Sisters Ducks fly south

Earl Armbruster glows with anticipation as he waits one more week for college football's BCS Championship Game, when the No. 2 University of Oregon Ducks battle No. 1 Auburn for the NCAA championship in Glendale, Arizona.

Former Sisters Elementary School Principal Armbruster is Sisters' biggest Duck fan. He has held season tickets for 37 years, and has attended two Rose Bowls, the Independence, Holiday and Fiesta bowls, when the Ducks have played. He will be in Glendale on January 10, joining a huge flock of Sisters Ducks flying south to the game.

"I'm 63 years old, and the Ducks went 12-0 this year. This will probably be the game of my life," Armbruster said. He was standing outside his green "Duck pick-up" that is decked with flags and UO logos.

Can the Ducks win? The Number One Duck in Sisters, NFL Hall of Famer and now CBS sportscaster, Dan Fouts, says yes. "There is no doubt in my mind," he told The Nugget. "This is a team of excitement, discipline and resolve, especially after losing the Rose Bowl last year," a factor that becomes an advantage, Fouts believes.

"The team is the total package," Fouts added. "You win the game in preparation, and this team excels in creativity, conditioning, attitude and willingness."

The effect on Oregon sports? "The Ducks have won lots of national titles in many sports, but football is the premier sport in college athletics. This game is the biggest event in the history of the University of Oregon," Fouts concluded.

He will be broadcasting pre-game coverage in Glendale.

Black Butte Ranch's Dick Howells is as excited.

"Never in my lifetime did I ever envision the Ducks in a national championship," he said.

The 1962 graduate wouldn't miss this game.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said John Keenan, co-owner of Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon. He has held season tickets for 27 years. He will be at the game with four other members of his family, including his wife, Oregon Sate University alum Jean Wells.

"I'm proud that someone from Oregon is playing in the national championship," Wells said. "I'm a Beaver, rooting for the Ducks."

She and John cheer for both Oregon schools "except for one game a year," Keenan pointed out. "We're native Oregonians. We support all Oregon schools and sports."

Ashley and Ryan Reed will make the trip, too.

"It's about time," said Ryan. "It makes me very proud to be an alumnus."

Jan Shaver, a season ticket holder for 35 years, teamed up for the game with a friend she worked with in Eugene. She has been to both Rose Bowls, the Holiday and Sun bowls with the Ducks.

"This has been a very emotional, and good, year," Shaver said. Her deceased spouse was a member of a poker group in Eugene, which now has only two surviving members. The wives forged lifelong friendships with social activities while the men played cards. They were all Duck fans. The two women feel they will also be there for those departed poker players and spouses.

Fellow poker-group members, now living in Sisters, Gil Achterhof and his wife, Roberta, may be on the backs of camels in the Egyptian desert during the game, grateful for technology. The 26-year season ticket holders didn't think the Ducks were going anywhere this year, after the suspension of last year's quarterback. Thus, they scheduled an Egyptian tour.

"I have a global-access Droid," Achterhof said, "and I'll be checking in."

Some fans are serious, and seriously tongue-in-cheek. Diane Natt of Black Butte Ranch has had season tickets for 30 years that she shared with her deceased husband and their children. She has never wavered in her loyalty to the Ducks.

When romance entered Natt's life again, there were criteria that had to be met in the relationship: "I started taking my boyfriend to Duck games, and turned him into a Duck. Then I married him."

Diane and her new husband, Peter Kelly, will be joined by her two sons for the big game.

"This is so exciting," the newlywed said. "I've waited 50 years for this."

Gary Zimmerman, a former Duck football player (1980-83), said with a chuckle, "The Ducks won more games this year than in the four years I played." He will be at the game with his wife, Lisa, wishing he were still playing.

"I'm very proud of how far the program has come," Zimmerman said. "These guys will be playing the game for a lot more guys than are on the field."

Kick-off is at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 10.