A road trip to The Pit
Honestly, it was a rare opportunity. A last look at a place where I enjoyed many an enjoyable game throughout my life, from my time as a student at the University of Oregon (wow — the Ducks hold the ball on Lew Alcindor and almost beat the Bruins)… to Dick Harter’s Ronnie Lee teams… to covering the old Class AA state basketball tournament and players like Melvin “The Elevator” Lentz. So many fun times.
Rob Closs was kind enough to share one of his season tickets with me and also do all the driving. I couldn’t lose. Along the way we stopped for a tour of almost-finished PK Park (I mean, double wow — the city of Portland can’t get that done but the Ducks do, and in the Autzen parking lot. It’s going to be an incredible ballpark, folks.) And we cruised past the under-construction new arena, Pre’s Rock and a few other Eugene sights before watching the Ducks pull out an overtime win over UCLA.
Thanks to Rob, the night couldn’t have gone any better. A few observations from a memorable evening:
– I settled into my Mac Court seat and watched the arena filling up as players got ready. I couldn’t help but think, “Why?” Why do they have to leave this place? It’s been around long enough now it’s past the point of complaining about and become a piece of memorabilia. You know what I mean. An old baseball uniform can be pretty disgusting unless it happened to once be worn by Babe Ruth. This joint they call The Pit — man, it’s seen some great players, great games and memorable moments.
And beyond that, it’s just flat-out a great place to watch a game. All those balconies hanging over the court give you a feeling like an old opera house. Fans are right on top of the action. I cannot believe someone isn’t still building arenas like this. It’s unique. The only thing worse than leaving it is tearing it down. What a loss it will be — one of the great college sports venues ANYWHERE.
If you’ve never been there, or if it’s been a while, you really owe it to yourself to get down there before the season ends. Most of the games are NOT sold out, so really — don’t miss this chance to sample the atmosphere one final time.
– That said, I understand why this is happening. Times change and so does everything else if it wants to survive and prosper. And this campus is alive with new construction. For someone who hasn’t been there in a while, it was a real eye-opener. Man, the place where I spent two years goofing off in classes has really changed.
– I love the fact the Ducks are honoring players and coaches from opposing teams as well as the ones from their own school. Bill Walton was there Thursday night and was his usual hilarious self in a reception prior to the game. He’s a real beauty, a natural comedian with great timing and some wisdom, too. When I told him I was now doing radio in the mornings and had been around long enough my young cohorts were now calling me “The Godfather,” he looked at me with horror and invoked the names of two newspapermen who covered his career with the Trail Blazers.
“You’re not the Godfather. That would be Kenny Wheeler… or Bob Robinson!” he thundered. I love the guy. May God bless you with perfect health the rest of your life, Bill.
– The Ducks actually looked pretty good in this game. But on the other hand, the Bruins were pretty bad. I haven’t been around as long as Mac Court, but I can tell you that’s perhaps the worst UCLA team I’ve ever seen and certainly the one with the least amount of talent on it. And fewest athletes. What’s going on down there?
On the other hand, what’s going on in the entire conference? Ugh. Are we looking for that conference to get just one NCAA bid? And not even deserving that one?
– I met a ton of very nice people, saw some people I hadn’t chatted with in years and it all made for a wonderful evening. Thanks again, Rob! And I have to say it one last time, I’m really going to miss that old barn.
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College basketball, Oregon Ducks, basketball | Dwight Jaynes | January 29, 2010
Bill Walton, Dwght Jaynes, Mac Court, Oregon Ducks, Rob Closs, The Pit, UCLA Bruins
lol at walton. great story.
Nikola Dragovic has talent… that guy can ball.
Great point about the “vertical” seating at mac court.
Mac is a cool court I was down there for the Civil War and it was quite a treat. It is too bad they aren’t going to leave the thing up for High School tournaments and what not. With the narrow hall ways and wood framing it probably is quite the fire trap though (thankfully/hopefully we will never know though). Your right though Dwight they don’t build them like they used to.
