Blair Rasmussen to be Inducted into Pac-10 Hall of Honor
EUGENE, Ore. -- Arguably the best center ? and certainly the most durable ? in Oregon’s history, Blair Allen Rasmussen will be inducted into the Pac-10’s Hall of Honor during the league tournament in Los Angeles, Calif., this week.
One of the Pac-10’s most consistent big men in the early 1980s, the three-time all-conference selection still holds Oregon records for career, single season and single game blocked shots. The eight-year NBA veteran is also among the school’s all-time scoring and field goal percentage leaders.
Rasmussen’s school record eight blocks came against Davidson during his senior season. That was a year after he set the Ducks single season record with 42 blocked shots. The seven-footer finished his career (1981-85) with 114 blocks ? another school record.
The Auburn, Wash., native led Oregon in scoring his final three seasons in Eugene and finished his career with 1,554 points, which ranked as the fourth best career scoring effort at the time, and still ranks eighth at Oregon some 20 years later. His career field goal percentage of .517 is also eighth in Oregon history.
Rasmussen was recruited to Eugene by head coach Jim Haney after earning state player of the year honors and leading Auburn High to back-to-back North Puget Sound League titles; it was Auburn’s first league championship in 54 years.
He started at center the first game of his freshman season in 1981-82 and never missed a game. Rasmussen finished his career with 114 consecutive starts in the post. He earned all-conference honors as a sophomore when he scored 14.8 points per game and shot a career-best 54 percent from the floor. He also scored a career-high 37 points in a win against Washington State, which is still the school record for an Oregon sophomore.
Nick Bertram of The Oregonian captured the essence of Rasmussen’s durability. "He may be the most unorthodox 7-foot center playing college basketball today," Bertram wrote. "He can drive to the basket, but not always like a Mercedes; more like a Trailways."
Rasmussen’s top season from a team perspective came in 1983-84 when he led Oregon to a 16-13 record and an NIT bid under first-year head coach Don Monson. Rasmussen was the Pac-10’s leading shot blocker, averaging 1.4 per game as he broke the UO single season record with 42. He again led the Ducks in scoring at 16.6 points per game. One of the highlights of that season was his 30-point performance in a 75-60 upset of No. 14 Wichita State.
As a senior, Rasmussen averaged 16.1 points per game to lead Oregon in scoring for the third consecutive season, something only three other UO players have accomplished ? fellow Hall of Honor inductee Ron Lee, Stan Love and Anthony Taylor. He also earned his third all-conference selection, a feat accomplished by only two other Oregon players ? Lee and Algot Westergren (1925-27).
"Nothing has been given to him," wrote The Oregonian’s Ken Goe toward the end of Rasmussen’s senior year. "Whatever Rasmussen is as a basketball player, he has made himself, with laborious effort and determination."
Rasmussen graduated with a degree in journalism/public relations and following his senior season, was selected by the Denver Nuggets as the 15th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. He played six years with Denver, helping the Nuggets win the Midwest Division in 1988 and advance to the postseason three times. He then played two years with Atlanta, finishing his career with an appearance in the 1993 playoffs, before retiring at age 30 due to chronic back problems.
Rasmussen, a three-time Oregon MVP, was inducted to the school’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
Following his playing career, he moved back to the Seattle area where he continued to stay involved with the sport of basketball as a volunteer coach for local boy’s and girl’s teams.
Rasmussen will become Oregon’s fourth inductee into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor, joining Lee, Hall of Fame coach Howard Hobson and retired Rear Adm., John Dick, U.S. Navy, of the 1939 NCAA Championship team.
Rasmussen resides in Mercer Island, Wash., with his wife Sarah and their five children: daughters Christine and Sabrina, and sons Sam, Joe and Jack.
