Amundson, Rice, Koke to Receive UO Honors
07/09/26 | Football, General, Women's Soccer
EUGENE, Ore. – The man behind one of the most cherished Autzen Stadium traditions and student-athletes from football and women's soccer have been selected to receive the University of Oregon Athletic Department's distinguished alumni awards, athletic director Rob Mullens announced Thursday.
The late Doug Koke was a long-standing supporter of Oregon Athletics who also drove the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that led the football team onto the field for each home game for 23 years from 1999-2022. Koke is the posthumous recipient of the 2026 Order of the O Honorarium.
Running back and return specialist Allan Amundson has been named the recipient of the 2026 Leo Harris Award, while soccer goalkeeper Domenique (Lainez) Rice has been chosen to receive the 2026 Becky L. Sisley Award.
Ceremonies for the three awards will be held in conjunction with the Oct. 10 UCLA football game.
Leo Harris Award
The Alumni Athletic Award was originated in 1967 by the late Leo Harris, former UO director of athletics, and his family and was later renamed the Leo Harris Award in his honor. It is presented to an alumni letterman on the basis of at least 20 years of achievement and service since his final varsity season.
A running back and kick returner for four Oregon bowl teams, including the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, Allan Amundson remains one of the best special teams players in program history. He was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the 2001 football team.
The four-year letterman played in 37 games for coach Mike Bellotti and accumulated 1,680 kick return yards, a total that ranks fourth all-time in the UO record book; it was second in program history at the time of his graduation. Amundson also gained 520 career yards rushing on 120 attempts. He scored four rushing touchdowns, including a one-yard score in double-overtime that put the Ducks over the top in a memorable 56-55 win at Arizona State in 2000.
The 2002 All-Pac-10 second team kick returner had his most productive game on special teams a season earlier when his 181 return yards against USC helped Oregon upset the seventh-ranked Trojans 24-22. The 181 return yards remain the third-best single-game effort in program history.
Amundson, who also ran track, helped lead the Ducks to wins in the 1999 Sun Bowl, the 2000 Holiday Bowl and the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. He also served as football's representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
After graduating from Oregon in 2003 with a degree in psychology and following stints with the NFL and NFL Europe, Amundson embarked on a career of public service.
Amundson has been a member of the Springfield, Ore., police force for the last 21 years. During that time, he has been a patrol officer, a member of Springfield's SWAT team and served as a school resource officer at Thurston High School.
He was named Springfield's officer of the year in 2012, is a medal of valor recipient and has earned several chief's awards.
Through the Springfield Police Department, Amundson has been a part of several civic and community volunteer programs. He participated in in the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley's "Bridge the Gap" program where UO student-athletes could meet and interact with police officers.
Other community activities include tip a cop, shop with a cop, Springfield clean up, popsicle patrol and Toys for Tots.
Amundson also coached Special Olympics power lifting competitors for several years and participated in Special Olympics torch runs.
Using skills learned both on the football field at Oregon and in uniform with SPD, Amundson consistently goes above and beyond to uplift and empower those around him by building strong relationships with community members and fostering an environment of trust and cooperation.
Becky L. Sisley Award
The Becky L. Sisley Award is named after the University's first director of women's intercollegiate athletics and is awarded to a former female student-athlete to commemorate community involvement, career development and support of University ideals.
NOTE: To learn more about PUSH, visit https://www.pushpregnancy.org/
Domenique (Lainez) Rice used the strength she gained as a starting goalkeeper and co-captain of the Oregon soccer team to help grieving families through their darkest days.
Rice played for Oregon from 2001-05 and started two seasons, including the 2003 campaign that saw her set the school record with nine goalkeeper wins, a mark that still stands today. That year, she led the Pac-10 with 90 saves, which ranks ninth on the Ducks' single-season top-10 list, and posted shutouts against Rice, California and Arizona.
She tied the school's single-match record by making 15 saves against No. 4 Texas A&M. In 2004, she led the Pac-10 in saves per game (4.9).
In her career, Rice played in 40 matches with an 11-24-3 record and a 2.17 goals against average. Her 180 career saves ranked third in the UO record book at the time of her graduation and still rank seventh on the UO career list.
