UO is especially known for its wide range of athletics. In addition to traditional American football, the UO is also represented in other sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf or track and field and more. The young athletes belong to the PAC-12 Conference, a collegiate sports league where the Ducks compete against Stanford, UCLA or USC, among others. The biggest supporter of the sport and UO in general is Bill Knight, the co-founder of Nike and a UO alumni. His sponsorships range from Nike athletic apparel for all teams to a new basketball stadium, Matthew Knight Arena, named for Knight’s deceased son. On this website you will find all the information about the athletes and their competitions. Maybe you can come watch a game and cheer on the teams! GO DUCKS! 

But how did the Oregon Ducks get their name and why does their mascot look so much like a world-famous cartoon duck? In fact, the Ducks were named after Donald Duck and none other than Walt Disney’s sailor duck adorns Ducks logos to this day. The Ducks were known by the nickname Webfoots until the 1920s. Early journalists bestowed the team with the nickname Ducks after live ducks were repeatedly used as live mascots for the games. However, the nickname only became official when Walt Disney personally approved the use of Donald Ducks as the team’s mascot with a handshake. So even with the somewhat modified logos of recent years, you can still recognize the famous duck from Disneyland!