Life without Hayward Field: How the Ducks are getting along without the iconic stadium

Pete Martini
Statesman Journal
Construction on the new Hayward Field project continues May 6 at the University of Oregon.

EUGENE — Hayward Field has long been the mecca of U.S. track and field, with a deep history rich with sports icons.

This season, the sound of crowds cheering on the Oregon track and field team has given way to the sounds of construction, as a 21st Century version of Hayward Field is being built.

The new facility, expected to be completed next spring, will be a track and field stadium unlike any other in the nation. But the absence of the old facility is being felt.

Hayward Field has been not only a big part of the University of Oregon campus, but also a major part of the country’s track and field community.

Bill Bowerman, former Oregon and U.S. Olympic track and field coach, co-founded Nike with former Oregon athlete Phil Knight. Hayward Field was home to both men, as well as Steve Prefontaine, the eccentric Oregon and Olympic distance runner whose life and early death were depicted in multiple films, including “Prefontaine” and “Without Limits.”

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And in more recent history, Olympic gold medalists such as decathlete Ashton Eaton, and sprinters English Gardner and Phyllis Francis have called Hayward Field home while competing for the Ducks.

In all, the old Hayward Field was home to seven Oregon men’s national championship teams, and three Oregon women’s national championship teams. It also hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials six times — 1972, 1976, 1980, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Workers continue with construction May 6 on the new Hayward Field project at the University of Oregon.

Life without Hayward

Oregon’s track and field success isn’t something left in the past.

The Ducks continue to be one of the nation’s top programs, recently winning the men’s team national championship in 2014 and 2015, and the women’s team national championship in 2015 and 2017.

This season, the Oregon men won the Pac-12 championship, and the women finished second in the conference, and they did it despite not having a home facility.

Destruction of the old Hayward Field began last summer, and with construction of the new facility still in progress, the Ducks have had to make do without a home track.

“It sucks. I can’t beat around the bush,” said Tristan James, a West Salem graduate who won the Pac-12 title this season in the long jump. “I’ll say it before, and I’ll say it again — there’s just that thing that Hayward has. Even just to practice at a stadium like that is just really fun.”

James said it was tough to see the old Hayward Field torn down.

“It was like, how can you do this? It hurt a little bit,” he said. “It was like a piece of our heart was going away.”

This spring, the Ducks have done some work in the weight room and at the Moshofsky Center indoor facility.

But when they have wanted to use a track, one place they turned to was Hamlin Middle School in nearby Springfield.

“They have a brand new track. I think it’s a year or two old. And that’s been cool getting out to an actual track,” said James, one of three West Salem graduates on the Oregon track and field team, along with Keira McCarrell and Jacob Miller. “It’s a little tough. And it’s tough not having home meets. I think it keeps us on our toes, though. When we compete, we’re on the road. It does suck a little bit, but I think it will be rewarding in the end.”

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The new Hayward Field project at the University of Oregon is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2020.

Update on project

While there is no specific completion date for the new Hayward Field project, it remains on schedule to open in the spring of 2020, even with delays caused by winter weather in Eugene.

“Operations did stop during the snow,” Oregon spokeswoman Molly Blancett said. “But the pause will not greatly impact the overall timeline.”

While the exact timeline remains in flux, the project will need to be completed by June 19, 2020, in time for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

The cost of the project was not available, but an earlier report by the Register-Guard had the cost at about $200 million.  

“The project is fully funded by gifts from Penny and Phil Knight and more than 50 other donors,” Blancett said. “We are thrilled with the progress. Things are really starting to take shape.”

After the 2020 Olympic Trials, during which athletes will compete to qualify for the Tokyo Games, the new Hayward Field will host the 2021 IAAF World Championships. It will be the first time that the event has been held in the United States.

The new facility will have a 12,500 seating capacity that will be expandable to 30,000.

According to Blancett, almost 300 people are working to build the new facility, which will include “brand new locker rooms, weight training facilities and a practice area that includes a six-lane, 140-meter straightaway.”

The old Hayward Field was a place where fans could enjoy the history of track and field, especially those connected with the Oregon program.

Blancett said that the new project will pay respect to that history.

“The Hayward Field Museum will honor the history of Hayward,” she said, “and the people that paved the way.”

James said he is looking forward to seeing the new Hayward Field.

“I’ll definitely be coming back to check that out and see what it’s like,” he said. “I’m really excited for the younger guys to experience the new Hayward Field. They weren’t here to experience the old one, but I think there’s going to be a lot of energy at the new one for the younger generation.”

Construction at Hayward Field is expected to be completed next spring.

High school meets

One of the great joys of being a high school track and field athlete in Oregon is that many were able to experience Hayward Field during the OSAA state championships.

Hayward Field has hosted big-school state track for decades, and in 2013, it began hosting the state championships for all six classifications.

At that point, every high school track and field athlete who advanced to the state tournament was able to experience Hayward Field.

“Looking back (to my time in high school), it was pretty jaw-dropping: ‘Wow, this is U of O, this is Hayward, this is the real deal.’ Only people who have competed at Hayward Field can understand that magic,” James said. “I’m really excited for future generations to get back to Hayward Field and experience the new and improved Hayward Field.”

With Hayward Field under construction, the OSAA had to split up the state tournaments between two sites — Western Oregon University and Mt. Hood Community College.

The OSAA Class 4A and 3A state meets are set for Friday and Saturday at Mt. Hood Community College, and the 2A and 1A meets are the same two days at Western Oregon.

The 6A and 5A state meets are set for May 24-25 at Mt. Hood Community College.

OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber said they are waiting to decide on next year’s state tournaments.

“We’ve kept in touch with the University of Oregon on the progress of the Hayward Field construction,” Weber said, “and hope to return there for our championships as soon as we are able.”

Pete Martini covers high school and college sports for the Statesman Journal. Consider supporting his work by subscribing. You can contact Pete at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6730 and follow @PeteMartiniSJ

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