Mac Court is cool and all. BUT, there are way too many obstructed view seats. If you are on the 3rd deck, you’d better be in the front row if you want to see anything. Otherwise, you won’t see the scoreboard, you won’t see the ball go in the basket, heck, you won’t even see much of the game! What you end up seeing is a very limited, horizontal sliver of the action. 2nd deck isn’t much better. I’d like to see them turn it into a University of Oregon sports museum–they could leave it pretty much intact, with displays arrayed around the floor. Maybe not too practical, but I can’t imagine a more historic museum for sports.
Heard you on the MSP talking about this and the question of “where would Walton be in the pantheon of great NBA players if he had been healthy his entire career?” – tried to call in on that, but just want to opine I think he would be in the top 5 of ALL TIME.
So sad his body was so frail as, in his prime, he was amazing. I swear he had eyes in the back of his head – he’d soar up for a rebound and make the outlet pass to someone so far behind him you were sure there was no way he could see him….but he would, leading to a screaming fast break and easy basket at the other end.
Mac court is great unless you are sitting behind a post. There are some seats where you literally have tilt one way or the other to see the court.
I have to agree with Dwight that I have never been in a better forum for basketball. You look right down on the players! The seating capacity is limited, but given the way the Ducks have been playing lately, getting a seat should not be a problem…
Recent UO grad here (2007) – Mac Court is great. Beautiful place to attend a college game with all the students and even the older fans seem to get pretty loud. I heard the stories about when the baskets used to shake when the visiting teams would shoot free throws. The magic is still there, but man, it feels a lot like the Memorial Coliseum to me. I’m not saying Matt Court is necessary, but the bathrooms, concessions, and since you got to sit in good seats, you haven’t had half the court blocked. It’s time to go, and I wish they could renovate the stadium as it has so much tradition and excitement.
We needed a new basketball stadium as much as we needed the Autzen Expansion. I will attend one more game there and get that feeling one more time (if the Ducks come to play) but it’s time to go.
Dwight any comments about the Pit Crew?
I have my own favorite memory of Mac Court. I was in the basketball band so got to see a lot of games up close. About 1963 UCLA came for its annual visit. In those days of Coach John Wooden, the UCLA players were all Gods and they received a lot of wonder and admiration from the packed house. It was customary to introduce the players before the game and as each one’s name was called he would jog to the middle of the court and stand there while the audience applauded politely. SO they come to UCLA’s forward, Keith Erickson, who had played on the US Olympic team, etc. He hops up from the bench, takes about three long strides toward center court, and proceeds to cross his ankles and fall flat on his face in front of 11,000 fans. The laughter stopped after about two minutes. SO much for the vaunted Bruins!
Dwight,
Headed down with my son tomorrow(his first and last trip to Mac Court) for all the reasons you described in your write up. It is an incredible place. Understandable that they are replacing it but tough to imagine at the same time.
Your write up nails it. I might close my eyes and think of Luke Jackson going baseline, hair a flying, and dunking on Iguadala one more time before I walk out the door.
Steve
Yeah, there are many neat things about Mac Court (mostly nostalgic in nature) but I won’t miss it. It is inadequate, unsafe and, frankly, it smells.
Except for the seating arrangement, it is nothing special. The outside is as plain as it could be and the inside is falling apart, cramped and the seats seem to be made for kids. I don’t see why it should be saved at all. The architecture is not unique. It should be torn down and the space should be used for an indoor track facility. Like Civic Stadium, just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it has any value.
