By Jay Jones
October 28, 2008

Duck Sports News has learned that the judge in the wrestling lawsuit against the University of Oregon has dismissed the case, and found in favor of Oregon.

Developing…

[Update: 12:20 p.m.]: Click here for the AP report on the lawsuit dismissal.

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com. Innappropriate comment? Let us know. Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.

Digg This Post

By Jay Jones, June 9, 2008

Ducks Sports News.  Fair and balanced.

What a second.  I’m thinking of something else.

Regardless, I would like to think we try to be fair and balanced.  And I hope everyone involved with Oregon wrestling feels that way.  For the most part, I feel like they have treated Duck Sports News pretty well.  I could be wrong.  We don’t catch everything.  But I feel like I’m on good terms with a number of people who support Oregon wrestling, even though we disagree about some aspects of this situation.

So, in the name of fairness, he’s a little something from Oregon wrestling supporters.

Although, I couldn’t resist the temptation to sprinkle a few thoughts throughout the piece

Seven Great Myths Regarding the Elimination of University of Oregon Wrestling

June 9, 2008

We, as members of the University of Oregon wrestling family-team members, coaches, family, and friends-filed suit Friday to prevent the university from dropping wrestling as an intercollegiate sport. We have bound themselves together for this purpose as the Oregon Chapter of Equity in Athletics, whose national arm is engaged in litigation against several universities to oppose elimination of various men’s and women’s sports.

We issue this fact sheet in conjunction with today’s news release. After nearly one year of fruitless negotiation, our differences will now be resolved in court. We consider ourselves to be loyal Ducks, but in this instance we need court intervention to settle our formal dispute with the university. Here is our argument for the court of public opinion.

Myth 1: Because Oregon wanted a baseball team, it had to drop wrestling. Wrestling was unavoidably a victim of Title IX.

That was the reason Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny gave at the July 13, 2007 press conference. The Athletic Department changed its story after correspondence between the university and attorneys who represent wrestling advocacy groups: Save Oregon Wrestling, Equity in Athletics, and the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Neal Zoumbouklos, Special Assistant to the Athletic Director, told two interviewers earlier this year that Title IX was not a factor in dropping wrestling.

• Daily Emerald article of Feb. 27, 2008

• Ducks Illustrated article of Mar. 6, 2008

For a detailed explanation of why Title IX does not mandate the suspension of Oregon wrestling, and in fact compels the university to keep the sport, see:

• NWCA Letter of Jan. 25, 200

• EIA-Oregon Letter of Apr. 21, 2008

Two prominent members of the Oregon news media, Dwight Jaynes of the Portland Tribune and Matt Smith of Portland’s KPTV, questioned Title IX as a legitimate reason for the University of Oregon’s decision to eliminate wrestling in this video:

The Agenda

[Jay: Title IX makes my head hurt.  If you were to draw a schematic of all these issues, it would probably look like a electrical plans.  And I'm not an electrical engineer.  So, I want to avoid these issues as much as possible, but I do have a question:

Where would the Oregon's wrestling team's case be if Zoomer had not made these comments?  Did anyone else at the UO echo his statements?  Was he speaking for the UO?  Or did Zoomer misspeak?

Myth 2: Oregon wrestling has no place to practice or hold matches.

Two years ago, the Athletic Department remodeled the state-of-the-art wrestling practice facility in the Casanova Center into a glitzy athletic treatment center that primarily benefits the football team. Rachael Bachman's recent Oregonian article recounts several controversial details of this remodeling project, but does not mention the room's prior function. At the time of their eviction, former Athletic Director Bill Moos promised wrestlers that they would be accommodated in a new practice facility that would be built as part of the proposed basketball arena. But when the plans for that building were published, no wrestling room was included. Save Oregon Wrestling discusses that broken promise in the video:

Sacred Ground, Broken Trust

Shortly after being evicted from the Casanova Center, Duck wrestlers found another practice facility, a larger room in Esslinger Hall, which adjoins McArthur Court, where the team competes in dual matches and tournaments. For most of its 55 seasons as an intercollegiate sport, Oregon wrestling has practiced in a facility owned by the Department of Physical Education and Recreation. We now continue that tradition.

Regarding a place to compete, McArthur Court will accommodate Oregon basketball and volleyball teams at least through the 2010 season. Plans for the new basketball area do not include dressing rooms for the wrestling team, a deliberate decision by the Athletic Department.

If we are successful in this litigation, we believe the court will direct the university to provide adequate facilities for wrestling.

[Jay: This really isn't an issue for me.]

Myth 3: Poor attendance at Oregon wrestling matches makes it the prime candidate for cutting among UO varsity sports. Oregon wrestling does not have a dedicated fan base.

Oregon wrestling finished third among the seven UO non-revenue sports for which the athletic department reported attendance figures for the 2007-08 academic year.

Source: Attendance figures compiled from box scores derived from the go.Ducks.com web site.

Note: The men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s cross country teams do not charge admission nor do they report attendance figures.

The 4,380 fans who attended the National Wrestling Coaches’ All-Star meet on Nov. 19, 2007 at McArthur Court represented the largest paid attendance at any UO sporting event other than football, men’s basketball, or track during the 2007-08 season.

