Oregon's Patrick Chung, making a tackle against USC earlier this season, is one of only five players left on the Duck roster who participated in a recruiting weekend that will forever be remembered by not only the players, but NCAA regulators.
It was Jan. 9-11, 2004, and Oregon sent out a fleet of chauffeured cars and private jets to bring 25 recruits to Eugene. Thirteen of the players ended up signing with the Ducks and the five who are left — rover Chung, linebacker Jerome Boyd, defensive tackle Ra'Shon Harris, offensive tackle Jake Hucko and special teams standout Willie Glasper — will participate in Tuesday night's Holiday Bowl.
After Tuesday, only Glasper will have eligibility left.
After arriving in Eugene, all of the players were treated to dinner at the Oregon Electric Station. Hucko told Rob Moseley of the Eugene Register-Guard that he "definitely had a couple of lobster tails."
Oregon spent $150,000 on that recruiting weekend and when the details got out — along with scandals at Colorado and Miami — the NCAA decided to crack down with regulations that banned the use of private jets, souped-up cars and excessive meals during official visits.
It was a blow to Oregon's program because getting commercial flights to Eugene can be difficult for many players.
The image of Chung is courtesy of Image of Sport, a one-stop sports photography wire service and digital archive to meet the demands of daily newspapers and editorial publications.
Comments