The Oregon Ducks will most likely have a celebrity cheering from the sidelines for the next four years — and no, not Mr. Shoedog Millionaire.
One-half of the legendary hip-hop group OutKast, Big Boi, will have connections to Eugene when his son, Cross Patton, laces up his cleats. Big Boi announced that Patton had committed to play for University of Oregon on Oct. 19.
Patton is a senior at Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. He’s listed as a running back and corner back on MaxPreps.com, a user-generated website for high school sports. As a running back this season, he’s had 219 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Last year as a junior, he had three rushing touchdowns, 336 rushing yards and an average of 26 yards per kick return.
Here’s a video of Patton’s highlights. The guy shows that he’s not only able to find defensive holes when rushing, but he can break some tackles to grab extra yards. He’ll fit in well if he gets tapped to work with C.J. Verdell next year.
Patton received one of the scholarships from the Ducks — too bad it couldn’t go based on a need-basis because I’m sure Big Boi could foot the bill for out-of-state tuition at UO.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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