everyone else does.”
Mitchum will be done with school by next winter, but his collegiate track career is over in June. Mitchum hopes his former teammates remember him for simple things.
“I want them to think of me as a hurdlist, but also just someone they liked to laugh with and have a good time,” he said.
Skipper’s admiration for Mitchum goes beyond athletics.
“Besides being a good competitor, Eric is a great person, a great human being,” Skipper said. “We’ve really bonded ever since I was in my freshmen year. I will truly miss him next year.”