The 1994 Oregon Ducks football team represented the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in the

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

during the

1994 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season, play of college football in the United States at the NCAA Division I-A level, began in August 1994 and ended on January 2, 1995. Nebraska, who finished the season undefeated, ended the year ranked No. 1 ...

. The Ducks were led by head coach

Rich Brooks Richard Llewellyn Brooks (born August 20, 1941) is a retired American football player and coach. He was the head coach at the University of OregonMcCann, Michael C. (1995). Oregon Ducks Football: 100 Years of Glory. Eugene, Oregon: McCann Communic ...

, who was in his 18th and final season as head coach, and played their home games at

Autzen Stadium Autzen Stadium is an outdoor American football, football stadium in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, in Eugene, Oregon. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Du ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

. Oregon was 9–3 in the regular season and won their first ever outright conference championship (7–1); they appeared in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 37 years. Two consecutive non-conference losses in September had many calling for Brooks' resignation.

Schedule

Roster

Game summaries

Portland State

Hawaii

Utah

Iowa

USC

Washington State

California

Washington

In previous matchups, Oregon had their share of disappointment: Mark Lee returned a punt 59 yards for touchdown to win the game in 1979. The defense held the #9-ranked Huskies to 109 yards and 3 first downs in 1984, but still fell 17–10. This, combined with Washington's 17–4 record against the Ducks, including a five-game win streak, had many Oregon fans fearing the worst. In the 1994 edition of the heated rivalry with the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

, the #9-ranked

Huskies Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that mai ...

came into

with a 5–1 record, including a victory over the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, snapping a 58-game home winning streak. The game was a tough and close contest, with the Ducks clinging to a 24–20 lead late in the game. UW

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Damon Huard Damon Paul Huard (born July 9, 1973) is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater. Huard was signed by the Cincinnati Be ...

guided the Huskies to a

first down A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the f ...

on the 9-yard line with plenty of time remaining. Huard dropped back and whipped the ball to wide receiver Dave Janoski. U of O freshman

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Kenny Wheaton Kenneth Tyron Wheaton (born March 8, 1975 in Phoenix, Arizona) is a former professional American football defensive back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Footbal ...

stepped in front of the

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland *Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mountai ...

intercepted In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

it and headed up the sideline for a clinching

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

, putting Oregon ahead for good 31–20. Oregon won its final six games to carry them to the Rose Bowl. It's now tradition at all of the Oregon Ducks football games to play "The Pick" on the DuckVision right before the Ducks run onto the field.

Arizona

Arizona State

Stanford

Oregon State

Rose Bowl

References

Citations

Bibliography

* McCann, Michael C. (1995). Oregon Ducks Football: 100 Years of Glory. Eugene, Oregon: McCann Communications Corp. . {{Pac-12 Conference football champions

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Oregon Ducks football seasons Pac-12 Conference football champion seasons

Oregon Ducks football The Oregon Ducks football program is a college football team for the University of Oregon, located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Although ...