The Mighty Oregon Podcast

Oregon women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves has seen it all. From coaching at the junior college ranks to reaching the Final Four at the Division One level, the Oregon women’s basketball mentor has had transcending success. But for Graves, success is more than what happens on the basketball court. Graves values family. And togetherness. And people. Those are not empty catchwords for him or his program. He was taught early on his coaching career that those things really matter. As a head coach, Graves has won 13 regular season conference titles and reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times. In tournament play, he boasts one trip to the Final Four, four career trips to the Elite Eight and six total Sweet 16 appearances. His teams have won 20-plus games in 13 of the last 14 seasons and 18 total times overall. His teams win. And people love to watch his teams. They are now a must-see attraction in Eugene. But the reason behind the wins and the crowds - Graves thinks it’s pretty simple.

It’s hard to believe that one of football’s all-time great quarterbacks was overlooked in high school. But Dan Fouts, who had been around the game his whole life, took advantage of his only scholarship offer and transformed himself into a Duck great. Fouts’ experience before his playing career was one that many looked upon with envy and awe, having dinner with NFL greats and being on the sidelines with some of the world’s best athletes. But that experience provided him with a perspective that many people don’t get to experience. That perspective helped Fouts to a Hall of Fame career in college and in the NFL, where he transformed the game of football through the air with legendary coach Don Coryell with the San Diego Chargers. He would have a 15-year NFL career, entirely in San Diego. Fouts threw for 43,040 yards, and was the first quarterback to throw for over 4,800 yards in a season. He also became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards in three straight seasons, doing so from 1979 to 1981. To Fouts, however, those numbers were never a priority. He always just wanted a shot to win every week he put on a uniform.

LaMichael James likes to do his own thing. And for Oregon fans and supporters, they are very thankful for that. It brought him to the Pacific Northwest. And it helped him escape an upbringing that would have ruined someone that lacked his independent spirit. James’ story is a fascinating one. Unique. Trail-blazing. And inspiring. But overcoming his hardships was not an easy process. James’ career at Oregon reflected his upbringing. He was always getting that extra yard, and many argue that if there was any running back in the history of Oregon football that could get you that extra yard, it was him. The yards piled up for James. He rushed for over 5,000 yards in his three-year Oregon career. He was a Heisman finalist. An All-American. A Doak Walker Award winner, an honor given to the nation’s best running back. He played for a national championship. To know why he accomplished what he did, you have to know James’ story of perseverance and drive. And know that those are two traits that he continues to rely on today.   

Oregon native Payton Pritchard may not be the most athletic guy in basketball. Or the biggest. But something about the 6’2 guard has pushed his career into what every young player dreams of when they first hold a basketball. A roster spot in the NBA. Pritchard’s meteoric rise from West Linn High School to Oregon Duck to now-Boston Celtic has been astounding. But his beginnings are rooted in a family life that knew about athletic success and taught him what it takes to excel. That foundation has led to unprecedented winning at every level of basketball he has encountered. He is the only player to win four state basketball championships. He is the winningest player in the history of Oregon basketball. He’s played in Final Fours and hit numerous big shots that Oregon fans will never forget.

Behind the scenes, he perfected his craft when no one was looking. His workouts took on a myth-like quality in basketball circles throughout the state. But for Pritchard, there is a method to his madness.

Rob Mullens’ path to one of the most prominent positions in college athletics began with humble beginnings in rural West Virginia, where his passion for sports grew on lonely baskets, dreaming of making the winning shot for the West Virginia Mountaineers. Don’t let Mullens’ upbringing and journey fool you. He has transformed himself into one of the nation’s best collegiate athletic directors. He’s the longest-tenured athletic director in the Pac 12. The Ducks came into this year as the reigning Pac-12 champs in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball. Track and field won the triple crown of NCAA titles in 2016 and 2017, the first women’s program to do so. Oregon has had top-10 Directors Cup finishes twice in the last five years. The list goes on and on. But those accomplishments don’t come without hard work. He knew the value of hard work – he just didn’t really understand exactly what it took until he arrived in Eugene. Mullens and his family love the Ducks and bask in their success, but his meandering path to this point was not always easy. And Mullens wouldn’t have it any other way.

A successful high school career in Phoenix, Arizona brought Kenny Wheaton to the Pacific Northwest, where he was a long way from his family, a main motivating force for Wheaton. But he excelled. He became an All-American. He became the first Duck football player to declare early for the NFL Draft. Football was his success story, and it was going to alleviate the burdens for the people he cared so much about. But life doesn’t work out the way we want it to. And for Wheaton, a dramatic change in what he values the most changed the trajectory of his life. Although he is synonymous with one of the greatest plays in Oregon history, The Pick, there is much more to Kenny Wheaton than that single play. A lot more.

Everything about Sabrina Ionescu is different. She had a different upbringing than others. She began her basketball-playing journey in a different way. She plays the game with a different flare. And her success on the court has bought a bigger audience to the women’s game. She garnered an NCAA-record 26 career triple-doubles, more than twice as many as the previous record holder, BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth, and she finished her career as the only player in NCAA history—male or female—with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists. For Ionescu, her path to greatness was a road less traveled. 

The official podcast of the Oregon Ducks is coming Dec. 1. There are a lot of great stories that go untold. The Mighty Oregon Podcast changes that by featuring the best Oregon stories from past and present, packaged in a way fans haven't heard before. Join host Rob Moseley as we take you inside the stories of current and former student-athletes, coaches, staff members and fans in a way that's equal parts entertaining and interesting.

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