Stated another way, there are three major sports at the University of Oregon: football, basketball, and track. Wrestling leads the remaining sports in attendance. Wrestling draws more fans than volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, softball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s tennis.

[Jay: Again, this really isn't an issue for me, either.]

Myth 4: Wrestling is a dying sport.

Tell that to the 4,762 Oregonians who competed in high school wrestling during the 2006-07 academic year, the latest data available. That made wrestling the third most popular winter sport in Oregon high schools, ranking behind only boys and girls basketball. Of the 250 high schools that furnished winter sports participation to the Oregon School Activities Association, one-quarter reported more wrestlers than boys basketball players, and more than three-quarters had students who wrestled.

OSAA Winter Sport	Number of Participants
Boys Basketball	7,019
Girls Basketball	5,974
Wrestling	4,762
Girls Cheer	2,428
Girls Swimming	2,173
Girls Dance	1,763
Boys Swimming	1,622

Source: Participation survey numbers compiled by the Oregon Schools Activity Association.

Although indeed the last twenty years have not been kind to intercollegiate wrestling on the Division I level, high school wrestling has grown markedly both in Oregon and across the United States. Nationally, over the past ten years, some 23,127 more high school students wrestled and 1,561 additional schools adopted wrestling as a sport-according to the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations.

We believe a state-supported university should have an obligation to provide athletic scholarships and participation opportunities for its native sons and daughters.

Some 70% of the UO’s varsity wrestlers, averaged over the past three years, graduated from Oregon high schools. Only one other Duck athletic team, women’s cross-country, draws at least 50% of its participants from in-state students.

Save Oregon wrestling discusses this fact in its video:

Oregon’s Team

Oregonians on UO Athletic Teams, 2004-07

Source: Team rosters as found on the GoDucks.com web site.

[Jay: On a DI NCAA level, wrestling is a dying sport.  Unfortunately for wrestling, as it grows at the high school level, that is not translating to the intercollegiate level.]

Myth 5: The Pacific-10 Conference does not support wrestling.

Pacific-10 Conference wrestling competition pits ten western universities that are dedicated to both academic and athletic excellence. For the past 20 years, six schools that compete in different conferences in other sports have joined Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Stanford in dual meets and tournament wrestling competition. This arrangement allows the top three finishers in each weight class at the conference tournament, plus several “wild cards,” to qualify for the NCAA Division I wrestling championships.

Several of these guest schools boast academic reputations that match or exceed the typical Pac-10 member. For example, the University of California at Davis ranked 42nd nationally in undergraduate education in the latest U.S. News rankings of major research universities. (The University of Oregon ranked 112^th.) Cal Poly of San Luis Obispo finished No. 4 nationally in rankings of undergraduate engineering programs.

For two decades, this arrangement has never posed a problem for the University of Oregon. We suspect this objection has surfaced as part of an effort to cobble together alternative reasons for dropping UO wrestling, after the athletic department had to abandon its original Title IX rationale.

[Jay: This is the Pac-10 in name only.  Cal Poly?  UC Davis?  Only four (soon to be three, almost two) traditional Pac-10 schools?]

Myth 6. Wrestling backers do not donate to the athletic department.

Duck Athletic Fund donors who restrict their gifts to fund specific sports are penalized in comparison to those who make unrestricted contributions. Sport-specific donations earn fewer points toward donor privileges such as parking and game seating.

Thus, wrestling backers who that donated to the DAF in the past usually didn’t specify a sport. Now they’ll donate like those baseball boosters did for many years. They didn’t give a dime from 1981 until July of 2007.

By the way, Save Oregon Wrestling has received pledges and cash donations of approximately $3 million since that latter day. Not one dime of it is going to the DAF!

[Jay: I haven't heard this myth.  But if they think it's out there, OK.]

Myth 7: Oregon can’t afford to maintain a wrestling team.

In a January interview with the Portland Journal, Pat Kilkenny referred to the wrestling program as “fiscally disciplined.” Indeed, no Duck team takes a more miserly approach to finances. Our budget is approximately $650,000 and 70% of our scholarships fund in-state tuition. Our favorite mode of travel is a 15-passenger van.

Nevertheless, we can understand the athletic department’s monetary concerns, in that Mr. Kilkenny’s original estimate for the annual baseball budget, as stated during his July 13, 2007 news conference, was slightly in excess of $800,000. One month later, he hired a head coach for $400,000, and then that budget began swell to a more realistic $1.3 to $1.5 million. We fully comprehend the need for renewed fiscal discipline within the department, now that the original $7 million estimate for the new baseball stadium has been proven to be optimistically low.

By this time, we also assume that Mr. Kilkenny knows that no college baseball program makes a profit. Even LSU loses money these days.

Nevertheless, we would be delighted to see baseball come back to Oregon, provided its return were not predicated upon our demise. To demonstrate our resolve, we’ve committed to raising the entire wrestling budge through donations, and eventually to endow the sport-so that wrestling no longer feeds at the football and men’s basketball trough, as do 15 of the 17 varsity sports at the UO.

Arizona State just did that. Two weeks after the Sun Devils announced the elimination of three non-revenue sports, wrestling boosters in Tempe reversed part of that decision with pledges to raise $8 million. Of course, ASU’s athletic director realized such a sum wouldn’t appear immediately. She accepted the donors’ pledges and set a realistic timetable for funding the endowment.

