A dozen Oregon Ducks football records that are unlikely to be broken

In the wake of LeBron James making history on Tuesday night by becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, passing Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, we got to thinking here at Ducks Wire.

That feat by James was unimaginable for much of his career. With Abdul-Jabbar’s record standing for almost 39 years, it seemed outside the realm of possibility that anyone would score more than 38,388 points in a single career. Of course, then King James came around and made it all possible.

So, what are some records at the University of Oregon that might be unlikely to be broken in the future? Are there any feats that Duck football players have accomplished over the past century in Eugene that were so legendary that they will never be replicated?

This question intrigued me. I dove into Oregon’s history books and looked at some of the most notable performances. As it turns out, there are quite a few statistics that it would be hard to break going forward, whether it be due to the fact that players typically don’t stick around for four years in college anymore, or that the transfer portal sees to it that few guys are at a single school for their entire career.

I would certainly love to be wrong, but here are the records that I don’t think will be broken in Eugene for a long time coming.

Career Passing Yards — 10,796

Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Record Holder: Marcus Mariota

Years Record was Set: 2012-2014

Analysis

By all accounts, Bo Nix had an incredible year in 2022 with the Ducks. However, if you gave him the same amount of time that Marcus Mariota had, he still wouldn’t break the passing yards record, coming up just short. It’s no surprise that Mariota is at the top of this list, averaging just under 3,600 yards per season. It’s not the last time Mariota will be mentioned here, either.

Second Place on Record List: Justin Herbert (10,541 yards)

Career Passing Touchdowns — 105

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Record Holder: Marcus Mariota

Years Record was Set: 2012-2014

Analysis

Told you that Mariota would be on this list quite a bit. The fact that Mariota was able to get into triple digits for career passing touchdowns is remarkable, averaging 35 per season. There wasn’t a single season where he had fewer than 30, and Mariota threw for an incredible 42 during his Heisman campaign in 2014. What’s even crazier is that the second-place finisher for this record has 10 fewer than Mariota, and the third-place finisher has almost 30 fewer career passing TD than that.

Second Place on Record List: Justin Herbert (95 TD)

Career Rushing Yards — 5,621

(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)

Record Holder: Royce Freeman

Years Record was Set: 2014-2017

Analysis

Rare are the days that you see an elite running back not only stick around for four years in college but start for those four years as well. Freeman averaged over 1,4000 rushing yards per season and was able to be the picture of longevity in Eugene, staying healthy for a whopping 51 career games at Oregon. That’s incredible in its own right.

Second Place on Record List: LaMichael James (5,082 yards)

Rushing Yards in Single Game — 321

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Record Holder: Kenjon Barner

Year Record was Set: 2012

Opponent: USC Trojans

Analysis

I think a lot of Oregon Duck fans remember this day pretty well. No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 17 USC, down in Los Angeles. It was a shootout, with the Ducks winning 62-51 and holding court over the Trojans. Barner was unstoppable, clearly, and his 321 yards are unlikely to ever be sniffed in a single game again for Oregon.

Second Place on Record List: LaMichael James (288 yds vs. Arizona, 2011)

Career Rushing TD — 60

(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Record Holder: Royce Freeman

Years Record was Set: 2014-2017

Analysis

Another Royce Freeman record that, with all due respect, has a lot more to do with longevity as a Duck than any single-season production. Freeman averaged 15 TD per season, which doesn’t stand up to LaMichael James’ 21 in 2010, or Kenjon Barner’s 21 in 2012. However, the fact that Freeman was able to continually be so great for so long is why this record will likely never be touched. If it is eventually threatened, you can almost guarantee that whichever RB comes into contention will need a full four years to do so.

Second Place on Record List: LaMichael James (53 TD)

Rushing TD in Single Game — 5

Steve Dykes /Allsport

Record Holder (Tie)

• Saladin McCullough

• Kenjon Barner

Years Record was Set

• 1996 (McCullough)

• 2012 (Barner)

Opponent

• Arizona Wildcats (McCullough)

• USC Trojans (Barner)

Analysis

We already talked about Kenjon Barner’s incredible game against the Trojans — this was the same day that he set the single-game rushing yards record at 321 — but it’s nice to see a legend like Saladin McCullough get onto the list. McCullough is No. 18 on Oregon’s all-time career rushing list, with 26 career TD. We’ve seen games with 5-total TD from players — usually quarterbacks — in recent memory, but it would be quite impressive to see an RB do it again in the near future.

