Quarterback Marcus Mariota headlines an impressive Oregon Ducks Hall of Fame class
This was the no-brainer of all no-brainers.
As soon as he was eligible, the University of Oregon inducted quarterback Marcus Mariota into the Athletics Hall of Fame. The former signal caller headlines an impressive class that includes a Bowerman Award winner, an Olympic medalist, a Rimington Trophy finalist and nine NCAA championships.
Along Mariota will be javelin thrower Sam Crouser, lineman Hroniss Grasu, track star Jenna Prandini, softball player Janie (Takeda) Reed and the 2011-14 women's indoor track and field teams.
"The 2025 Hall of Fame Class for Oregon Athletics is truly exceptional, including a Heisman Trophy winner, a Bowerman Award recipient, an Olympic medalist, and multiple NCAA team and individual national champions," said Ducks Athletic Director Rob Mullens. "The excellence achieved by all inductees places them among the very elite in the storied history of Oregon Athletics, and we look forward to honoring them and their remarkable achievements this fall as they take their well-deserved place in the Hall of Fame."
One might think these inductees should already be in the Oregon Hall of Fame, given their accolades, and each has a strong case to be in the HOF as soon as they left Oregon, especially Mariota. However, there is a minimum 10-year rule that must be met once they leave Oregon to be eligible.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
While the others are great Ducks and each deserves a Hall of Fame nod, make no mistake about it, Mariota is the star attraction here. He won the first and so far only Heisman Trophy for Oregon football. He's the most decorated football player in school history with 36 wins, more than any of his contemporaries in three seasons, while breaking numerous school and conference records.
Not only did Mariota capture the Heisman, he was also the Player of the Year by the Associated Press, the winner of the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and the Maxwell Award. Mariota was the Pac-12's first three-time all-conference first-team quarterback and finished his career with the school and league record for total offense (13,033), as well as the University's all-time standards for passing yards (10,796), passing touchdowns (105), 300-yard passing games (17), completions (779), attempts (1,167), completion percentage (.668), and starts (41).
It's only fitting that the guy who snapped the ball to Mariota for a lot of those games should also be in the Oregon Hall of Fame himself. But Grasu was much more than Mariota's center. He was a four-year starter on teams that won the Rose Bowl twice and the Fiesta Bowl once, and played for the CFP National Championship. Grasu earned first-team All-America honors as both a junior and a senior when he was also a two-time finalist for the Rimington Trophy given to the nation's top center. Grasu received First Team All-America honors from SI.com and SB Nation in 2013 on a team that defeated Texas, 30-7, in the Alamo Bowl and ranked second nationally in total offense (565.0 ypg) and fourth in scoring (45.5 ppg).
Grasu's senior season was one of the best in program history. The Ducks won the Pac-12 title by defeating Arizona, 51-13, in the league championship game and routed Florida State, 59-20, in the CFP National Semifinal at the Rose Bowl before falling to Ohio State in the championship game. Named First Team All-America by The Sporting News and SI.com and Second Team by the Associated Press.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Third-best season ever': Over 6.5 million skiers visited Utah's resorts during the season
SALT LAKE CITY () — 'Greatest snow on Earth,' Utah's long-running slogan, is proving itself true after another successful season at Utah's ski resorts. According to Ski Utah, this last season was the third-best in state history. There are 15 ski resorts across Utah, and together they recorded 6,503,635 visitors during the 2024-25 season, which has just wrapped up. According to a press release from Ski Utah, this is the third-highest number of skier visits in state history. This season's skier visits were down 3.6% from last year, the press release says, but the more than 6.5 million visitors this year show a 3.3% increase over Utah's five-year average. Utah's economy benefits greatly from recreation at the ski resorts. Ski Utah's president and CEO, Nathan Rafferty, emphasized skiing's impact on Utah. EXCLUSIVE: Utah man who underwent 120 surgeries advocates for rare disease awareness in Washington, D.C. 'To hit our third-best season ever and generate $2.51 billion for Utah's economy is a major win,' Rafferty is quoted in the release. 'The ski industry in Utah supports approximately 25,000 jobs, and with the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on the horizon, the eyes of the world will be on us once again. We're excited about the opportunities ahead and grateful to all who helped make this season a success.' Ski Utah says that ski resorts are already hard at work to prepare for the upcoming 2034 Winter Olympics. In the next two years alone, 13 new lifts are expected to finish construction and open, and many resorts are planning upgrades to their mountain areas. 'Utah's future as a global winter destination remains as promising as ever,' Ski Utah concluded. Arizona man drowns along San Juan River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Charges for trespassing on border military zones 'not going away' Former Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon Hall dies at 98 Two women charged with felonies after late-night assault in Logan, charges say Death penalty expert weighs in on Menzies competency ruling and appeal Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
LPGA Hall of Famer calls for more to speak out against trans athletes in girls sports
LPGA Hall of Famer calls for more to speak out against trans athletes in girls sports Betsy King grew up on 30 acres of land in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she honed a golf swing that would eventually land her in the LPGA and World Golf halls of fame. But golf wasn't her only passion. When older brother Lee left the house, mom often said, 'Take your sister.' And that's how King wound up playing baseball, basketball, hockey and, in elementary school, and tackle football with the neighborhood boys. Those memories come flooding back when King, a six-time major winner, sees biological males competing against females across the country. 'You know, when I was playing with the boys,' said King, 'I mean, it definitely helped my competitiveness to play then against other girls. But I was just trying to play well enough that that they would let me play. Obviously, even at that age, there was a physical difference.' Last week, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles made headlines when she called NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines a 'bully' and 'sore loser' for her criticism of biological boys competing in women's sports – in this particular instance, a high school state championship. Four days later, Biles apologized for her comments. 