FEATURE
Harris the little man making big plays for Oregon
By Erick Studenicka
Emerald Sports Reporter
Few people on campus would
deny that, at one time or anoth
er. they had lived vicariously
through Duck football and track
star Ronnie Harris
Who hasn't pictured them
selves making a long punt return,
as Harris did against UNLV this
season, or anchoring a relay team
to an upset victory, as Harris did
against Washington State last
spring?
Everyone would love to do
what Harris has done, but it must
take an outstanding physical
specimen, someone at least 6
foot-4 and 230 pounds, to be able
to accomplish what Harris has
done, right?
Wrong.
Weighing only 170 pounds anti
standing 5-10, Harris' physical
stature is surprisingly "ordinary
If he is the star of .i football
league, you would swear it must
be the coed intramurals rather
than the Pacific-10 Conference
“If I'm standing among my
football teammates, people will
mistake me for the kicker," said
Harris, a flanker who leads the
team with his 10.7 yards per
reception average.
Although Harris has attracted
most of his recognition from his
football exploits, he has also been
one of the track team's top sprint
ers the past two seasons, record
ing a 40.68 time in the 400 meters
last spring. He will long be
remembered ftv track fans as the
runner who overtook Washing
ton State's Michael Joubert in the
homestretch after Joubert had
taunted the Oregon crowd while
running.
"That race was definitely a
track highlight; the response from
everyone afterwards was great,"
a smiling Harris said "Months
later, people are still coming up
to congratulate me on that run "
It is his blinding speed which
separates Harris from the other 5
10, 170-pound “wanna be" col
legiate athletes.
"I was playing high school soc
cer when the football coach hap
pened to time my 40—yard dash
time," Harris said "He talked me
in to coming out to run some pat
terns; otherwise. 1 still might be
playing soccer.”
Harris went to Valley Christian
High School, a small, private
school in San lose. Calif Being
such a small team. Harris was
asked to do it all His senior year, %
he played wide receiver and tail
back on offense, cornerback on
defense, and was the team's
punter and placekicker
Despite scoring 12 touchdowns
on 20 receptions his senior sea
son, Harris wasn’t recruited by
the Ducks until the Oregon
coaches noticed him while
watching game film of another
recruit.
"The Oregon coaches were
watching film of a player on Men
lo Prep, the prep school for Stan
ford, and ended up recruiting
me," Harris explained.
Although a track star in high
school, Harris' Oregon track
career began nearly as quirky as
his football recruitment.
“A sprinter on the track team
liecame injured, and my football
teammate (and track decathlete)
Mohammad Oliver told the coach
I was pretty fast and might make
a gtxxl replacement," Harris said
"I went to practice for three days
and found myself on the relay
team against Nebraska the next
weekend.’’
Harris said that he has no
"favorite” sport.
"Track is my 'individual' sport,
and football is my 'team' sport
When 1 made the run back against
UNLV, it might seem like it was
an individual effort, but there
were 10 guys blocking for me.”
Harris said. "Football is serious
while track has been my a fun
sport, just because I hail no high
hopes or expectations when I
began.”
Harris had a chance to compete
in the Olympic Trials last sum
mer. but he decided to shorten
his track season in order to do
something more important — get
married He was married to Ins
wife, kris, June 13, and he said
he doesn't miss the "nights out
with the boys.”
'If anything, getting married
has changed me for the tattler.”
Harris said 'Being married hasn't
hindered me in any way; it's
Turn to HARRIS. Page 5B
PtKXo e» >«* Pni«
Ronnie Harm' speed and quickness have made the S-foot-10, 170
pound receiver an essential part of the Duck football team.
RIVALRY
Continued from Page 2B
Washington fans know how big
this game is for Oregon, but many
approach it as just another game.
Walker Leiser is a member of
the Huskies’ cheer squad, and
ho is used to seeing teams get
riled up for games against his
school.
"Anybody who we play are
saving, ‘We have got to beat
Washington,’” be said "1 suspect
there may be a little more inter
est in this game for Oregon fans
than for Washington fans "
Another Washington student.
Jennifer Meyers, said the close
proximity of the two schools
makes for muni of a friendly rival
ry than anything else
"I don’t think we look at Ore
gon as a big rivalry." she said
“We have other rivalries that are
bigger because we're playing
tougher teams. Most out-of-state
students here are from Oregon,
so it's more of a friendship con
nection.”
Chris Dykstra, a junior at Ore
gon. said he isn't expecting the
Ducks to win and thinks Wash
Big crowd
expected
Oregon’s game Saturday
against Washington is a complete
sellout. The final tickets, in the
form of standing mom admission,
were sf !d ’ uesday.
A crowd of 47.000-plus is
expected for the Ducks show
down with the No. 1-ranked
Huskies, making it the largest
crowd in Autzen Stadium histo
ry.
Oregon officials said the park
ing lot at Autzen Stadium will
open at 10:30 a.m., one hour
earlier than normal, to accom
modate the spectators
ington isn't expecting anything
different.
"If we win. I'll crap my pants."
he said. "I'm sure Washington
has got to be thinking this is just
going to be a walk in the park
A walk in the park may be a lit
tle extreme to describe how
Washington funs and players feel
when they travel to Autxen Sta
ilium, but the fact remains that
whenever these two teams meet,
it always seems that Oregon has
a lot more riding on a victory
than do the Huskies
Oregon sophomore Mark
Sconyers thinks Saturday's game
is a prime example of that fact
3X£XS333Zt}
"Kuraya's has caught
on. Twice in a row it
. has earned mention in ,
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’’Washington has nothing to
gain by (mating us this weekend."
hr said "We h.tvi' everything to
gain hy (mating them
Casanova said that because
Washington has far surpassed
Oregon as a national contender,
the Dm ks always are in position
to lie the spoiler for the Huskies
"When you have a chance n
knock off someone rated real
high, there's morn inlnnsily in
your play." ho said "Washing
ton has established a pretty good
tradition of winning When
you're playing someone like that,
you really want to knock them
over
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