Second Place on Record List: Royce Freeman (4 vs. Washington, 2014)

Receiving Yards in Single Game — 242

Todd Warshaw /

Record Holder: Tony Hartley

Year Record was Set: 1998

Opponent: Washington Huskies

Analysis

Tony Hartley doesn’t get enough credit as one of the best wide receivers to ever play at Oregon. He is second on the all-time receiving list, behind only Samie Parker, and his 242 yards against the Huskies in 1998 is a tough number to beat.

Second Place on Record List: Dillon Mitchell (239 vs. Stanford, 2019)

Receiving TD in Single Game — 4

Otto Greule /Allsport

Record Holder: Keenan Howry

Year Record was Set: 2001

Opponent: Arizona State Sun Devils

Analysis

We’ve seen a lot of guys get 3 receiving touchdowns in Eugene, but nobody has been able to tie or break this mark set by Keenan Howry in over two decades. With the WR talent that Oregon now has, you can believe that someone may tie it in the near future, but breaking this record seems almost impossible.

Second Place on Record List:

• Ed Dickson

• Jeff Maehl

• Josh Huff

• Bralon Addison

• Juwan Johnson

Total Career TD (Passing/Rushing/Receiving) — 134

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Record Holder: Marcus Mariota

Years Record was Set: 2012-2014

Analysis

Would you look at that, another Marcus Mariota record. When you look at what he was able to do as both a passer and a runner in his career with the Ducks, then it just gets unfair with the numbers that he was able to put up. This is absolutely a record that only another QB could touch, and they’re going to need to be incredibly special to even come close. Don’t believe me? Check out who is No. 2 on this list, and notice that Mariota’s TD total is nearly double their tally.

Second Place on Record List (Tie): Justin Herbert (108)

Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly had Justin Herbert and Joey Harrington listed as No. 2 on the list with 77 total touchdowns. 

Single Season Interceptions — 13

David Boss-USA TODAY Sports © Copyright David Boss

Record Holder: George Shaw

Year Record was Set: 1951

Analysis

Good old George Shaw. Was he the best QB Oregon has ever seen? Was he the best CB the Ducks have ever seen? Is it a little bit of both? Shaw was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Baltimore Colts in 1955 and won a Super Bowl. As a two-way player, he was also electric on defense. It’s hard to see anyone getting as many INTs in a season as Shaw did.

Second Place on Record List: Jake Leicht (10 in 1945)

Tackles in Single Game — 22

Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport

Record Holder: Lerry Wilson

Year Record was Set: 1983

Opponent: Houston Cougars

Analysis

Remember a couple of years ago when Justin Flowe had 14 tackles in a single game against Fresno State and we all went crazy? Now add another 8 to the total and you’ve got the record. Just remarkable.

Second Place on Record List: Dan Ralph (1983 vs. Oregon State Beavers)

Career Sacks — 29.5

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Record Holder: Nick Reed

Years Record was Set: 2005-2008

Analysis

Sacks is a fun stat to track because it is such an impactful play. There was no player that did it better than Nick Reed in Eugene, who helped lead the defense at the end of the Mike Bellotti era.

Second Place on Record List: Ernest Jones (29.0 sacks)

Career Field Goals — 51

(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Record Holder: Aiden Schneider

Years Record was Set: 2014-2017

Analysis

I don’t mention this record because it’s going to be impossible to break, but rather because it’s one that will be interesting to watch this year. Aiden Schneider finished his career with 51 field goals; current UO kicker Camden Lewis is entering his final season sitting at 37 field goals. In 2022, Lewis hit 14 field goals — the same number that he needs to tie Schneider’s record. That will be fun to track this season.

Second Place on Record List: Jared Siegel (49 field goals)

Single Game Field Goals — 6

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Record Holder: Paul Martinez

Year Record was Set: 2005

Opponent: Montana

Analysis

Six field goals in one game? As impressive as that is for a kicker, I have a feeling that fans probably left pretty frustrated with the offense for not being able to punch in at least one or two of those drives for a TD. Fortunately, the Ducks blew out Montana 47-14 in the game.

Second Place on Record List: Aiden Schneider (4 vs. ASU) 

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire