h&m
Football
continued from page 7
20-game home winning streak to
the loud, wild atmosphere inside
of Autzen Stadium.
Opponents, however, may credit
something else to the Ducks’ suc
cess at home.
Autzen Stadium’s aging Omni
Turf has tripped up and slipped
up its share of players in recent
seasons. Opposing teams’ quarter
backs, runningbacks and receivers
sometimes name Oregon’s outdat
ed turf as one reason for losing the
game.
But the turf will no longer be an
issue in Oregon football, as Autzen
Stadium will install NeXturf — a
turf not in use at any other colle
giate facility in the nation — be
fore the start of the 2001 season.
The Atlanta Falcons’ training fa
cility is the only place in the coun
try, which consists of one-inch
polyethylene fibers extending
above the surface to simulate the
grass-like blades, along with short
er texturized fibers knitted togeth
er below the surface to create a
stronger, more durable fabric.
The finished product resembles
natural grass in appearance, tex
ture and performance. A one-half
inch later of green rubber granules
is spread throughout the turf, cre
ating a non-abrasive surface that
offers better footing and comfort
for athletes. The turf is also easier
to maintain.
“We developed an evaluation
consisting of 10 to 12 factors, with
my main input relating to the im
pact on our athletes,” Oregon
strength and conditioning coach
}im Radcliffe said. “I was able to
take a full run and slide on the sur
face and received no abrasions at
all, which is unlike any other arti
ficial surface we have been on.”
“It also is a fast surface so it is
resilient although not too soft, yet
it could take a pounding without
suffering any negative effects.”
The NeXturf will be installed at
Autzen Stadium this spring fol
lowing the removal of the current
OmniTurf. The project should be
completed by late June.
Pac-10
continued from page 7
94 bottles of ...
When Washington State came
out onto McArthur Court for warm
ups before Saturday’s 81-66 loss to
Oregon, Duck fans thought the
budget might be running low in
Pullman. After all, the Cougars
only suited up seven players for the
game.
In actuality, WSU coach Paul
Graham suspended six team mem
bers — including his own son —
for staying out at the Rock N’ Rodeo
bar in Eugene Friday night. Three
of the players were underage, and
all were out past the coach’s cur
few.
Graham told the Spokane
Spokesman-Review that the team
will reconsider the suspensions be
fore the Cougars take on California
and Stanford in Pullman this week
end.
Lute... Skywalker?
The force was with Arizona
coach Lute Olson in his return to
the McKale Center last weekend.
Less than a month after his wife
{ { We’re back in the mix.
It was a good weekend
for us.
Lute Olson ▲▲
Arizona Coach 7 7
Bobbi died from ovarian cancer, Ol
son tried to steer his emotionally
charged team back onto the path to
respectability.
It wasn’t easy for the Wildcats.
Arizona crushed then-No. 24 USC
71-58 Thursday night, but trailed
UCLA 43-35 heading into halftime
of Saturday’s game. Whatever Ol
son said at the half worked, as Ari
zona outscored UCLA 55-22 in the
second frame to win 88-63.
“We’re back in the mix,” Olson
told the Tucson Citizen. “It was a
good weekend for us.”
It’s possible to replace “We’re”
with “I’m” and “us” with “ir:” in
those sentences, as the coach final
ly returned to his second love be
hind his departed wife.
Beaver sightings
in the Northwest
Oregon State pulled off some
thing that in-state rival Oregon
failed to do this past weekend: It
beat Washington and Washington
State.
Not only that, but the Beavers —
who were trounced by the Ducks
84-66 in their Pac-10 opener —
managed to beat the Washington
schools by a combined 12 points in
Corvallis. Looks like Oregon State
got the best of the weekend’s North
west love-fest.
Oregon State senior guard Deaundra Tanner helped lead the Beavers to
back-to-back victories against Washington and Washington
Can you see it approaching?
WINTER CAREER FAIR
Wednesday, January 24 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM EMU Ballroom