2008 Woodie Awards
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Groundbreaking News for Oregon Baseball
The new stadium will be named after Pat Kilkenny
by Tom Sabiel | Freelance writer |
With energy rampantly running through spectators at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ducks baseball stadium, University President Dave Frohnmayer announced the official title of the park.
Named in honor of athletic director Pat Kilkenny, P.K. Park will seat an estimated 5,000 fans and help bring back a sport that has been absent from the school since leaving in a cost cutting effort following the 1981 season.
"It's about past players. It's about Phil Knight. It's about strikeouts. It's about Cracker Jacks," stated Kilkenny in his address to spectators. "Today we break ground on a baseball stadium."
The school's expectation is that the stadium will be able to bring in fans that will emulate the excitement of other sports complexes such as McArthur Court, Hayward Field and Autzen Stadium.
"When we add the excitement and competitiveness that we are now known for in all of our sports to baseball," says Kilkenny, "we expect the experience of attending an Oregon baseball game to be among the best in the country."
Both President Frohnmayer and Kilkenny were awarded with golden shovels, whose handles were made of baseball bats.
Giving an idea for how the stadium would be set up, a home plate was painted on the asphalt in green and yellow, where the mascot took the first ever pitch at P.K. Park from Ducks Coach George Horton, a two time National Coach of the Year.
When asked about the pin-stripe jerseys they would be wearing along with the new stadium they will be playing in, student and ball player Zack Thornton says that "It's a dream come true." Players and coaches wait eagerly to begin practices Sept. 15th.
The stadium project has an estimated budget of $15 million, which does not include "gifts" such as the donation of steel or other supplies. The state-of-the-art stadium will undergo two stages before it is complete. The first stage will include the construction of the playing surface, dugouts, lights and temporary seating. This stage will be completed for the inaugural 2009 season. The second stage, which will be completed for the 2010 season, will include; a plaza, history exhibit, locker rooms, concessions, picnic area, restrooms and novelty shops. Also included will be a concourse arcade.
The stadium opens for a three game series against the defending champion Bulldogs of Fresno State on February 27th, 2009.
Did You Know?
Baseball was the first ever sport at the University of Oregon when the Ducks took the field in 1877.
Named in honor of athletic director Pat Kilkenny, P.K. Park will seat an estimated 5,000 fans and help bring back a sport that has been absent from the school since leaving in a cost cutting effort following the 1981 season.
"It's about past players. It's about Phil Knight. It's about strikeouts. It's about Cracker Jacks," stated Kilkenny in his address to spectators. "Today we break ground on a baseball stadium."
The school's expectation is that the stadium will be able to bring in fans that will emulate the excitement of other sports complexes such as McArthur Court, Hayward Field and Autzen Stadium.
"When we add the excitement and competitiveness that we are now known for in all of our sports to baseball," says Kilkenny, "we expect the experience of attending an Oregon baseball game to be among the best in the country."
Both President Frohnmayer and Kilkenny were awarded with golden shovels, whose handles were made of baseball bats.
Giving an idea for how the stadium would be set up, a home plate was painted on the asphalt in green and yellow, where the mascot took the first ever pitch at P.K. Park from Ducks Coach George Horton, a two time National Coach of the Year.
When asked about the pin-stripe jerseys they would be wearing along with the new stadium they will be playing in, student and ball player Zack Thornton says that "It's a dream come true." Players and coaches wait eagerly to begin practices Sept. 15th.
The stadium project has an estimated budget of $15 million, which does not include "gifts" such as the donation of steel or other supplies. The state-of-the-art stadium will undergo two stages before it is complete. The first stage will include the construction of the playing surface, dugouts, lights and temporary seating. This stage will be completed for the inaugural 2009 season. The second stage, which will be completed for the 2010 season, will include; a plaza, history exhibit, locker rooms, concessions, picnic area, restrooms and novelty shops. Also included will be a concourse arcade.
The stadium opens for a three game series against the defending champion Bulldogs of Fresno State on February 27th, 2009.
Did You Know?
Baseball was the first ever sport at the University of Oregon when the Ducks took the field in 1877.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 15
Phil Knight
posted 8/16/08 @ 12:37 PM PST
Pat Kilkenny is very deserving of this honor. He went to great lengths to get baseball back at the U of O.
On a side note since I know that it will be discussed: It's a shame that wrestling was eliminated, but place the blame on Title IX, not Kilkenny. (Continued…)
UO Professor
posted 8/17/08 @ 1:25 PM PST
No, the fact that UO had no baseball wasn't pathetic, it was sports trivia.
The fact that UO doesn't have a med school, or engineering, or modern classrooms, or decent dorms, or competitive graduate student stipends, and isn't even a top-tier research university anymore, now that's pathetic. (Continued…)
Zachary Vishanoff
posted 8/18/08 @ 11:23 AM PST
All details omitted here-bogus revenue projections,massive parking removals and parking rate increases,this is a very lazy article it looks like it was crafted by the athletic department. (Continued…)
UO Professor
posted 8/18/08 @ 5:32 PM PST
No rational person would blame Phil Knight for UO's academic problems, he's done more to address them than anyone else in Oregon has.
But it's equally irrational to blame them on the State. (Continued…)
Tom
posted 8/18/08 @ 8:49 PM PST
I dont really care if UO has baseball or not, what I cant believe is the very poor and thoughtless name of the stadium. 'PK stadium', after former UO student, sans diploma was the driving factor behind getting baseball reinstated. (Continued…)
Kristi Hall "Past Softball Player" 2002
posted 9/02/08 @ 6:33 PM PST
I'm extremely excited that baseball is back at UO, however as a past softball player and huge fan of all UO sports I'm shocked that an equal stadium will not be built for softball, or am I wrong? The womens studium was in fact the old baseball stadium:) Do not get me wrong, the view is breathtaking when you're standing at homeplate, but not when you're sitting in the bottom rows of the stands. (Continued…)
Hank Hosfield
posted 9/04/08 @ 11:54 AM PST
P.K. Stadium is a horrible, virtually meaningless name choice. It honors nothing, other than perhaps ambiguity. Why not Pat Kilkenny Stadium? Do Kilkenny and Frohnmayer think having two facilities named after Pat to be overkill?
By the way, the true overkill was killing wrestling. (Continued…)
Dave - former player
posted 9/05/08 @ 12:03 PM PST
I had the good fortune to have played baseball at Oregon under the great Don Kirsch who sadly passed away during my tenure there after a long battle with Parkinson's. (Continued…)
Zachary Vishanoff
posted 9/19/08 @ 10:08 AM PST
You may testify against the UO arena NIKE sport-pork barrel project at the upcoming UO arena building permit hearing on October 7 at 5 pm at the Eugene city hall council chamber. (Continued…)
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