The Oregon Ducks, My Father-in-Law and Becoming a Better Man

Truth be told, the first time I met my (then-future) Father-In-Law, I thought he was kind of a jerk. At the time, he didn't even know I was dating his daughter, but I was prompted by my future wife, Lisa, to strike up a conversation with him. 

"He likes golf," she said, "Talk about that." So I made my way through a crowd of people and introduced myself as a friend of Lisa's. He shook my hand while scanning the surroundings for his family. 

"So Lisa tells me you like golf?" I offered. "Yeah," he replied as he walked away toward his daughter. 

At first I took offense, but as I got to know Art over the course of the next couple of years, it made sense. My Father-In-Law is the kind of guy who'd walk over hot coals for his family and friends, who'd drop everything at a moment's notice if his kids needed something and who cherished family gatherings like no other man I've ever known. 

Family was everything to him, and the time he dedicated to them could often make him seem less than cordial to those who weren't part of his inner-circle.

He's also an avid sports fan. Having grown up in Brooklyn, he followed the Dodgers out to Los Angeles in the late 1950's and has been a lifelong fan; he also loves hockey and follows the Los Angeles Kings as well. 

This made TV watching at their house quite the event during those overlapping months of baseball and hockey seasons, as Art would have both games recorded, and made no apologies about watching and fast-forwarding at his own pace.

Which brings me to my beloved Oregon Ducks. 

Having grown up in Eugene in the 1970's and attended college there in the 1990's, I spend my Saturday's in the fall catching every game I can. In the old days, this often meant driving 25 miles to the one bar with a giant satellite dish who could grab the local signal of the game. 

But as time has gone on, virtually every Duck game airs here (on one channel or another) in Southern California.

This increase in exposure lead to a interesting development: My Father-In-Law actually became a fan of the Ducks as well. It started slowly at first, occasionally getting a call or a, "How about them Ducks," after a big win or a consoling, "They'll get 'em next time," after a loss. But after a while, the congratulating phone call became something I could count on after each and every win. 

He'd usually give me an hour or so to digest the game and then the phone would ring. We'd talk for a short while as any two fans would, and it always made me feel good to know he watched, even though his daughter swore he never liked College Football before I came along.

It continued during the magical 2007 season, even when Art was diagnosed with Myelofibrosis and underwent a bone-marrow procedure that almost ended his life. When visiting him in the hospital, the conversation would invariably turn to the Ducks and how they were doing during the weeks he couldn't see the game. It never wavered in the following years, even as Art suffered a setback with Leukemia, and then a relapse and then another.

He was actually pretty healthy through the Ducks' 2009 season. Strong enough to call me after the disappointment of Boise State, as well as the elation of Oregon's pasting of USC on Halloween night. Following the season, and Oregon's first trip to the Rose Bowl in 15 years, I got an odd request. 

For the first time in our 12 years of knowing each other, Art requested to watch the game with me. This was huge.

For those who know me, I don't like to watch Duck games with anyone. In fact, at my request, my wife and three year-old son will be out of the house during Monday night's National Championship Game. But this was different—and so, on New Years Day 2010, Art came over, sat on the couch and watched Ohio State beat the Ducks 26-17. 

It was an awful experience for me to see my favorite team lose the game. However, watching it with a man who'd now become so much like a father to me was truly a moment I'll never forget.

You see, Arthur passed away last July after his three-year battle with cancer. I had the privilege of driving him home from the hospital after it had been decided that he'd seek no more treatment—and after some somber talk, the conversation quickly switched to a lighter subject: The Ducks. 

As we had many times in our past, we used sports as a way to connect, to talk, to share.

All of which makes this season's improbable run all the more surreal to me. After all, following 12 straight wins, I faced the prospect of not getting that call from Art that had become so familiar. 

Early in the season, I joked with people, saying, "My Father-In-Law is up there pulling some strings for my team." And yet, as the season went on, it started to seem all too true.  After all, Oregon was winning week after week with a first-year starter at quarterback, and had experienced more problems in the off season than ever before.

Yet here we are, the Ducks have reached a level of success that I once never thought possible, and they've done it in a rather unorthodox way.  On defense, instead of sticking with eleven starters like most teams, they choose to increase their intensity by substituting up to 25 players regularly.  And on offense, Oregon may have lost a very skilled (and tough) running QB, but they've improved by increasing their passing game, and becoming a more balanced unit.  As it turns out, those off season troubles have actually strengthened the Ducks, and made the players closer as a team.  It's a close-knit group that doesn't go unnoticed by recruits who, after a visit, often describe a "family atmosphere" in Eugene.

Winning like a family—something tells me Art wouldn't have it any other way.