Photo Album: Gameday with athletics director Rob Mullens
GoDucks.com spent the day of Oregon's football game against Washington shadowing athletic director Rob Mullens. (Photos by Jose Magana, text by Rob Moseley)
6:01 a.m.: The Ducks don’t play Washington until 5 p.m., but Mullens’ day begins before dawn. After an early morning run, he’s on the couch for a traditional viewing of ESPN’s “College Gameday” with his sons.
9:45 a.m.: Tanner, 7, and Cooper, 10, get in a game of backyard football with their dad before he heads into the office.
1:03 p.m.: Among Mullens’ first guests of the day in the Casanova Center are the man responsible for its construction, former UO athletics director Bill Byrne, and his wife, Dr. Marilyn Kent Byrne. Byrne worked at Oregon from 1984-91, and was on hand for the 25th reunion of the 1989 Independence Bowl team that ended the Ducks’ 26-year bowl drought.
1:25 p.m.: Game day isn’t all about shaking hands and catching up with donors and other fans – a lot, but not entirely. Mullens squeezed in a conference call with a consultant about a possible future strategic initiative early in the afternoon.
2:06 p.m.: First stop after leaving the office is Oregon’s equipment room on the first floor of the Casanova Center. The Ducks will wear throwback uniforms in honor of the 20th anniversary of the 1994 team’s historic upset of the Huskies.
2:13 p.m.: Mullens make his way over to the Moshofsky Center. He does so sporting a pair of old-school Nikes pulled out of the closet in keeping with the retro theme of the evening – Nikes that will end up being a hit over the course of the day.
2:20 p.m.: Part of the day’s festivities surrounding the 1994 UW game will include Kenny Wheaton, author of “The Pick,” retracing his path on the interception return astride a motorcycle owned and ridden pregame by donor Rick Miller.
2:33 p.m.: Even Aaron Wasson, who runs the Oregon equipment room, with all its goodies from Nike, is impressed by Mullens’ retro kicks.
2:45 p.m.: The next hour or so is spent making the rounds of the Autzen Stadium parking lot. The tailgate hosted by retired federal judge Mike Hogan isn’t one to be missed.
2:47 p.m.: Along with some amazing sausages, Hogan cooks up a batch of curly fries – eighty pounds worth.
2:53 p.m.: Seriously, the shoes are a hit. Rudyard Coltman, who designed and built the Cinetopia entertainment complex in Vancouver, Wash., took a minute to admire them.
3:01 p.m.: Mullens stops to catch up with Jeff Paustian, a board member for the Oregon Club of Portland.
3:38 p.m.: Upon arriving at the tent of UO interim president Scott Coltrane, Mullens encounters a challenger to his shoe swag in Fred Poust, a resident of New York and former board member of the UO Alumni Association.
3:48 p.m.: Mullens chats with Coltrane, who announced a new $2 billion fundraising drive by the university the night before.
4:02 p.m.: It’s time to hit Autzen Stadium, with an hour before kickoff. Who better to chat Ducks-Huskies pregame than donors and long-time friends Phil Knight and Ken O’Neil?
4:10 p.m.: The latest admirer of the retro Nikes is Jamie Zaninovich, who in March was named deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the Pac-12 Conference.
4:30 p.m.: Nobody knows shoes like Nike design guru Tinker Hatfield.
4:30 p.m.: It’s a shoe showdown: Mullens and Hatfield compare footwear with UO director of men’s basketball operations Josh Jamieson and former Ducks standout Freddie Jones, who sports a pair of Hatfield-designed Air Jordans.
5 p.m.: The Duck leads Oregon onto the field to face the Washington Huskies, looking to maintain momentum after a win at UCLA the week before.
5:05 p.m.: Mullens watches the opening kickoff with executive senior associate athletic director Eric Roedl, the athletic department’s director of finance and administration.
5:19 p.m.: There was no better seat in the house from which to see freshman Royce Freeman score his first of four touchdowns on the day.
5:25 p.m.: Each home game as Mullens makes his way from the field to his suite in the press box, he shares a quick handshake or high-five with a handful of the same fans.
5:29 p.m.: The first stop is the suite reserved each week for the visiting athletic director, in this case Scott Woodward of Washington.
5:34 p.m.: Among those watching Oregon jump out to a big early lead over the Huskies from the president’s suite are UO Foundation president Paul Weinhold and, behind Mullens, former UO linebacker and now donor Ed Hagerty.
5:43 p.m.: Mullens drops in on the suite of former UO football player Bob Sanders, whose generous donation of $10 million will fuel construction of a new softball facility.
5:48 p.m.: On hand with representatives of Nike, and chatting here with Mullens on the landing behind the Autzen press box, is Nic Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers.
5:52 p.m.: Nearly an hour after kickoff, Mullens finally arrives at the AD suite. He chats with Bob Prather, whose Heartland Media, LLC, recently acquired a package of local television stations including KEZI in Eugene.
5:54 p.m.: These crazy Oregon football fanatics wouldn’t let Mullens say no to a request for a quick photo.
5:56 p.m.: Among the most prominent guests for the game was former UO coach Rich Brooks, whose 1989 team carried him off the field upon being introduced on the occasion of its 25th reunion.
6:16 p.m.: More than 12 hours after starting his day watching football with the boys, Mullens is back at it during the second quarter of the Washington game.
6:31 p.m.: That it’s been a long day begins to show as the sky darkens, and the athletic director starts to slow down a bit alongside his wife, Jane.
7:49 p.m.: Midway through the second half of Oregon’s 45-20 win over Washington, the outcome is no longer in doubt, and father and son are soaking it up.
8 p.m.: There's still time on the clock, but Mullens needs to head back down to the field and so says his goodbyes, including to Karen Brooks, Rich’s wife.
8:03 p.m.: Mullens follows the same path back down to the field, where he’ll walk to the locker room with players and coaches, and listen to UO coach Mark Helfrich address both his team and then the media.
9:45 p.m.: Quittin’ time.