That’s all we’ve asked for the past year, as we struggled to raise nearly $3 million despite constant discouragement from the Duck athletic department. Mr. Kilkenny was quoted several times expressing his doubts that we could raise enough money to survive. But he never stated a figure. Understandably, it’s hard to raise money for a hopeless cause, which is what one assumes when the athletic director says we won’t be back. Donors are not willing to part with their money under those circumstances. Nevertheless, we have substantial pledges.

We believe that, if given a reasonable target and assurances of survival if that goal were met, we’d succeed in endowing the wrestling program.

We’re asking the courts to extend our existence as a Duck sport long enough to do that and ask our fellow Ducks to understand our motives.

Go Ducks!

The University of Oregon Wrestling Family

Jay, here.  I believe Oregon could afford to keep wrestling if they wanted to.  But they have decided not to.

And that brings me to the question that all of this comes down to: can Oregon simply decide to eliminate a sport?

Let’s say there were procedures for eliminating a sport that the UO did not follow.  OK.  What would’ve happened if Oregon did follow those procedures and still eliminated wrestling?  Could that still happen?  Could Judge Norblad impose an injunction and rule that the UO did not follow proper procedure?  Doesn’t that mean that all the UO has to do is go back, go through the proper channels, and eliminate wrestling anyway?

If that’s not possible, then this case strikes at the heart of athletic departments being autonomous.  And that has big, national implications.

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.

Digg This Post

By Jay Jones, June 9, 2008

Today, The Oregonian’s John Canzano addressed the lawsuit filed by the Oregon wrestling team against University of Oregon president Dave Frohnmayer on his sports talk radio show, The Bald Faced Truth.

Here’s the link to the audio. It’s about half-way through the audio file.

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.

Digg This Post

By Jay Jones, June 9, 2008

Did you really think the only trials in Oregon’s future were of the Olympic variety?

On Friday, members of the University of Oregon’s wrestling team filed a suit in the Oregon Circuit Court for Marion County seeking to prevent the University from dropping wrestling. Circuit Judge Albin W. Norblad will hear the case.

And is anyone surprised by this?

While I am not surprised by this development, it is a little unexpected at the same time. As dichotomous as that answer is, I’m equally dichotomous in answering some of my own questions regarding this case. Usually, that’s called dissociative identity disorder. But for the purposes of this blog (and the endless discussion to follow), we’ll just call this:

Top 10 Grappling Questions & Answers

1. What does the case say about the Oregon wrestling team?

Oregon wrestling is desperate. And in their desperation, they have resorted to litigation. This is their last, best (and I believe, worst) hope to save Oregon wrestling. But what does this say about the character of Oregon wrestling? On this blog (and elsewhere on the nets), wrestling supporters have championed wrestling as a “character” sport. But is being litigious a “character” thing to do?

If the Oregon wrestling team believes they’ve been grievously and unjustly wronged (and I believe they have been treated unfairly), then legal action might be their only recourse. Do I have to run down a list of recent dramatic legal movies featuring a triumphant underdog? Erin Brockovich. The Rainmaker. Legally Blonde. (This brings up a good point, why isn’t the Oregon wrestling team viewed as a sympathetic underdog? Shoot. Even my answers beget more questions.) Who doesn’t root for the single mom or young lawyer against the big, bad, evil corporation? I know I do.

But to play Devil’s Advocate, this move could also be seen as a “win at all costs” move, not exactly what wrestlers are supposedly known for. While they don’t know the word “quit”, the Oregon wrestling team might get to know the word “backlash” pretty well. For most Duck fans, I believe this move will be viewed upon as a kamikaze like maneuver: the Oregon wrestling team knows they’re going down and they are going to take down as many at the University as they can.

2. What is the Oregon wrestling team’s end game?

What do they want? On the one hand, the Oregon wrestling team’s ultimate goal is reinstatement. Nothing short of that. But on the Red Right Hand, their goal might be to inflict as damage as possible on their way out. And I don’t think that’s going to sit well with Duck fans.

What would it mean for the program if they were to be reinstated under these conditions? How would they be received on campus? Within the Athletic Department? Sure, the program would be back on campus. And some would applaud it as a strike against the out-of-control Casanova Center. But wouldn’t the program kind of be viewed as that kid you don’t like who’s at your birthday party because your mom told his mom it was OK from him to come?

3. What does “discovery” and “discoverable” mean in this case?

Through this lawsuit, the Oregon Wrestling team hopes to discover the University of Oregon’s administrative machinations behind the reasons for cutting wrestling – what were the real reasons for cutting wrestling. However, as they open up this process, they are also going to open themselves up to legal exposure, as well. And do they really want to do that? What I mean is, are there some aspects of the Oregon wrestling program that would be better left “undiscovered”? I certainly hope they’ve chewed on that for a bit. Because if Oregon wrestling believes the University of Oregon to be as unjust of an institution as they claim it to be, doesn’t Oregon wrestling have to know that the University (and their attorneys) are going to go after them with everything they’ve got?

4. Is there a possibility for a settlement?

I don’t believe there is in this case. The Oregon wrestling team wants the sport reinstated. What would there be to settle? What would that look like? Partial reinstatement?

Yes. What do I mean by that? Well, I don’t mean this as a settlement solution. But what would happen if the University of Oregon preemptively reinstates wrestling at a life-support level? Are there minimal levels for athletic programs? Is one scholarship good? Can you have a minimal budget? Limits on team numbers? Would one scholarship severely impact Title IX? What would that do to this case? Oregon would have reinstated wrestling. It might not be what the Oregon wrestling team wants, but it’s reinstated. Then, what are we talking about: challenging University of Oregon Athletic Department administrative decisions in court every time? Let’s say the Athletic Department decides to cut a men’s tennis scholarship and limit the number of walk-ons to the team. Do they take the department to court? I don’t think so.

5. Why file the suit in Marion County? Why not Lane County?

The answer to this question could be of a technical nature. Since the Oregon wrestling team is suing state employees, the suit might have to be filed in Salem. I don’t know. Or does the Oregon wrestling team consider Marion county to be more sympathetic to their case? If the answer to this question is not of a technical or procedural nature, then there has to be some advantage Oregon wrestling is trying to gain by filing this case in that court.

[If you're an attorney and would like to anonymously answer this question, please contact us.]

6. Why Circuit Court Judge Albin W. Norblad?

Again, the selection of Judge Norblad could be of a procedural nature. He might have of simply been assigned this case. And, again, I don’t know. But I don’t think it works that way. So, there has to be some advantage to Oregon wrestling. According to his Wikipedia entry, he is known for controversial and unpopular decisions, in addition to being disciplined by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability.

[If you're an attorney and would like to anonymously answer this question, please contact us.]

7. What are the implications of an injunction for Oregon baseball?

In the past, supporters of Oregon wrestling have stated that this is not a “wrestling vs. baseball” issue. with this case, however, that’s exactly what it has become. What if Judge Norblad grants a temporary injunction against eliminating wrestling? On the surface, an injunction would simply mean that during the period of the injunction, the Oregon wrestling team would remain at the University of Oregon. During the period, I don’t think anything would happen with baseball. That train is rolling and gaining steam. However, what would a decision in favor of the Oregon wrestling team mean for the future of Oregon baseball? If Title IX compliance is a key legal argument in this case (I’m not saying it is), how could both baseball and wrestling remain on campus? They might not. And then you’re looking at a potential lawsuit from the baseball folks. Or…

8. What are the implications of an injunction for women’s sports at Oregon?

If somehow the Oregon wrestling team could pull this case out of their…well, you know…the big winner on campus could be women’s sports. Assuming wrestling and baseball were to remain at Oregon in a Title IX world, the Athletic Department would be put in the position of having to add another women’s sports.

[As a side note, I know opinion varies on the implications of Title IX. Oregon could be in compliance and not in compliance, all at the same time. However, once it gets in the courts, all of that is up for interpretation. And who knows what that means.]

9. What will be the public perception of the Oregon wrestling team now?

Not good, I’m afraid. The reality is that most Duck fans don’t care about wrestling. Duck fans mostly care about football and men’s basketball. Now, that doesn’t negate wrestling as a sport. It just means that in the court of public opinion, a majority of Duck fans are indifferent, like they are about many other sports on campus. And I think most wrestling supporters would acknowledge that. However, what that also means is that when the Oregon Wrestling team resorts to a lawsuit, it does not endear them in the hearts of Duck fans. And in this case, taking legal action will quickly move wrestling from a sport of indifference to derision, in the minds of Duck fans.

10. What’s the best solution for the Oregon wrestling team?

The best solution for the Oregon’s wrestling team is to drop this lawsuit and pursue the club sport route for a few years. As wrestling gets dropped from more and more colleges and universities, the club numbers continue to grow. It’s not the NCAA, but it’s on campus. And with the money Save Oregon Wrestling has raised, they could nicely fund a club sports team.

The U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials are only a few weeks away. With those trials, we know when they will start, and when they will end. And we’ll also know that while only a few will make it on the team, there won’t be any losers at Hayward Field.

In this case, who knows how long it will go on. But one thing is for certain: no one, and I mean one, is going to emerge a winner in this case.

If you’re an attorney and would like to anonymously answer any of these questions, please contact us.

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.

Digg This Post

For Immediate Release

Oregon Wrestlers File Suit to Save Threatened Team

Contacts:
Ron Finley, Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation (541) 579-7331
Jeremy McLaughlin, University of Oregon ‘09, Wrestler (541) 282-4476
Richard D. Franklin, Attorney at Law, Portland, Oregon (503) 665-9148
Lawrence J. Joseph, Attorney at Law, Washington, D. C. (202) 669-5135

Citation:
Equity in Athletics in Oregon v. Frohnmayer

Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Marion County

For more information:
http://www.SaveOregonWrestling.com
http://www.EquityinAthletics.org

Eugene, OR (June 9) — Members of the University of Oregon’s wrestling team filed suit Friday afternoon in the Oregon Circuit Court for Marion County, seeking to prevent the University from dropping wrestling as an intercollegiate sport. Circuit Judge Albin Norblad will hear the case.

The complaint alleges that the UO’s plan to eliminate wrestling would violate not only the procedural requirements for dropping an intercollegiate team but also the substantive requirements of the equal privileges and immunities clause of Oregon’s constitution, an Oregon anti-discrimination statute known as Section 659.850, and the Oregon University System’s implementing regulations.

In essence, the University mistakenly believed that gender equity under the federal Title IX statute required UO to eliminate men’s wrestling to enable UO to add men’s baseball, without considering whether that would violate Oregon’s constitution and statutes, as well as established University procedures. After acknowledging that Title IX did not require UO to eliminate wrestling to make room for baseball, UO spokesmen developed several new reasons to justify their original decision to drop wrestling. Like the original Title IX reasoning, however, the University’s new reasons fail to consider violations of Oregon law and University procedures.

The complaint seeks a preliminary injunction that orders UO to defer dropping wrestling until the athletic department completes the required intra-University consultation with UO’s Intercollegiate Athletics Committee and offers the affected students the opportunity for a hearing. Either UO’s president or the Oregon University System’s chancellor would make the final decision after the hearings. If UO still intends to drop wrestling after the required hearings, the parties would return to court to challenge that decision before the preliminary injunction dissolves.

The plaintiff, Equity in Athletics in Oregon, is an Oregon non-profit corporation that represents returning members of the Oregon wrestling team, prospective students who wish to wrestle at the University, and other Oregon citizens interested in the University’s proving an equitable athletic opportunity. The defendants are the University of Oregon, UO President David Frohnmayer, the Oregon University System, OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner, UO Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny, UO Associate Athletic Directors Reneé Baumgartner and Neal Zoumboukos, and UO General Counsel Melinda Grier.

When Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny announced the resumption of the Oregon baseball program, suspended since 1981, during a press conference on July 13, 2007, he cited the need to comply with the gender equity provisions of U.S. Department of Education policy under Title IX by dropping wrestling and adding women’s competitive cheerleading. Wrestling boosters have argued that Title IX does not require UO to drop men’s wrestling simply because UO intends to add men’s baseball. In response, UO appears to have conceded that its initial Title IX rationale was flawed. On two occasions, in a Feb. 27, 2008, interview in the student newspaper, the Daily Emerald, and in a March 6, 2008, article in the fan publication, Ducks Illustrated, Zoumboukos acknowledged that Title IX did not require UO to drop wrestling.

Instead, Zoumboukos indicated that UO now was dropping wrestling for a combination of four criteria, neither one of which was determinative: (1) UO lacks a wrestling facility; (2) the Eugene area lacks a dedicated fan base; (3) the opportunity to capitalize on an investment; and (4) the lack of support in the Pac-10 and NCAA Division I.

While the plaintiff disagrees that the federal Title IX law even allows UO to cut wrestling, the complaint alleges that UO violated Oregon’s stronger anti-discrimination laws by not applying the same criteria evenly to both men’s and women’s teams. For example, interscholastic wrestling is more popular in Oregon and nationally than women’s lacrosse and competitive cheerleading, the Pac-10 and NCAA Division I support wrestling as much or more than those women’s sports, UO wrestling has higher attendance than several women’s teams, no women’s teams are required to pay their own way, and the wrestling community has offered significant financial contributions to endow UO wrestling.

“Since we all agree that federal law does not require UO to cut wrestling,” said attorney Richard Franklin, “the question is whether Oregon law allows UO to use a one-sided analysis to cut wrestling.” Last month, the Oregon Supreme Court held that the Oregon State Activities Association violated Section 659.850 by failing to schedule basketball playoff games around the Saturday Sabbath of athletes of the Seventh Day Adventist faith.

The plaintiff alleges that UO’s mistakes were compounded by the athletic department proceeding without the required hearings and consultations. “Oregon does not require administrative procedures to make people feel good,” said Franklin, “we require it because it helps agencies make better, more informed decisions when they publicly air an issue and allow the affected public to voice their concerns.” In 1987, when Frohnmayer served as Oregon’s Attorney General, he authored an interpretation of the Oregon Administrative Procedures Act that required universities to provide students who failed a drug test the opportunity for a hearing before terminating the right or privilege of participating in athletics. The plaintiff argues that the same rationale applies to terminating an entire team. “If UO had held a pre-termination hearing, it would have become obvious before UO took any final action that the athletic department had misconstrued Title IX and failed to consider Oregon law at all,” added Franklin.

Since Kilkenny announced the planned elimination of Oregon wrestling last year, a coalition of alumni led by former UO wrestling coach Ron Finley formed the Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation and has raised more than $3 million in cash and pledges to endow UO wrestling. Such efforts have succeeded at other schools. Last month, Arizona State University announced plans to drop intercollegiate wrestling, but ASU reversed the decision two weeks later after boosters promised enough money to endow the sport. To date, however, Duck athletic department officials have shown little interest in working with the Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation.

According to statistics furnished by the Oregon School Activities Association, wrestling is the second most popular boys’ winter sport in Oregon high schools. For the 2006-07 school year, the latest figures available, some 4,659 boys wrestled on Oregon scholastic teams. This number does not include the 55 girls, 31 home schoolers, and 17 foreign exchange students who also participated in wrestling on the high school level.

