The front page of SI.com today featured a lengthy story on University of Oregon alumnus Phil Knight and called him the "most powerful booster in America."
And although most sports fans in the state of Oregon have some idea of how powerful and involved Knight is in Oregon athletics, this is a very interesting read.
And although most sports fans in the state of Oregon have some idea of how powerful and involved Knight is in Oregon athletics, this is a very interesting read.
You need to read the article when you get a minute, if you haven't seen it already. It covers pretty much every aspect of Knight's university dominance, and we don't have any exclusive insights of our own, so we'll just give you some of the highlights that stood out to us:
- On game days, Knight has his own headset, so that he can listen to the play calling. The rumor out there is that, if he wants to, he gets to actually call one play per game. That rumor hasn't been confirmed as of yet.
- Knight has a pretty good idea of how to draw up the plays himself, since Oregon has been known to send the coaches into Knight's office during the season and teach him the playbook, as if he was a player.
- There is someone who's job it is to inform Phil Knight whenever they receive a new commitment from a recruit. He's also usually a fixture in the football offices on National Signing Day.
- Oregon is building a new academic-support building, and they're spending $28 million dollars more on it than Michigan or Miami are spending to build the same type of facility. That's dedication.
- "The Ducks are his franchise -- the fact that they play college sports, instead of pro sports, is a mere technicality."
Knight's influence on Oregon is so great that calling him a booster is like calling the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a concerned citizen. Without Knight, Oregon would be thrilled to go to the Holiday Bowl. Without Knight, Oregon would be asking for money instead of printing it.
Without Knight, Oregon would be ... (gasp!) Oregon State.
We think Phil Knight is great for the sports world in Oregon. To say that the Ducks athletic programs wouldn't be where they are currently without him, would be an understatement, especially the football program. It would be even more amazing if he would give a little more of his fortune to Oregon State and then the state of Oregon could have two elite football programs! Now that could be really fun. (My dad's a die-hard Beaver fan, what can I say?)
[ SI.com - Nike's Phil Knight has branded Oregon into national power ]
