Fansided

Picking the Sports Mount Rushmore for all 50 states

By Dave Stevenson

PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 02: Detail of baseballs during batting practice to the MLB opening day game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 02: Detail of baseballs during batting practice to the MLB opening day game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Oregon

Oregon’s Mount Rushmore is stronger than most people think. It consists of two basketball players, a football coach and a runner.

Clyde Drexler starred for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1983 to 1995. He averaged 20.4 points per game, 5.6 assists per game and 6.1 rebounds per game with the team. Drexler is well known for his gravity-defying dunks and won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 with the original Dream Team. His No. 22 jersey was retired by the team.

Before Chip Kelly ruined the Philadelphia Eagles, he had a lot of success while coaching the University of Oregon Ducks. From 2009 to 2012, Kelly coached the Ducks to a Fiesta Bowl appearance and a Rose Bowl appearance. Kelly’s fast-paced offense revolutionized how people think about the game. It hasn’t worked for him in the NFL, but it was a lot of fun watching a college team use it. It’s telling that a lot of teams now employ Kelly’s methods in their own offenses. Kelly’s a very deserving member of Oregon’s Mount Rushmore.

Bill Walton led the Blazers to their lone NBA title in 1977. Walton was a dominant big man who won the 1978 NBA MVP award. Injuries eventually kept him from handling a starting role, but he was still a very valuable player off the bench.

Steve Prefontaine held every major American running record from 2,000m and 10,000m at one point. Perhaps America’s best long-distance runner ever, Prefontaine died in 1975. He set many American and collegiate records along the way.

Next: Pennsylvania