'In my mind, all I could think about is if a transgender woman started competing in what she (Biles) does, I think they could dominate,' said King, 'without a doubt.' Last December, the LPGA and U.S. Golf Association announced changes to their transgender policies that prohibit athletes who have experienced male puberty from competing in women's events. The move came as transgender golfer Hailey Davidson earned status on the LPGA's developmental Epson Tour. Sources say only a handful of LPGA players were in favor of allowing transgender athletes to compete. Even so, for King, the fight is far from over. Now she'd like to see a federal law put into place that would restrict the participation of biological males in female sports. In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that called on the government to "rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities." But that hasn't kept it from happening at high school competitions across the country. President Trump said last week that California would face large-scale fines after a transgender athlete won two medals in the state's track and field championship. 'I just feel badly for the high school girls that have to face it,' said King. 'You know, I've seen a couple of them on TV talking about it. And it really bothers me that the adults haven't stood up for these girls as much as they should.' As for the LPGA's new policy, King would like to see the tour return to a female-at-birth mandate, calling the trend of childhood transitions frightening. "I don't know that at 7 years old, if you really know what you are, who you are, or know what you want to do, to make a decision that will impact you the rest of your life," said King. "We don't listen to many 7-year-olds about a lot of things, right? That you would decide to listen to them about this is kind of frightening." A New York Times/Ipsos survey released in January 2025 found that 79 percent of Americans polled were against allowing biological males who identify as women to participate in women's sports. And yet, so few Hall of Fame-caliber female athletes have come out publicly against it. King, 69, posts frequently about the topic on social media and was especially disheartened recently when, during a floor debate on the Save Women's Sports Act, Pennsylvania state senator Lindsey Williams said, 'I want all girls to know that there are elected officials like me who believe female bodies are just as strong and fast and capable as male bodies.' King said she found Williams' comments to be ridiculous and went searching to confirm they weren't a parody. Five years ago, tennis icon Billie Jean King joined World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe, the WNBA's Candace Parker and nearly 200 athletes in supporting transgender youth participation in sports as part of a response to Idaho legislation that banned trans girls from competing in schools. 'There is no place in any sport for discrimination of any kind,' Billie Jean King said in a Women's Sports Foundation release. 'I'm proud to support all transgender athletes who simply want the access and opportunity to compete in the sport they love. The global athletic community grows stronger when we welcome and champion all athletes – including LGBTQI+ athletes.' Another tennis icon, Martina Navratilova, however, sees it differently than Billie Jean and has been vocal about the subject for years. She's one of the few decorated female athletes to do so. Growing up, Betsy King didn't have the same opportunities as her brother to play organized sports. As a three-sport athlete at Furman, King recalled going to the president's office each year with other female athletes to ask for more money. Female athletes stood up more back then, she noted, out of necessity. Some in King's circle and beyond have commented that there are more pressing issues currently facing the country. Her response: It's possible to be concerned about more than one subject. For example, in September, she'll head back to Africa for the umpteenth time (26th or 27th, she's not sure) to check in on some schools her Arizona church funds in Tanzania. After winning 34 times on the LPGA, King launched her Golf Fore Africa foundation in 2007 and raised roughly $20 million for World Vision, enough to fund 400 wells, at least 50 mechanized water systems and eight maternity wings for local hospitals. Though her work with the foundation has come to an end, she's finding more ways to use her platform. 'You know, I have nothing to lose,' said King on the divisive gender topic. 'I don't have any sponsorships at this stage. I've always been kind of outspoken and strong about values that I think even if I were playing, I would speak up.' Her mother, Helen Szymkowicz King, graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1940 and was elected into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame as a three-sport athlete. King looks at how much the landscape has changed for women's sports in recent decades and views the transgender debate as a step backward. 'Many of us fought for places to compete when none existed,' King said. 'We cannot surrender our sports or our spaces.' Put another way by one of golf's most decorated American players: It's simply not fair.
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Female athletes appeal landmark NCAA settlement, claiming it violates Title IX
Eight female athletes filed an appeal Wednesday of a landmark NCAA antitrust settlement, arguing that women would not receive their fair share of $2.7 billion in back pay for athletes who were barred from making money off their name, image and likeness. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the settlement last week, clearing the way for direct payments from universities to athletes and the end of the NCAA's amateurism model. The athletes who appealed the settlement competed in soccer, volleyball and track. They are: Kacie Breeding of Vanderbilt; Lexi Drumm, Emma Appleman, Emmie Wannemacher, Riley Hass, Savannah Baron and Elizabeth Arnold of the College of Charleston; and Kate Johnson of Virginia. They have standing to appeal because they previously filed objections to the proposed settlement. Ashlyn Hare, one of the attorneys representing the athletes, said in a statement that the settlement violates Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in education. "We support a settlement of the case, but not an inaccurate one that violates federal law. The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion," Hare said. "Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women's sports." The House settlement figures to financially benefit football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, who are likely to receive a big chunk of the $20.5 million per year that colleges are permitted to share with athletes over the next year. Some athletes in other sports that don't make money for their schools could lose their partial scholarships or see their roster spots cut. "This is a football and basketball damages settlement with no real benefit to female athletes," Hare said. "Congress has expressly rejected efforts to exempt revenue-generating sports like football and basketball from Title IX's antidiscrimination mandate. The NCAA agreed with us. Our argument on appeal is the exact same argument the conferences and NCAA made prior to settling the case." The appeal was filed by the law firm Hutchinson Black and Cook of Boulder, Colorado, and was first reported by Front Office Sports. It would be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience NCAA Women's Soccer NCAA Women's Volleyball NCAA Women's Track and Field recommended Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
