4/13/2008

Track and field is often thought of as a sport of numbers and times; performance charts and qualifying standards. “Chasing the mark.”

Yet the sport’s heritage is very much about wins and losses. Running faster, jumping higher, throwing farther than your opponent regardless the mark. For spectators and competitors alike, there is nothing more satisfying than a definitive result that produces a clear-cut winner.

And Saturday at Historic Hayward Field, that tradition begins anew with the return of the Oregon-UCLA dual meet. These two athletic powers have met in 14 previous dual meets, with the Bruins holding a 10-4 series edge. The first dual meet was held in 1966, and the most recent came in 1985.

Some of Oregon’s most memorable moments have come during epic duals versus UCLA. It would be remiss not to mention Oregon’s 85-78 win in 1983 that snapped the Bruins’ 34 dual meet winning streak. But five years prior to that in 1978, after nine previous duals went in favor of the Blue and Gold, the Ducks finally broke through in dramatic fashion.

“The day track came back at Oregon.”

Defeating UCLA in a dual meet was an accomplishment that had eluded the likes of Bill Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine, not to mention countless other Duck lettermen.

But on April 8, 1978, led by gutsy performances from Don Coleman in the 100 and 200 meters and a surprising victory by Jon Ogard in the high jump, Oregon beat UCLA for the first time, 83-71 in front of more than 6,000 excited fans at Hayward Field...

To read the rest of this story, purchase a program ($2) at Saturday's Oregon-UCLA dual meet at Historic Hayward Field. The meet starts at 12:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, click on the link to the right.

Oregon-UCLA Dual Meet Tickets