The Track and Field home of the Oregon Ducks is set to be demolished starting this week in anticipation of a new Stadium-Style Hayward Field for the 2020 season.
This past weekend was the last for Historic Hayward Field as fans packed the Grandstands one final time during the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Over the better part of the last decade, the Oregon Ducks have had a big home-field advantage with track meets at Hayward Field, but on Monday, the hammers started tackling the job to start of demolition of the 99-year-old East Grandstand and home of Oregon Track and Field.
Over the next month, the current Hayward Field will be gone, much to the sadness of much of the Eugene Community who have watched Track and Field for generations on the Track and sat clapping in unison as they gained knowledge on the sport to pass down. The East Grandstand is where construction workers started on Monday, moving wood planks. Work will soon move to the Main Grandstand.
Hayward will be rebuilt for the 2021 World Championships and that work will begin in earnest with razing the current Hayward Field starting on June 19th. The University of Oregon has released preliminary traffic plans to start with roads being closed and construction equipment being brought in over the coming month to finish the dismantling process.
The home of the Oregon Ducks Track and Field team went out in style, with a sold-out crowd watching as the USC Trojans took the team title in the 4×400 final, beating the Georgia Bulldogs in the process by a single point.
My memories of Hayward Field will always be of the people. My first experience was broadcasting live hourly reports during the 2012 Olympic Trials in a heavy downpour. I was also there for the 2016 Olympic Trials and more than one Outdoor Championship. Rain also helped close out the Historic Complex on Saturday with more than one downpour to mark the occasion. I know the weather likely helped share the feelings of many in attendance who watched so many young men and women share their talent.
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Some will be remembered more than others. Steve Prefontaine helped to lead Oregon Track and Field into what it has become today. The Hayward Field Magic will be something that cannot be removed and the hope is that in 2021 it returns to help bring in more memorable performances in a State of the Art Stadium set to host the World.