To The Biggest Duck Fan I've Ever Known
Lessons in fandom and faith from my cousin Paul.
My cousin Paul loved a lot of things. He loved his family and friends; he loved his church; and he loved his Ducks.
Born and raised in Eugene, Paul earned his degree from the U of O and enjoyed more football victories per capita than pretty much any Oregon fan in history.
He and his brother Michael grew up in Duck jerseys.
They spent their formative years memorizing the fight song, clamoring for player autographs, and just looking cute as all get out in green and yellow.
It’s the kind of childhood that sounds familiar to the one I shared with my brother—and it probably sounds familiar to a lot of you, too.
And that born-in-feathers beginning—along with Oregon’s meteoric rise to the top of the college football world—made Paul into the kind of Duck fanatic that I’ve always admired.
He loved to see the Ducks win, and he certainly took the big losses to heart, but he seldom (if ever) gave into the negativity that runs rampant through so many sports circles.
In fact, Paul’s special brand of unwavering optimism is the kind of fandom that I talk about a lot in this blog.
When things would go wrong for the Ducks, he was patient and hopeful.
He never took the easy way out by immediately jumping to: “Fire the coach” or “Bring in the backups!”
Paul would instead consistently be the one to text my cousins and I something to the effect of, “there’s still a chance,” during a game where there was absolutely no chance at all.
When Oregon baseball couldn’t throw a strike to save our lives against Texas A&M this past spring, Paul refused to lose faith. He texted us: “Putting on a rally cap (wearing my tie-dye Save Mac Court shirt just by chance btw).”
Man, fans like Paul will have my heart forever.
And I believe that I wouldn’t be the Duck fan I am today if I hadn’t grown up with Paul as a clear example of how to do it right.
He was the older cousin that would always let me play the latest version of NCAA on his Xbox or share his latest set of men’s basketball cards that he had just gotten at Mac Court.
At our yearly family reunion in Waldport, Paul and I would often write our own raps about the Ducks, family members, or about the coast itself. He loved his Ducks and he felt compelled to write about them.
I can relate.
As you’ve probably put together by now, Paul passed away a few weeks ago.
He leaves behind his brother Michael, his loving parents Leo and Julie, and an immeasurable network of family and friends that loved him dearly.
His love for the Ducks was just one piece of who he was, so please do me the favor of reading his full obituary here.
Additionally, Paul was on the way to earning his masters to become a teacher.
The Paul Lyford Memorial Scholarship fund has been created to honor his passion for education and his love for O’Hara Catholic School in Eugene (which you may remember in the news as being the birthplace of the phrase: Jesus, Girls, and Marcus Mariota).
It would mean the world to those who’ve loved Paul if you made a donation of any amount to help local kids in Eugene.
You can donate to the Paul Lyford Memorial Scholarship fund here.
To close this out, I wanted to leave you with a Duck-inspired poem that Paul sent me a few months back.
It’s a story of history and hope in a way that only he could’ve written it.
By Paul Lyford
Huard dropped back
Kenny jumped the out
Jerry lost his mind
Phil said, “that's what I'm talkin’ about.”
The Moshofsky Center was raised.
As were expectations.
Akili,
Then Captain Comeback,
Caught the attention of the nation.
Kellen went down,
Dennis did too.
Jeremiah trucked Lance Mitchell.
Chip changed the game, it's true.
Dyer wasn't down.
Maldonado went wide left.
Ertz was in, they said.
Yes, we blame the refs.
St. Marcus won the Heisman
The first playoff game wasn't anyone's,
But Zeke wouldn't be stopped.
So Ducks suffered again.
Coaches left for their dream schools.
Justin showed who he really is.
Dan came to town
And made the culture his.
Ducks have been to the heights and depths,
An awesome roller coaster ride.
But despite the many heartbreaks
True Ducks never lose their pride.
We remember where we came from,
And hope that as champions, we'll Shout.
Because Huard dropped back
And Kenny jumped the out.
Go Ducks.
Special thanks to the Lyford family, Leo, Julie, & Michael, for being the first to read this piece, and for allowing me to share some words about Paul and his Ducks.
Beautifully written tribute, and I loved the poem. Sending love to you and the family. Go Ducks!
Thank you for writing this and sharing it! I loved every word.