1974 Oregon Ducks football team

The 1974 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. Led by first-year head coach Don Read, the Ducks compiled a 2–9 record (0–7 in Pac-8, last)^[2] and were outscored 330 to 116. Home games were played in Eugene at Autzen Stadium.

1974 Oregon Ducks football
Conference	Pacific-8 Conference
Record	2–9 (0–7 Pac-8)
Head coach	Don Read (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Wade (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Veer[1]
Defensive coordinator	Fred von Appen (1st season)
Captain	Norv Turner, Tim Slapnicka
Home stadium	Autzen Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ← 1973 1975 →

1974 Pacific-8 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 USC $	6	–	0	–	1			10	–	1	–	1
Stanford	5	–	1	–	1			5	–	4	–	2
California	4	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
UCLA	4	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	2
Washington	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Oregon State	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Washington State	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Oregon	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

A former head coach at Portland State, Read had been an Oregon assistant for two years (quarterbacks, receivers); he was promoted in early January, immediately after Dick Enright was fired by athletic director Norv Ritchey.^[3][4][5][6]

Through 2024, this is the most recent season that Oregon football finished last in conference and is widely considered to be the worst season in program history.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	11:30 am	at No. 7 Nebraska*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	L 7–61	76,053
September 21	1:50 pm	Air Force*	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	W 27–23	23,500
September 28	6:30 pm	at Utah*	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	W 23–16	23,420	[7]
October 5	11:30 am	at Northwestern*	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 10–14	27,481
October 12	1:30 pm	at California	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 10–40	37,268
October 19	1:30 pm	No. 6 USC	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	L 7–16	32,500
October 26	1:30 pm	at Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA (rivalry)	L 0–66	52,500
November 2	1:30 pm	Washington State	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	L 16–21	21,500
November 9	1:30 pm	at UCLA	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	L 0–21	32,839
November 16	1:30 pm	Stanford	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	L 0-17	18,500
November 23	1:30 pm	at Oregon State	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR (rivalry)	L 16–35	32,156
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^[8][9][10]

Roster

1974 Oregon Ducks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 22 Don Reynolds Sr QB 17 Norv Turner Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 38 Steve Donnelly Sr DE 88 Don Johnson Jr DE 99 George Martin Sr FS 12 Chuck Wills Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Don Read (1st year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Joe Wade (OC) Fred von Appen (DC) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Source:^[11][12]

All-conference

Main article: 1974 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team

One Oregon senior was named to the All-Pac-8 team; safety Steve Donnelly was a repeat selection.^[13][14]

NFL draft

Two Oregon seniors were selected in the 1975 NFL draft: tight end Russ Francis (16th) and defensive end George Martin (262nd); Francis sat out the 1974 season.^[15][16]

References

1. Newnham, Blaine (October 6, 1974). "Wildcats sneer at the veer". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
2. Conrad, John (November 24, 1974). "Beavers pluck the Ducks". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.
3. "UO fires Dick Enright; assistant to take over". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). January 4, 1974. p. 1A.
4. "Oregon fires Enright, hires assistant". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. January 4, 1974. p. 8.
5. Cawood, Neil (January 4, 1974). "Enright sacked, shocked". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.
6. Newnham, Blaine (January 5, 1974). "Want to be head coach?". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
7. "Oregon rallies past Utah". The Arizona Republic. September 29, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "1974 Oregon Ducks Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
9. "1974 Football Schedule". University of Oregon Athletics. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
10. "2023 Oregon Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Oregon Athletics. p. 47. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
11. "Starting lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). September 21, 1974. p. 1B.
12. "The lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 23, 1974. p. 1B.
13. "Donnelley on Pac-8 squad". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 5, 1974. p. 1C.
14. "3 Cougars on Pac-8 all-stars". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 5, 1974. p. 49.
15. Cawood, Neil (December 4, 1974). "Russ resurfaces". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
16. "Sneaky Russ Francis has chance to play in pros". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. January 26, 1975. p. 12B.

External links

• WSU Libraries: Game video – Washington State at Oregon – November 2, 1974