Rice served as the vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee while at Oregon, where she first learned of the importance of advocating for those without a voice. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in sociology and minored in business and Spanish.
After graduation, Rice worked in the wine and beer industry for global brands such as Gallo Winery and Heineken. Early in her career, she was a sales representative and hospitality ambassador before moving to brand management and then marketing. While with Gallo, she co-founded the ERG Presidents Coalition and served as the national sales liaison overseeing seven directors and more than 350 members committed to advancing Latino representation in corporate America.
She most recently held the position of senior marketing manager for the Brown-Forman Corporation, which is the largest American-owned distributor of premium spirits and the third-largest globally. Brown-Forman generated $4 billion in net sales in 2025.
Beyond her professional career, Rice turned a personal tragedy into a commitment to help other families navigate the unimaginable.
In 2017, Rice gave birth to a son, TJ. He was stillborn. Grief and bereavement followed that profound loss, but Rice also felt a calling; a refusal to let other families suffer alone. She co-founded PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, a stillbirth awareness and prevention advocacy organization. Dedicated to her son, this movement emphasizes equitable pregnancy outcomes and empowers marginalized people with tools to protect their families.
Rice helped build PUSH from the ground up into a national movement dedicated to raising awareness and reducing stillbirth rates in the United States. PUSH raised funds for the first Rainbow Clinic in the U.S. at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. The clinic provides compassionate medical care for families who have suffered a pregnancy loss.
Her story and stillbirth advocacy have been featured on National Public Radio, the Grappling with Grief platform and Pregnancy After Loss Support, as well as several national media outlets. Sharing her own personal story of loss and bereavement on Instagram (@stillbirthmamafightingforlight), Rice now empowers families to break the stigma around child loss in order to help process their grief.
Additionally, with her husband Terry, Rice co-founded Build With Them, a technology education program that teaches parents and children how to build real apps using artificial intelligence. The program's mission is to close the digital literacy gap for underrepresented communities.
She also served as the president of the New York City chapter of the Hue Society, an organization that creates access and cultural wine experiences and representation for minorities.
Drawing on the power she first learned she possessed on a soccer field at the University of Oregon, Rice has been aiding those suffering a devastating loss and standing up for those without representation ever since her days in the net in Eugene.
Order of the O Honorarium
The Order of the O Honorarium is given annually to an individual who has made a contribution to the University of Oregon Department of Intercollegiate Athletics over an extended period of time, but was not a varsity letterwinner at the UO.
As the owner and president of QSL Print Communications, a homegrown printing company, the late Doug Koke made a lasting impact on both the Eugene-Springfield community as well as the University of Oregon while remaining true to his ethos of "be kind to people, do great work, and have fun."
The Koke family has been a cornerstone of the print industry in Lane County since 1907. Doug Koke bought QSL Print Communications in 2007 and helped turn QSL into a modern, innovative company, providing print services to businesses around Lane County.
Koke was a third-generation Oregonian. He graduated from North Eugene High where he met his wife, Nancy. The two were lifelong Duck fans. For decades, Doug Koke was a member of the Oregon Club of Eugene-Springfield, which raises money for University of Oregon athletics, and served a term as that club's president.
To those outside the printing industry, Koke was known as the driver of the metallic green and yellow Harley – with the Oregon Duck in tow – that leads the Oregon football team onto the field at Autzen Stadium. Taking over from the first Harley driver, UO and NFL hall of famer Gary Zimmerman, Koke's pregame ride became a treasured Autzen Stadium tradition. He missed just two games from 1999 to 2022.
Among the many anecdotes about the Harley, one that stands out is the time Koke and the Ducks were flagged for "buzzing the coin toss," according to the referee, prior to Oregon's 2002 game against Mississippi State. The Ducks were assessed a five-yard penalty on the opening kickoff, but it proved to be of little consequence as Oregon rolled to a 36–13 win over the Bulldogs.
Koke also had a strong connection to the Oregon softball team. His daughter Missy played for the Ducks from 1995-99.
Koke is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy, daughter Missy Koke, daughter Keri Ortiz (Raoul), and son Ryan Koke (Renae) as well as grandchildren Ryan Simington, Robert and Anna Ortiz, and Miles and Malcolm Koke. He is also survived by his brother, sister and many nieces and nephews.
The late Doug Koke was a long-standing supporter of Oregon Athletics who also drove the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that led the football team onto the field for each home game for 23 years from 1999-2022. Koke is the posthumous recipient of the 2026 Order of the O Honorarium.
Running back and return specialist Allan Amundson has been named the recipient of the 2026 Leo Harris Award, while soccer goalkeeper Domenique (Lainez) Rice has been chosen to receive the 2026 Becky L. Sisley Award.
Ceremonies for the three awards will be held in conjunction with the Oct. 10 UCLA football game.
Leo Harris Award
The Alumni Athletic Award was originated in 1967 by the late Leo Harris, former UO director of athletics, and his family and was later renamed the Leo Harris Award in his honor. It is presented to an alumni letterman on the basis of at least 20 years of achievement and service since his final varsity season.
A running back and kick returner for four Oregon bowl teams, including the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, Allan Amundson remains one of the best special teams players in program history. He was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the 2001 football team.
The four-year letterman played in 37 games for coach Mike Bellotti and accumulated 1,680 kick return yards, a total that ranks fourth all-time in the UO record book; it was second in program history at the time of his graduation. Amundson also gained 520 career yards rushing on 120 attempts. He scored four rushing touchdowns, including a one-yard score in double-overtime that put the Ducks over the top in a memorable 56-55 win at Arizona State in 2000.
The 2002 All-Pac-10 second team kick returner had his most productive game on special teams a season earlier when his 181 return yards against USC helped Oregon upset the seventh-ranked Trojans 24-22. The 181 return yards remain the third-best single-game effort in program history.
Amundson, who also ran track, helped lead the Ducks to wins in the 1999 Sun Bowl, the 2000 Holiday Bowl and the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. He also served as football's representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
After graduating from Oregon in 2003 with a degree in psychology and following stints with the NFL and NFL Europe, Amundson embarked on a career of public service.
Amundson has been a member of the Springfield, Ore., police force for the last 21 years. During that time, he has been a patrol officer, a member of Springfield's SWAT team and served as a school resource officer at Thurston High School.
He was named Springfield's officer of the year in 2012, is a medal of valor recipient and has earned several chief's awards.
Through the Springfield Police Department, Amundson has been a part of several civic and community volunteer programs. He participated in in the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley's "Bridge the Gap" program where UO student-athletes could meet and interact with police officers.
Other community activities include tip a cop, shop with a cop, Springfield clean up, popsicle patrol and Toys for Tots.
Amundson also coached Special Olympics power lifting competitors for several years and participated in Special Olympics torch runs.
Using skills learned both on the football field at Oregon and in uniform with SPD, Amundson consistently goes above and beyond to uplift and empower those around him by building strong relationships with community members and fostering an environment of trust and cooperation.
Becky L. Sisley Award
The Becky L. Sisley Award is named after the University's first director of women's intercollegiate athletics and is awarded to a former female student-athlete to commemorate community involvement, career development and support of University ideals.
NOTE: To learn more about PUSH, visit https://www.pushpregnancy.org/
Domenique (Lainez) Rice used the strength she gained as a starting goalkeeper and co-captain of the Oregon soccer team to help grieving families through their darkest days.
Rice played for Oregon from 2001-05 and started two seasons, including the 2003 campaign that saw her set the school record with nine goalkeeper wins, a mark that still stands today. That year, she led the Pac-10 with 90 saves, which ranks ninth on the Ducks' single-season top-10 list, and posted shutouts against Rice, California and Arizona.
She tied the school's single-match record by making 15 saves against No. 4 Texas A&M. In 2004, she led the Pac-10 in saves per game (4.9).
In her career, Rice played in 40 matches with an 11-24-3 record and a 2.17 goals against average. Her 180 career saves ranked third in the UO record book at the time of her graduation and still rank seventh on the UO career list.
Rice served as the vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee while at Oregon, where she first learned of the importance of advocating for those without a voice. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in sociology and minored in business and Spanish.
After graduation, Rice worked in the wine and beer industry for global brands such as Gallo Winery and Heineken. Early in her career, she was a sales representative and hospitality ambassador before moving to brand management and then marketing. While with Gallo, she co-founded the ERG Presidents Coalition and served as the national sales liaison overseeing seven directors and more than 350 members committed to advancing Latino representation in corporate America.
She most recently held the position of senior marketing manager for the Brown-Forman Corporation, which is the largest American-owned distributor of premium spirits and the third-largest globally. Brown-Forman generated $4 billion in net sales in 2025.
Beyond her professional career, Rice turned a personal tragedy into a commitment to help other families navigate the unimaginable.
In 2017, Rice gave birth to a son, TJ. He was stillborn. Grief and bereavement followed that profound loss, but Rice also felt a calling; a refusal to let other families suffer alone. She co-founded PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, a stillbirth awareness and prevention advocacy organization. Dedicated to her son, this movement emphasizes equitable pregnancy outcomes and empowers marginalized people with tools to protect their families.
Rice helped build PUSH from the ground up into a national movement dedicated to raising awareness and reducing stillbirth rates in the United States. PUSH raised funds for the first Rainbow Clinic in the U.S. at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. The clinic provides compassionate medical care for families who have suffered a pregnancy loss.
Her story and stillbirth advocacy have been featured on National Public Radio, the Grappling with Grief platform and Pregnancy After Loss Support, as well as several national media outlets. Sharing her own personal story of loss and bereavement on Instagram (@stillbirthmamafightingforlight), Rice now empowers families to break the stigma around child loss in order to help process their grief.
Additionally, with her husband Terry, Rice co-founded Build With Them, a technology education program that teaches parents and children how to build real apps using artificial intelligence. The program's mission is to close the digital literacy gap for underrepresented communities.
She also served as the president of the New York City chapter of the Hue Society, an organization that creates access and cultural wine experiences and representation for minorities.
Drawing on the power she first learned she possessed on a soccer field at the University of Oregon, Rice has been aiding those suffering a devastating loss and standing up for those without representation ever since her days in the net in Eugene.
Order of the O Honorarium
The Order of the O Honorarium is given annually to an individual who has made a contribution to the University of Oregon Department of Intercollegiate Athletics over an extended period of time, but was not a varsity letterwinner at the UO.
As the owner and president of QSL Print Communications, a homegrown printing company, the late Doug Koke made a lasting impact on both the Eugene-Springfield community as well as the University of Oregon while remaining true to his ethos of "be kind to people, do great work, and have fun."
The Koke family has been a cornerstone of the print industry in Lane County since 1907. Doug Koke bought QSL Print Communications in 2007 and helped turn QSL into a modern, innovative company, providing print services to businesses around Lane County.
Koke was a third-generation Oregonian. He graduated from North Eugene High where he met his wife, Nancy. The two were lifelong Duck fans. For decades, Doug Koke was a member of the Oregon Club of Eugene-Springfield, which raises money for University of Oregon athletics, and served a term as that club's president.
To those outside the printing industry, Koke was known as the driver of the metallic green and yellow Harley – with the Oregon Duck in tow – that leads the Oregon football team onto the field at Autzen Stadium. Taking over from the first Harley driver, UO and NFL hall of famer Gary Zimmerman, Koke's pregame ride became a treasured Autzen Stadium tradition. He missed just two games from 1999 to 2022.
Among the many anecdotes about the Harley, one that stands out is the time Koke and the Ducks were flagged for "buzzing the coin toss," according to the referee, prior to Oregon's 2002 game against Mississippi State. The Ducks were assessed a five-yard penalty on the opening kickoff, but it proved to be of little consequence as Oregon rolled to a 36–13 win over the Bulldogs.
Koke also had a strong connection to the Oregon softball team. His daughter Missy played for the Ducks from 1995-99.
Koke is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy, daughter Missy Koke, daughter Keri Ortiz (Raoul), and son Ryan Koke (Renae) as well as grandchildren Ryan Simington, Robert and Anna Ortiz, and Miles and Malcolm Koke. He is also survived by his brother, sister and many nieces and nephews.
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