Some 70% of University of Oregon wrestlers, averaged over the past three seasons, are graduates of Oregon high schools. This represents the largest percentage of native Oregonians on an UO intercollegiate athletic team. Only one other Duck athletic squad, the women’s cross country team, has more than 50% Oregonians on its roster. The University sponsors intercollegiate sports, such as women’s lacrosse, in which Oregonians do not compete on the high school level.

Wrestling at the University of Oregon has existed since 1913 as a club sport and since 1953 as an intercollegiate sport. Oregon wrestlers have won 32 All-American honors and 69 individual conference championships. Five Ducks have wrestled and one has coached in the Olympic Games.

The plaintiff is the Oregon chapter of Equity in Athletics, which is suing the U.S. Department of Education and James Madison University in Virginia over JMU’s plans to eliminate men’s and women’s archery and gymnastics, women’s fencing, and men’s track, swimming, and wrestling. Equity in Athletics also is working with a foundation formed by parents and alumni to save the Syracuse University men’s and women’s swim teams, which Syracuse had scheduled for elimination next year. In response to those efforts, Syracuse extended the elimination date forward three years to allow all matriculated swimmers to complete their athletic careers at Syracuse, which that foundation hopes will allow enough time to endow the swimming teams.

Equity in Athletics in Oregon is represented by Richard D. Franklin of Portland, Oregon, and Lawrence J. Joseph of Washington, D.C.

Digg This Post

Jay, here.

Well, this is a bit of a first.

This post is going to be a blog exclusive and not posted to Duck Sports News. Why? Because there really isn’t any news here.

But I think there’s a pretty good opportunity for some discussion. So, let’s give it a shot.

Over the past two weeks, there has been a healthy debate on this blog regarding the University of Oregon’s decision to eliminate wrestling. When isn’t there? I know.

One of the best contributors to that discussion, and one of the strongest voices, is Riverside Pirate Wrestling Coach Richard Rockwell. In one his posts, Richard highlighted a great biography on one of Oregon’s most distinguished wrestlers, Greg Gibson.

Not long after that, another great contributor, Hank, suggested that maybe this blog should grapple with “Who’s the Greatest UO Athlete of All-Time?”.

Here’s Hank tossing out a few names:

But throughout UO sports history there have been many other stellar multi-sport athletes–and even other similarly scary dudes (say hello to Igor Olshansky). Ronnie Lee had coaches from four different sports drooling over his professional potential. Yet in an epic practicum PE class decathlon battle, the ultra-competitive Lee was stunningly bested by Duane Stutzman, another All-American wrestler. What do you do with Jordan Kent? Chris Miller? Mel Renfro? It’s hard to compare different sports and eras.

Is Greg Gibson the greatest athlete ever to come out of the UO? Richard points us to his bio:

Greg Gibson was born on November 20, 1953, in Redding, CA. In high school, Gibson excelled at football and wrestling. After High School Gibson attended Shasta College where he once again dominated both sports and was subsequently noticed by the coaches at The University of Oregon.

He has been called the “most versatile wrestler anywhere, ever” since his collegiate days at Oregon, but he was a pretty amazing football player. He started two seasons at defensive tackle for the Ducks, and though he dreamed of being a professional football player, life led him to wrestling.

Gibson may have been too small as NFL defensive lineman, but his physical stature was perfect as a heavyweight on the wrestling mat. In 1975, he won the PAC-10 Conference title, carrying Oregon to its first-ever team crown, and finished second in successive NCAA Championships, earning All-American Honors each year.

Gibson was named the PAC-10 Wrestler of Year in 1976 and won the 1977 USA Wrestling National Freestyle Heavyweight Championship.

You can read more of his bio here.

Who’s Oregon’s Greatest Athlete of All-Time? Greg Gibson? Mel Krause? Steve Prefontaine? Mel Renfro? Bev Smith?

You tell me.

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.
Spam filters are set on high. Please be patient for your comments to be posted.

Digg This Post

Jay, here.

Here’s the commercial from Save Oregon Wrestling that was pulled from ESPN.

For more information about SOW or their continuing efforts, go to saveoregonwrestling.com.

After almost 70 comments on the original post, I don’t why I’m posing these questions. But I feel compelled to.

Wrestling fans, what do you think?

Non-wrestling fans, what do you think?

Digg This Post

Jay, here.

[UPDATE: You can view the Save Oregon Wrestling commercial here.]

Got a press release in my inbox this morning from David C. Nelson and SaveOregonWrestling.com. While I don’t think their efforts are going to work to save wrestling in the immediate future, the wrestlers, the program, and their supporters are proving to be tough.

When I initially read the release, my first question was, “Did Oregon intervene with ESPN to spike this spot?” SOW’s Creative Director, Hank Hosfield, notes that even though the U of O has actively tried to stop SOW from raising donations, it probably did not kill this commercial (The commercial will be online early next week.).

I can’t relate to wrestling as a sport, but I can relate to the difficult position they were put in by ESPN. You’ve got contracts signed and you think you’re ready to roll. And then…Well, we can’t air that because of a policy that was in place when we signed the contracts, but failed to tell you. If that had been the case all along, wrestling could have possibly adjusted the creative from “Save Oregon Wrestling” to something like “Congratulations Oregon Wrestling” , and backdoored the campaign (SOW to COW).

