Ducks On The Field
Notable Players In History
An NFL Hall of Fame QB(Dan The Man)
Fouts is one of the greatest QB’s to ever play at Oregon. Back when he played for Oregon the conference was called the All-PAC 8. He set 19 different passing records during his playing days in Eugene. He holds the record for both passing yards & total offense. Fouts was inducted into the the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1992.
Numbers that led San Diego into believing he was the man to be their future QB. This turned out to be a very smart determination by the Chargers. One of the greatest passers in NFL history. He was the passing yardage leader four different times in his NFL career. A QB with 6 Pro Bowl selections. An NFL career that led him into a select group(Hall of Fame) of players. This player would be Dan Fouts.
Gary Zimmerman
A first class offensive lineman while in Eugene. A player that didn’t take the accustomed route to the next level. Playing instead for a couple years in a smaller league(USFL) than the NFL. His time there was well worth the effort. 12 years later & a couple different NFL teams you have a guy that ended up being voted into Canton, Ohio amongst elite best NFL players in history.
In 1986, Zimmerman joined the Vikings. He spent 7 seasons in Minnesota. His next & final NFL stop was in Denver. He played a total of 5 seasons there giving him a total of 12 seasons in the NFL.Over those 12 NFL years, he played in a total of 184 games. He retired from the NFL in 1997. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He joins five other former USFL players as a group to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A Football & Track Guy
A talented running back & a ball hawk on defense too at Oregon. He was also a fast guy too. The Ducks had him as a part of their world record relay team in 1962. His skills at running back garnered him All-American status. He scored just over 140 points during his tenure at Oregon. His stats led him into the College football Hall of Fame century ago.
He averaged better than 4 interceptions per season during his NFL days. First 10 seasons & 10 Pro Bowl selections. He walked away from the game as most players would wish. That was after winning the Super Bowl in 1978.
A QB Disappointment
Akili Smith is a former 1st round NFL draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals. However, his NFL career didn’t turn out as expected. During his 4 years with the Bengals, Smith never really lived up to his draft status. His NFL time came to an end after the 2005 season.
A Duck Running Back To A Panther Paw
A player taken in the top 15(13th overall) of the NFL Draft back in 2008. Taken by a team located near Tar Heel country. A high school star & well sought after player by many schools. Three very solid season at Oregon before declaring for the next level. He is a present running back for the Panthers & starting to show promise at his position. This is Jonathan Stewart.