Ducks fans witness historic victory

When the Oregon Ducks took the field in Pasadena on Thursday, January 1, to battle the Florida State Seminoles for a slot in the college football national championship game, they had the backing of a strong contingent from Sisters.

NFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback and U of O alum Dan Fouts was on the 50-yard-line for the coin toss, named the Ducks' honorary captain. On the sidelines, Thomas Arends, a Sisters High School graduate and former Outlaws football player, kept a watchful eye on the team he helped build as the Oregon Ducks' assistant director of player personnel.

And in the stands of the venerable Rose Bowl were other folks from Sisters - ardent fans of a program that has captured the hearts of football fans all across the country.

"The whole Rose Bowl experience is like no other," said Fouts, who did not play in the game but has broadcast many. He said that being named honorary captain "was an amazing honor."

Fouts enjoyed reconnecting with fellow former Duck players in a pre-game tailgate party.

"That's always the best," he said.

While many saw Oregon's crushing victory and Ohio State's upset of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl as stunning, almost unbelievable developments, Fouts found both outcomes "completely believable."

"At this point in the season, those are the four best teams," he said. "Oregon is a momentum team, and when they get it, they go off."

As for Ohio State, they had already showed the capacity to put up points in beating Wisconsin to get a crack at Alabama.

"That didn't surprise me, them beating Alabama," Fouts said.

The atmosphere at the Rose Bowl was very much like a home game, fans reported.

"It really was like Autzen (Stadium) South," said Maggie Bidasolo, a 16-year-old Ducks super-fan who traveled south with her father, Mike, for the big game. It was her third trip to the Rose Bowl. "About three-fourths of the bowl was all green-and-yellow. By the second quarter, we were just crazy. I never felt anything like that."

The Ducks took a lead into halftime, then blew the doors off in the third quarter, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on them to crush the previously undefeated Seminoles by a record score of 59-20.

Thomas Arends had a premium spot for watching the game. His primary work is recruiting so, although he does some logistical work during road trips, he readily acknowledges that game-time is fun-time for him.

"During the game... I'm just the No. 1 fan there on the sidelines."

Arends started with the Ducks program as an intern in 2008 and worked his way into a full-time position. He checks the background of potential recruits, calling high school athletic directors and counselors to get an understanding of who a player is as a young man. It's not just about talent. Arends and the staff look for character and for intangibles like how a player reacts to plays on the field.

It was exciting on New Year's Day to see the results of that work.

"What an awesome game; what an awesome experience," he said. "It's a lot of guys coming together and working really hard."

Fouts gives the young Sisters man a lot of credit.

"Thomas, his fingerprints are all over this team," he said. "They all look up to him and ask him for advice and stuff. We're really proud of him."

Arends' family hit the road to join him at the Rose Bowl. Dennis and Nancy Dempsey and Paul and Mary Shea were also on hand.

Duck-mania was not just evident at the big game. The Bidasolos went to Disneyland on December 30, and found more than just Donald Duck there. The "Happiest Place on Earth" was a sea of green-and-yellow.

"The cheerleaders and band performed in front of the train station," Maggie Bidasolo said. "From that point it was like a big pep rally ... it was really unforgettable."

Maggie won't be making the trip to Arlington, Texas, for the national championship game.

"No, we're going to have a huge party at my house for that one," she said.

Dan and Jeri Fouts plan to be there - weather and air travel permitting. He's broadcasting an NFL playoff game from Green Bay the day before.

"Getting out of Green Bay is always a challenge, but Jeri and I are planning to go down there," he said.

And, of course, Thomas Arends will be there, from his vantage point as "No. 1 fan on the sidelines," watching the team he works for contend for the first-ever national championship decided through a playoff

series.

He's looking forward to the big game on Monday, January 12, in the massive Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium.

"It's so cool for the state," he said, "it's so cool for everyone for us to be in this game."