It’s hard to imagine Oregon without Mac Court. I have many fond memories of the place, both as a spectator and as an athlete. From climbing the ropes that Harter had installed, to running sprints and hauling teammates up and down its wooden stairways. Our team room was pretty much dead center under the court, and you could feel the games happening above. I walked into that place pretty much everyday for several years. I got to see a lot of cool stuff there besides games, like sound checks before concerts. I got to hang out with Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers as they took Chic through their warm ups. Bands often set up their hospitality suite in our crappy locker room. Jackson Browne once asked me to direct him to the bathroom, and was stunned to see how primitive that set up was. Once when the circus came to town I found myself alone in the darkened court next to the small cages on wheels that held lions and tigers. I’ve heard a tiger roar in that empty gym. I even saw Elvis there. Not to mention, witnessing the baskets bounce and the scoreboard sway, and some of Wooden’s UCLA teams go down. I miss seeing a couple hundred frisbees flying back and forth across the expanse from the balconies while the pep band played before games. There is no atmosphere like The Pit. The place is simultaneously a palace and a total dump. It will be missed.
I watched Bill Clinton deliver a campaign speech at Mac Court during the fall of my junior year at Oregon, I believe as part of Bill Bradbury’s ill-fated run against Gordon Smith for Senate. The energy in the place was incredible: the combination of the intimacy of the venue and the quality of the speaker (and I mean that in terms of oratorical skills, without any commentary on Pres. Clinton’s politics or personal foibles) made it among the more memorable moments of my four years at U of O. I understand the march of progress, but I’ll miss the ol’ barn.
If the young Memorial Coliseum is a historic marvel, then what is Mac Court? I am a Beaver but Mac Court is special. Much more historic looking and feeling than Mem Col or Gill Col. I attended a few HS state tourmanents there, plus a Beaver game or three. and even a Duck game or two when we lived in Eugene. I never saw any BB games to match the excitment of Mac Court. even if you had to look around a post.
Even Gill Coliseum more historic than Mem Col.
And sure agree about baseball stadium they buit when Portland Metro area can not find a way. We went to a few Ems games when we lived in Eugene, they were AAA then, geat fun.
Nice story Dwight.
But I won’t be all that sorry to see Mac go. Like you, I spent a lot of time there over the years — my college years went from 75 to 79, the heyday.
When I was young it was easy to overlook the deficiencies at Mac. Now that I’m a fat old bastard (6’1, 230), I can’t give it a pass for sentimentality’s sake.
The fact is that Mac is GREAT — if you’re at floor level, either in the student section or the donor seats or behind the benches. Anywhere else, you fall victim to the limitations of an 80 year old design, molded wooden seats that look like they came out of Miss Grundy’s one-room schoolhouse, no legroom, no armroom, and no possibility of actually *leaving* your seat to take a leak without severely pissing off everyone in your row between you and the aisles.
I doubt that the seats Rob shared with you were in the nosebleed zone. I’ve never had the luxury of sitting in the Nice Seats at floor level; as a non-student I can’t sit on the bleachers.
I had tickets to the UCLA game too. Like you, I got mine from a friend. But mine were in section 214. I wouldn’t pay $38 each for these seats voluntarily. With the new arena, they at least have a chance to lure guys like me (and our spouses) back to the games.
I agree Mac Court should be replaced. My point was why is Memorial Coliseum a hist landmark worth saving and Mac Court is not.
maybe they could call it mactown and put all sorts of cute things in it.
Would think Phil Knight would rather it be a Knight Hist Center than Mem Col.
Im heading to a game at MAC court on Feb. 20th
U of O in the next year will have top 10 or better sport venues for: football, basketball, Track & baseball: Autzen, PK Park, Hayward Field, Matthew Knight Area. Very impressive effort by the University and boosters to have the vision and support to get it done. I would not be surprised to see Autzen renovate the N. Side to complete the renovation. Portland, we need a baseball park! Please!!
Hear hear. The rich guy buys both teams so he can sacrifice the baseball team in favor of the soccer team? Ridiculous. It would make more sense if we left the baseball stadium as is, especially since that’s why we renovated it before he got here – then, let him use his dad’s money to build a new soccer stadium in Wilsonville.