The Greatest Duck Ever?
UO track and field phenom Galen Rupp just finished up his collegiate career in a big way, taking first in the 10,00o at the U.S. Track and Field Championships. It’s hard to really get a handle on his mountain of wins, records and assorted achievements, but here’s the highlights:
- 2008 Olympian and fastest non-African in the 10,000
- 2009 U.S. champion in the 10k
- Currently holds the American indoor record in the 5,000 and collegiate records in the outdoor 10k (fastest American-born) and indoor 3k
- Three-time consecutive U.S. national team member
- Only person in NCAA history to win the 3k, 5k and distance medley in a championship. If Rupp had entered the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships as a one-man team, he would have taken 10th.
- Overall, six NCAA distance titles in the 2008-2009 season – first in cross country; first in the indoor 3k, 5k and DMR; and first in the outdoor 5k and 10k.
- Ran anchor leg on the Ducks’ record-breaking 4xmile relay team.
- You might as well throw in a handful of Pac-10 championships, as well as nine time All-American and NCAA Division I Men’s Track Athlete of the year.
Rupp is the most decorated Duck in school history. Of course, this begs the question: Better than Pre? When I get the time and the gumption, I’ll stack them up against each other.
(The ODE also has a list of Rupp’s stats.)
Pre used to smoke cigarettes in local bars around Eugene. Rupp hangs out in altitude chambers. Pre was a “mans man”. There is no comparison. Rupp is a pup.
You can’t compare the two it’s just not possible. They are from different generations, different eras, and it’s a different world of track and field. Pre was fantastic, no doubt, cutting edge, heart on the sleeve type of runner pushing from the start every time, winning like crazy every year. Cover of sports illustrated as a freshman.
Rupp is calculated, focused with a perhaps reserved style but no less determined and now with a wicked kick too. Both Olympians both great Oregonians and both true champions.
But when you loose someone early like we did with Pre the legend begins (what if in 1976…) so the legend grows and it continues to grow still, no runner will ever be Pre. That is by nature what an original is so we got to stop trying to compare them. Really what you have to go on is time, who ran faster, who won more.
So we give Galen Rupp his due props he is a great Oregon runner, the most impressive since Bill McChesney (over looked too often) and he has brought pride back to a struggling program. His last 12 months of running accomplishments are by far the greatest one year in Duck history; I also I believe the first to win the collegian national championship and the National Championship in the same year 10 k. Also you might consider Rupp’s academic all American status too. I wish people would stop with the insults directed at Rupp while defending Pre its juvenile let them live on their merits. Every kid who runs distance or is a fan of running knows who Pre was, that wont go away. What happens in the future with Rupp no one will know – but I for one am grateful that I was fortunate enough to meet both and watch them both run in person.
Clearly AssQuack is the greatest duck ever.