Autzen Stadium and Hayward Field: The Two Faces of Eugene

Autzen Stadium and Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon are the respective homes of the University of Oregon football and track and field teams.

They stand as icons in their culture, on opposite sides of the meandering Willamette River.

Separated by less than a mile geographically, they are as distant in manner as the seven seas.

Like Genghis Khan and Mahatma Gandhi, equally passionate in their pursuits, they achieve their results through vastly different means.

Autzen is consistently ranked in the top five "most hostile environments" in college football due to an aggressive, vocal, and merciless home crowd. Quite a reputation for a stadium that seats just under 60,000 (small by national standards).

Khan would be proud.

Across the river, Hayward has long been revered as the "Carnegie Hall" of track and field venues, with its cultured clientele who might be whisper-quiet one moment or loud as thunder the next, depending on the situation. With the legendary Hayward mystique always working its magic, there is no need for abusive insults or random threats of violence.

Gandhi surely smiles.

Fueled by booze, Oregon pride, and the sounds of hard physical contact, the sea of green and yellow at Autzen laps at the edges of mayhem while holstered Berettas, badges, and batons, out of necessity, give a constant visual reminder to maintain a semblance of order. The nature of the sport is reflected in the behavior of the crowd.

In the more dignified confines of Hayward, Earth2O or lattes are the order of the day. Volunteers in polo shirts, shorts, and Nikes direct foot traffic and ensure security. In spite of the home field advantage at Hayward, Oregon opponents actually look forward to competing there. They understand an exceptional performance, regardless of team colors, just might incite that latent Hayward energy to explode on their behalf.

The raw, biased brutality of the frenzied Autzen hordes.

The refined civility of the track-savvy Hayward crowd.

Such wild mood swings in any other scenario might be cause for alarm. But in tiny Eugene, somehow it works.

Perhaps as striking as the contrasting behaviors is the phenomenon that these two venues, each in its own peculiar way, have put this town of less than 150,000 on the world map.

A reserved seat ticket package at Autzen is now a very hot item—and historically, a championship track meet at Hayward has been (and still is) a preferred worldwide destination. Both facilities are legitimate bucket-list candidates.

If Eugene isn't crazy enough already, a brand new basketball facility is rising on a tract between Autzen and Hayward. Matthew Knight Arena will replace the old MacArthur Court, another very tough place for visiting teams.

Knight Arena will keep the intimate wraparound feel of Mac Court, which was known for its basket-rattling student section and high-decibel acoustics—especially during opponents' free throws.

If Oregon's basketball program ever gets to the level of national prominence, Knight Arena might become yet another face in Eugene's complex identity crisis.

Here's the scary part: many of Eugene's fine citizens are known to frequent all three venues.

Therapy, anyone?