Ducks 'N Roses -- 30 Years Ago, Dick Ruhl And Oregon State; Now, It's Son Rich And Oregon

LEXINGTON, Ore. - The Ruhls and Rose Bowls seem to go together.

Thirty years after his father Dick played in the Rose Bowl as an inside linebacker for Oregon State, Oregon inside linebacker Rich Ruhl is in Pasadena.

"It's kind of weird how it was exactly 30 years apart," Rich Ruhl said. "I never thought it would happen, really."

Dick Ruhl attended all but two of Oregon's 12 games this fall.

"When that winning streak started and they just kept winning, it was kind of a dream, kind of a fairy tale," he said. "Somehow those kids, they just pulled it together."

Dad walked on at Oregon State

Dick Ruhl graduated from Heppner High School and was a walk-on at Oregon State. He returned to Lexington three years ago to help on the family farm after Rich graduated from high school in Roseburg.

Rich was home with his father and grandmother, Faye Ruhl, for the Thanksgiving holiday, enjoying a rare bit of calm.

The farm has been in the family since Faye Ruhl's grandparents homesteaded the place and Rich has spent most of his summers there.

"I really enjoy it up here. It's so peaceful," he said.

Rich had 13 unassisted tackles in Oregon's season-ending victory over Oregon State.

Ducks have been tempered

He thinks underdog Oregon will do fine against heavily favored Penn State. The Ducks, many say, played a more difficult schedule than the undefeated Nittany Lions.

"A lot of people say that - I've watched ESPN and stuff - it's going to be a no-contest game," Ruhl said. "Defensively, I know we get up for those kinds of games. I'm looking forward to a good defensive game for us."

High-school champion

When Ruhl was a high-school player, Roseburg made it to the state Class 4A football championship game each of his four years. When he was a senior, Roseburg and Tigard played to a tie in the championship game and Ruhl played against Jeremy Asher, who is now Oregon's other inside linebacker, his roommate and good friend.

Ruhl also competed against, and beat, Asher for the shot title in the state track and field championships when they were seniors in 1991.

The day after the Ducks returned to Eugene with a Rose Bowl invitation clinched, Ruhl and Asher went downtown and got "Rose Bowl 1995" tattoos.

While he's no stranger to postseason competition because of his high-school experience, and although his father can relate Rose Bowl experiences, Rich said he doesn't quite know what to expect.

First of all, have fun

"I've heard it's a lot of fun. They do a lot of things with us, they treat us really well down there. I'm looking forward to it. I just wish we could spend more time down there," Ruhl said.

"They were saying on the average 200 million people watch that game. I don't like to think about it when I go out on the field," he said.

Dick Ruhl said that in 1964 the Beavers spent 2 1/2 weeks at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on a trip that was the experience of a lifetime, he said, even though Oregon State lost the game to Michigan.

"I'm really thrilled," the elder Ruhl said. "I know what it means to play in that game."