Inside Autzen

Official Review by Gary Herman, Guest Reviewer

Autzen Stadium opened in 1967 and is the home of the Oregon Ducks, who play college football in the Pac-10 conference. The stadium holds 59,000 which includes standing room. It's located just north of Williamette River, next to Alton Baker Park. This stadium is consistently ranked among the nation's top 10 venues to watch a college football game.

NFL players of note that have played their college ball at the University of Oregon include New York Jets backup quarterback Kellen Clemens, Baltimore Ravens starting right defensive end Haloti Ngata and running back Jonathan Stewart of the Carolina Panthers.

Food & Beverage    4

There are a couple of unique signature items including the Mighty Duck 1/2 lb. Black Angus Dog for $8 and the Wild Pacific Salmon Sandwich for $8.50.

Other options include deli sandwiches (Choice of Turkey, Ham or Pastrami) with chips and a pickle for $8.50, charbroiled Burgers $8.50 (with Cheese $9.50), or a bratwurst, italian sausage or red hot sausage with chips and pickle also for $8.50 each. Pepsi products are served and you can take home a souvenir cup for $4.50.

Overall, both the quality and variety of food is good, although everything may be just slightly overpriced.

Atmosphere    5

You can't beat the college experience especially when you see a top ranked school like Oregon play. It's a beautiful bowl shaped stadium with seating mainly comprised of benches. They do have regular seats in a secluded area in the lower portion of the bowl between the 20 yard lines.

The press box is located on the south side of the stadium. In addition, they have a three story skysuite complex to accommodate the corporate crowd who attend the games. There's a megavision scoreboard in the west end zone known as "DuckVision". This place is known for the crowd noise which was evident throughout the first half of the game I attended. It was 59-0 at halftime, so the crowd understandably lost its luster. I can only imagine how loud it gets when they play a Pac-10 rival. Furthermore, they have a Duck store where you can purchase souvenirs from your visit too.

Neighborhood    3

The surrounding area is comprised of a few places to eat plus a number of car dealerships and hotels are nearby.

Waterfront Bar & Grill is more of an upscale location to find a bite. Their menu includes steaks, lamb entrees, and salmon. The restaurant is located at 2210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., just a short walk to Autzen Stadium.

There's also a Chinese restaurant called Kowloon's if that tickles your fancy which is located at 2222 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Fans    5

The college crowd is always fired up for their team. The crowd is comprised of students, alumni and football fans like myself in general. Nothing beats a college atomosphere when it comes to the fans.

Access    3

Getting to and from the stadium was a hassle due to all the traffic I endured. Luckily for me I was able to get off an exit or two before the stadium where I picked up a shuttle bus for $5 round trip which turned out to be a blessing and a bargain.

The parking lots we passed as we got close to the stadium were $10 then $20 plus you would have had to sit in more traffic just to get to them so I know for a fact the shuttle option is the best way to go especially if you've never been there before.

Return on Investment    5

I wound up scoring a ticket outside for $20 even though the face value was $35 it would have been worth that price as well if not more. It was a great time and experience there.

Extras    1

I met up with with some young kids at the game thanks to a guy named Kevin Feist who I met with his family at Yankee Stadium on August 6th who was wearing a Oregon Duck shirt. They were visiting NYC for the first time. They were from Burns, Oregon. Kevin coached Kellen Clemens when he was in high school in Burns. As a result, I met his son Caleb and his 3 friends at the game which made my overall experience complete.

Final Thoughts

I highly recommend if you happen to be in the state of Oregon in the fall and the Ducks are home that you should plan on taking in a game so you can see it for yourself.

Gary Herman is the Prince Charming of Stadium Travel at Royalty Tours USA.