I will say this: I like the fact that the wrestlers are not kowtowing to anyone. They’re passionate, creative, and aggressive. And they’ve got moxy. Unfortunately, it’s not 1884. But what else should I expect? They’re wrestlers.

March 22, 2008
SaveOregonWrestling.com

SAVE OREGON WRESTLING TV SPOT REJECTED BY ESPN
Last minute decision to ban SOW TV spot voids contract and hampers national campaign to save Oregon wrestling.

The Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation (SOW) was informed on Wednesday (3/19/08) that its TV commercial was rejected by ESPN and would not appear at any time during its scheduled run on any ESPN channel during the network’s upcoming broadcasts of the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships. SOW originally purchased a slate of 11 commercial spots on ESPNU and 1 one spot on ESPN during the NCAA finals on Saturday. The commercial contracts for these commercial buys were finalized on 2/29/08. The decision to void those comes just one day before the tournament starts. Word of ESPN’s reversal was relayed to SOW via USA Wrestling’s Director of Development, Larry Nugent, who was working as an agent between SOW and ESPN to secure commercial airtime. Nugent was notified by ESPN’s Jim Thurston, who explained that the spot was yanked because: “ESPN does not accept advertising that consists of, in whole or in part, political advocacy or issue-oriented advertising.”

SOW surprised by ESPN’s sudden refusal to air TV spot.
SOW leader, Ron Finley, in St. Louis where he’s representing SOW at the NCAA tournament, heard about the decision from USAW Director of Communications, Gary Abbott, also at the tournament. Finley stated: “We’re very disappointed that they’ve stopped our message from reaching a nation of viewers, but our fight will go on.” Hank Hosfield, SOW Creative Director, who wrote the commercial and worked with USAW to produce the banned SOW TV spot, wondered with dismay: “What did ESPN think Save Oregon Wrestling is? It said right on our contract, non-profit organization. It’s hard to believe they didn’t know what we were about when they approved the initial contract. Now, out of the blue, one day before we go nationwide with our campaign and they yank us. All of the blame for this is on ESPN, but the damage is all to us, the people working to save wrestling.”

SOW will receive a full refund for the unaired commercial spots. Those spots will likely be sold to other advertisers, as ESPN’s NCAA Wrestling Championships broadcast has a backlog of sponsors seeking airtime.

Nothing controversial about SOW TV commercial.
Hosfield claims there was nothing particularly controversial about the 30-second commercial. “It was pretty tame stuff—nothing more than an appeal to fight to save wrestling. It’s hard to imagine that they would consider it very political. They express stronger editorial comment every day. I don’t see how we’re very different from United Way or some other charitable organization working to promote opportunities for youth. It’s puzzling.” Hosfield said he hadn’t seen a final edit of the banned SOW TV spot, but he was able to provide the following script of the voiceover:

VO: Oregon’s wrestling heroes include America’s first world champion, The guy who beat Gable, And another some call our most complete wrestler. But now the University of Oregon plans to drop its storied program. If a team with Oregon’s wealthy resources can vanish, how many others may follow? Let’s keep the honor roll going. Fight to save Oregon Wrestling.

Did the University of Oregon exert pressure on ESPN to squelch SOW TV spot?
When asked if he thought the University of Oregon may have exerted pressure on ESPN to drop the commercial, Hosfield expressed skepticism: “One, I think they’re smarter than that—because that would only come back to draw even more unwanted negative attention; two, I don’t think they have that kind of juice; and three, I doubt that they’re paying that much attention to us.” Hosfield did however concede that the UO was aware of the upcoming SOW commercial on ESPN, as representatives for SOW had spoken about it during a March 3, 2008 meeting with President Frohnmayer’s executive assistant, David Hubin. He also observed that the UO Athletic Department had intervened to thwart other SOW fundraising efforts, such as killing a two-paragraph story about SOW in Duck Talk, the Oregon Club of Portland’s monthly newsletter, after OCOP’s president, Ralph Cole had previously invited SOW to submit for publication to help SOW connect with many of the UO’s most avid athletic boosters. Hosfield added: “Kilkenny clearly doesn’t want to see our fundraising efforts succeed, but despite the athletic department’s opposition, donations keep picking up. Imagine how easily wrestling could be saved if the UO weren’t so determined to kill it.”

Actor William Baldwin offers support to SOW commercial effort.
The nationwide and international media coverage the SOW/Kesey “Further” Bus-capade received caught the attention of actor William Baldwin, who read about the Save Oregon Wrestling effort in the New York Times. Baldwin, who had previously helped save wrestling at his alma mater, Binghamton University, called Ron Finley and asked how he could help. Hosfield suggested he could offer his talents to read the voiceover for the SOW TV spot, and maybe appear on camera in additional spots the were written for Baldwin. Production arrangements were made to shoot in LA, where Baldwin is back at work on the ABC series “Dirty Sexy Money”, but Baldwin was unable to get permission from ABC/Disney in time to appear in the SOW spots. He was given permission to read the voiceover, but coordination of tight production schedules at USA Wrestling made it too difficult to meet ESPN deadlines. Hosfield commented: “In retrospect, it’s a good thing we didn’t shoot the Baldwin spots, because all of the favors we had to call in to get those in the can would have been considerable—and it would be extremely embarrassing if they all had been similarly rejected.” Hosfield had enlisted the help of LA-based advertising agency hot shop, 72andSunny to produce the Baldwin TV spots. Hosfield said that even though SOW missed their window of opportunity with ESPN and the Baldwin spots, he believes there are more future opportunities to get the SOW message out. He further stated: “We’ve barely scratched the surface of the viral realm. We’re just getting started. We’ve got a hell of a story yet to tell. Who knows, maybe even Billy Baldwin will do something else for us.”
The Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the reinstatement of wrestling as a varsity sport at the University of Oregon.

