Oregon Ducks Football: 5 Reasons to Hate the Huskies

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The Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies are set to square off in two days in what will be the final game in Husky Stadium. The great rivalry between the Ducks and Huskies goes back 111 years, and many Ducks fans consider the Huskies to be their biggest rival.

While there are many reasons to hate Washington, here are five reasons to consider. If you’re a Ducks fan, you probably know the exact moment you realized you hated the Huskies.

For another good read, try this article.

1948

Many believe that the event that occurred in 1948 is what started this bitter rivalry. The Ducks were tied with California for the PCC (Pacific Coast Conference) title, and the tiebreaker was to be a vote between the conference members.

The four California schools (Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, USC) all voted in favor of Cal Berkeley, and it was assumed that the Ducks would have the rest of the conference’s support. The University of Washington decided to vote for California instead, and convinced the University of Montana to vote with them.

Cal won the right to play in the Rose Bowl, and a bitter rivalry was born.

2002, Washington Dancing on the Field at Autzen

This is my moment when I realized I hated everything that the University of Washington represented. After the Ducks were crushed 42-14, the Huskies, led by coach Rick Neuheisel, danced on the "O" in the center of Autzen for thirty minutes following the game.

It’s bad enough losing. It’s bad enough losing at home. Heck, it’s terrible losing to your rival.

When you combine all of those it makes it unbearable. The Huskies adding insult to injury put that moment over the top and forever changed my view of the Huskies.

Rick Neuheisel

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Speaking of Rick Neuheisel, let’s go a little deeper into that story. After a fake punt in the 1996 Cotton Bowl (Colorado vs. Oregon) with a commanding lead, Neuheisel became the center of Duck hatred.

What made him even more hated was he then went to coach at the University of Washington, a long-time rival who had consistently dominated the Ducks. Neuheisel taunted the Ducks in 2002 (previous slide), then followed it the next season by dancing on the "W" in Seattle.

The hiring of the most hated person in the program sparked the rivalry and reminded the Ducks why they hate those neighbors to the North. Ducks fans never forget.

Nate Robinson in 2005 (Basketball)

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

This was the second moment that reconfirmed my hatred of the Huskies.

The Ducks went up to Seattle to take on a good Huskies basketball team (quite the change from years prior). The Ducks played a close game, but ultimately fell just short of pulling out the big win.

As time was winding down, an arrogant Nate Robinson cruised down the court with an emphatic dunk to close out the game. The Huskies' student section erupted, and a fight between Oregon and Washington players nearly occurred.

For a deep look into it, read this.

Tackling of Larry Hill

This one goes way back in history. The Ducks were marching the ball down the field for a go-ahead score when Washington fans tackled Hill as he was attempting to catch the game-winning score; a sign of no class and unsportsmanlike conduct that puts a distaste in my mouth to this day. While I wasn’t around to see it live, I’ve heard about it from older Ducks fans.