In his column titled "The University of Oregon to Save Oregon Wrestling: Kiss Off", long-time Oregonian sportswriter Ken Goe presented the ongoing efforts of Paul Fenley, who heads up the National Wrestling Restoration Foundation, and former Oregon Ducks head wrestling coach Ron Finley, to bring back intercollegiate wrestling to the school ... and the stunning response from officials at Oregon.
Fenley and Finley had been working with the idea to raise $10 million for a wrestling endowment to restart the varsity program, which they believed would generate enough income to sustain a program at Oregon.
Beth Campbell of the Duck Athletic Fund had other ideas. In early October, she wrote to Fenley and Finley, saying, "I recently learned that you had asked for information on what it might take to bring back the wrestling program. In my research, I have been told that it would take a $75 million endowment that would kick back $3 million annually which would cover wrestling and adding another sport to stay compliant with Title IX."
Goe quoted former UO wrestler Hank Hosfield: "That's a kiss-off figure. That's supposed to be discouraging, and it is discouraging."
According to Goe, the Duck Athletic Fund's figures are based on two mistaken assumptions: lower-than-expected investment income ... and that running a NCAA Division I wrestling program is a pricey proposition, requiring $2-$3 million a year. (Oregon State manages to do it for just over $900,000 a year.)
As Goe points out, the varsity sports programs at Oregon with expenses of more than $2 million for 2016 are football, baseball, basketball, women's basketball and track & field. He also shares figures with other UO programs which are arguably comparable to wrestling, in terms of scholarship numbers (wrestling is limited to 9.9 scholarships). Women's soccer, which has a limit of 14 scholarships, has projected expenses of $1,228,675 ... while women's tennis, with eight scholarships, comes in at $763,598.
If all this weren't bad enough for wrestling fans in the state of Oregon and beyond, follow-up correspondence from the University of Oregon is potentially even more chilling.
Goe reported that a subsequent email from an UO spokesperson stated, "To add any sports, first of all there has to be (a) fit before an endowment would even factor in."
As Goe wrote, "That leaves open the possibility that even if presented with a $75 million check, the UO athletic department could decide wrestling didn't ‘fit.'"
The Oregonian sports columnist added, "It's hard to know what the current administration has against wrestling. It's one of the original Olympic sports. There is a strong wrestling tradition in Oregon high schools."
The University of Oregon decided to cut its wrestling program in 2007, replacing it with men's baseball and competitive cheerleading. Duck wrestlers, coaches, and supporters filed a lawsuit but the courts ruled the team filed too late. Various individuals and organizations such as Save Oregon Wrestling and the National Wrestling Restoration Foundation continue the fight to bring back varsity wrestling to the school in Eugene.
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