Oregon’s professional football team, the
Portland Steel, began Arena Football League
play at Moda Center in 2014 as the Portland
Thunder. In 2015, Portland Steel (then Portland Thunder) wide receiver Duane Brooks
was recognized as the AFL Playmaker of
the Year after setting the League record for
kickoff return touchdowns ( 8). Faster and
higher-scoring than outdoor football, the
Portland Steel bring fast and hard hitting
action to the Moda Center.
Oregon Ducks
University of Oregon
Autzen Stadium
University of Oregon Athletic Department
2727 Leo Harris Parkway, Eugene, OR 97401
541-346-4481; www.goducks.com
Though the Ducks could refer to a myriad
of sports teams from the University of
Oregon (and they do have a stellar track &
field division) they’re best known, by far,
for their football team. If you don’t know
about the Ducks/Beavers rivalry (the Civil
War), then you’re definitely new in town.
Oregonians take this grudge match seriously. Dating back to 1894, this green versus
orange rivalry is one of the oldest and most
contentious in the nation. Which one’s
better? You’ll just have to watch them duck
it out (pun intended) and decide for yourself.
Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State University
Reser Stadium
114 Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, OR 97331
541-737-7373; www.osubeavers.com
As of the end of the 2014 season, the long-standing rivalry between the Ducks and the
Beavers has been contested 118 times—
that’s a lot of tackles (and post-game beers).
The Civil War is one of the longest-running
college football rivalries in the country.
Oregon State offers a multitude of sports
under its buck-toothed mascot, Benny the
Beaver, but none are celebrated quite so
much as their orange and black clad football team. In the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, they left
Notre Dame in the dust with a whopping
32-point margin, finishing the season ranked
#4 in the polls. OSU baseball has had five
appearances in the College World Series. Go
Beavers!
Portland Winterhawks
Western Hockey League (WHL)
Memorial Coliseum, Moda Center
300 North Winning Way
Portland, OR 97227
503-238-6366; www.winterhawks.com
If you’ve never seen a hockey game
in-person, you don’t know what you’re
missing. And there’s no better team to
show it to you than the Portland Winter-
hawks, three-time winners of the President’s
Cup, and two-time winners of the Memo-
rial Cup. A top producer of National
Hockey League (NHL) alumni including
Sven Baertschi, Ryan Johansen, Braydon
Coburn, and Adam Deadmarsh among
others, the Winterhawks will get you so fired
up, you’ll want to lace up that old pair of
skates and hit the ice.
Rose City Rollers
Roller Derby
The Hangar at Oaks Amusement Park
7805 SE Oaks Park Way
Portland, OR 97202
503-784-1444; www.rosecityrollers.com
If you like your sports rough, there’s only
one thing that just might trump ‘em all:
roller derby. But Portland’s all female,
flat track roller derby league is about far
more than knocking your opposing team
around the skating rink. A primarily
volunteer-run, non-profit that supports
charitable causes, the Rose City Rollers
(RCR) are focused on empowering
women of all age to learn about themselves, develop leadership skills, and work
together as a team. It’s “Brutal Beauty” on
skates as the RCR strut their stuff and try
to beat their highest rankings yet (currently
#4 in the WFTDA). l
Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer courtesy Hillsboro Hops
Photo by Matt Rude Photography
courtesy of Portland Steel
