DALLAS, Texas – Terry Frei knew that it was a possibility, however the likelihood appeared slim. After all, Ohio State barely snuck into the inaugural College Football Playoff and was facing No. 1 ranked Alabama. Oregon’s chances to move onto the final were more logical, and it’s 59-20 win over Florida State proved it.
But as the night came to a close, and as a desperation heave from Alabama quarterback Blake Sims fell into the hands of an Ohio State defender, Frei was letting it be known what the matchup between Oregon and the Buckeyes would emulate.
In 1939, Ohio State and Oregon, known as the Webfoots then, met in a 9,000 seat arena on the Northwestern campus in the first ever NCAA Basketball National Championship. 76 years later, the two will meet in the first ever College Football Playoff final.
Frei knew this because he authored the book, “March 1939: Before the Madness,” that was released in February of 2014.
There will be a few drastic differences between the two games. For one, this year’s championship game will be played in a mega-plex that cost $1 Billion to create. In addition, the national television audience is likely to set records based upon the semifinal games’ rates. In 1939, the official audience was 5,000.
But for the former Oregonian sportswriter and author, the similarities are still easily noticeable.
“I think you can overstate the differences between 1939 and today, there was still locally, extreme pride and passion about college sports,” Frei said. “While you didn’t have that broad brush of national attention, at a local level there was great fervent interest in the local teams.”
It’s especially evident with how Eugene celebrated after Oregon’s 46-33 win. As told by Frei, Oregon students rushed the streets, “and the Eugene Register-Guard the next morning would say they ‘took the town like Hitler took Czechoslovakia.’”
Frei’s ties to that game don’t stop there. The son of former Oregon head football coach, Jerry Frei, Terry lived the first 17 years of his life in Eugene, Oregon.
His father, Jerry, was an assistant for 12 years and a head coach for five in, as Terry notes, a completely different time for athletics at the school.
Offensive line coach Steve Greatwood remembers Jerry as far back as when he was a youngster attending Len Casanova sports camps. The longtime assistant now works in an office named after him.
Terry knotted those ties with Oregon even further last year when his father was honored at the 2014 spring game.
“I think it was great to have them back and have Jerry honored because Jerry didn’t leave here in the best circumstances,” Greatwood said. “I think it was really good for the family, that ‘hey this is still home.’”
That connection is a reason why Terry says passion oozes out of every page. The only regret he has is that he did not get to the writing of the book sooner, as a number of the participants in the game had already passed away.
Oregon’s basketball team,”The Tall Firs” as Oregonian editor H.L. Gregory trademarked them, became infamous for their imposing lineup. It included two players listed at 6-foot-4 and one at 6-foot-8. Their matchup with Ohio State became a trail blazer for what the NCAA Basketball Tournament is today.
The College Football Playoff may now take the same type of track, which to Frei is the ultimate similarity between the two. It’s the first one.
As for what an Oregon championship might mean, Frei doesn’t concern himself with that type of discussion.
“I’m not going to sit here and say that that is the absolute ultimate,” Frei said. “I’ll be pumping a fist or two, but I don’t get caught up that a championship validates anything in sports.”
He’s leaning towards Oregon though, and in a fitting way too. His prediction has the Ducks winning, 46-33.
“Lets hope history can repeat itself,” Greatwood said.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise