How did the Oregon Ducks get their name?

In her research regarding the school's nickname and mascot, O'Neal said she has been surprised at “how involved the sportswriters and journalists were with the process, and also how involved faculty and students were, and how important it was at that time to have such a strong name. read more

The change is solidified by sports journalists, preferring to use the more catchy Ducks name to Webfoots. The Duck and its subsequent heirs, live in the old Millrace. The Humane Society complains and the fraternity men are ordered by the University to stop the tradition. read more

And Oregon’s mascot is (kind of exactly) Walt Disney’s Donald Duck because of a handshake agreement from 1947 that was not put in writing until 1973. Obviously, there are some questions surrounding the Oregon Ducks. read more

Oregon teams were originally known as Webfoots, possibly as early as the 1890s. The Webfoots name originally applied to a group of fishermen from the coast of Massachusetts who had been heroes during the American Revolutionary War. When their descendants settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley in the 19th century, the name stayed with them. read more