For more information about SOW or their continuing efforts, go to saveoregonwrestling.com.

Digg This Post

Jay, here.

Have you ever been cut from a sports team? Dumped by your girlfriend? Let go from a job? Have you?

Well, all three have happened to me. While all, or none, of those things may have happened to you, I’m sure you’ve experienced some variation of a “break-up” (fired, divorced, separated, etc.). For me, there was something much better down the road. I just didn’t know it at the time. However, that’s not the point right now.

When you’re going through the experience of a break-up, it’s rarely a case of…snap…it’s over. Although, it might feel like it at the time. After reflecting on what was really going on, there probably were signs. You just may not have seen them. But they were there. You didn’t hustle enough. You spent too much time with your friends. You missed your sales projections. We’ve all been there.

Now imagine going through a break-up for almost year, but expected to perform as you should have all along and as though it’s not really happening. I doubt many of us have been there before.

There is a group of athletes at Oregon who are going through that right now: the University of Oregon wrestling team. They are the toughest athletes on campus. No doubt. And it’s not because I think wrestling is the toughest or most difficult sport. I don’t know. It might be. But the reason they are Oregon’s toughest athletes is because they have been put in the toughest position: performing as if the program wasn’t getting shuttered. And, it is. If you don’t think it’s getting shutdown, you’re still at Stage 1 of the Kübler-Ross model: denial. So, you need to catch up with everyone else at about Stage 3 or 4.

Honestly, I’m fairly indifferent to the plight of the wrestling team. And, unfortunately for the wrestling team, most Duck fans I’ve talked to feel the same way. What I’m not indifferent to, however, is the position these athletes have been put in by a combination of circumstances I don’t fully understand. The sport these kids love is being taken away from them at the school they used to love. I feel bad for them. And I think most Duck fans feel that way, too.

Last night at the UO-ASU basketball game, the 2007 University of Oregon football team was honored at half-time. And Duck fans made their feelings about them pretty clear with a good round of applause. Shouldn’t the end of the wrestling program, and its athletes, meet the same round of applause from Duck fans Saturday night at half-time of the UO-Arizona basketball game as the football team received? I think it should.

I know accepting such an invitation from the Athletic Department for that kind of recognition would probably signal a concession by the wrestling program that they have moved on Stage 5 of the Kübler-Ross model: acceptance. Considering they are wrestlers, I doubt they would ever want the Athletic Department to pin them down so publicly. But they do have Oregon’s toughest athletes pinned down and the three-count is over.

Wrestlers, I know your cheerleader girlfriend has dumped you for a boy of summer. And I know that recognizing your work at half-time would kind of be like going to a party for you thrown by your ex-girlfriend. But if you were invited to the party, Mr. Finley, Mr. Kearney, and wrestlers, would you accept the invitation or not?

So, I got cut, dumped, and laid off. Yep. Cut? After my knees were cut on four times in high school (two more after high school), sports simply weren’t going to be my thing. Dumped? Met and married the girl of my dreams. Laid off? From a job that was holding me back from pursuing my dreams.

Breaking up is hard to do. And there is a Stage 6. But that all depends on how you exit Stage 5.

Duckscussion: Should the wrestling program be honored at halftime of the Oregon-Arizona basketball game? If you were a wrestler, would you want to be recognized in such a way?

Digg This Post

Jay, here.

Man, I thought I had stepped into yesterday.

My wife and I were walking to the Oregon-Washington State Men’s Basketball game this evening and I could have sworn I was hallucinating. Considering I’m not a huge fan of mescaline or LSD, I knew there had to be some explanation for what I was seeing drive away from Mac Court on University Street.

And what I saw made me wonder if it was 2008, or 1968.

Were my eyes playing a joke on me? Or did I just see Ken Kesey’s Further bus?

“Give Peace A Chance.”

It was indeed the Further bus, but there were no merry pranksters there. Instead, the “Save Wrestling” campaign had a great notion to protest the termination of the Unversity of Oregon’s Wrestling program in front of Mac Court prior to the Oregon-Washington State game.

“Hey, hey…Ho, ho…Wrestling does not have to go!”

I know wrestling supporters want a further inquiry into the reason for the cancellation of the the program. But I don’t think they’re going to get it. Unfortunately for wrestling, I think this is the last go round.

I will say this, though, I love the out-of-the-Demon-Box thinking.

Wrestling ‘07-’08: A Strange and Terrible Saga

On a night that saw one Oregon team lose, I think another Oregon team won. But I’m afraid it’s only for a night. Too soon the Wrestling program will wish that it was 1968, instead of 2008, with another forty good years ahead of them.

Digg This Post