Reunited on the road: Kristen Vogt Veggeberg, BA ’08 (medieval studies) 

Kristen Vogt Veggeberg lives in Chicago and has missed the energy and experience of seeing the Ducks play in Autzen. When  Oregon football flew east and landed in Evanston, Illinois to play the Northwestern Wildcats in September, she knew she couldn’t miss the chance to cheer on the Ducks once again.  

“As a Chicago Duck, it was a dream to watch our football team live like I did at Autzen Stadium in the 2000s. Low and behold, after joining the Big Ten, Oregon was in Cook County!” she said. “Watching them demolish the Northwestern Wildcats . . . was a special treat for me and my friends. All of us met in Ducks Village and played rugby in undergraduate.” 

Support among the opposition: Edwin Wehling 

Standing in a bright green jersey in a sea of white, Edwin Wehling was the smiling face that went viral on social media after the Ducks beat the Nittany Lions during Penn State’s white out game. Wehling loves the Ducks, even though he graduated from Arizona State University. 

“When Phil Knight got involved many years ago is when I started following the football team, and [I] just have been following [them] through the Pac-12 years. They were always intriguing to me and always were attractive to me,” he shared.   

During the week, Wehling works as a surgeon in Iowa, but on the weekends, he and his wife are wherever the Ducks are. “In the past few years, we've been able to slow down a little bit in our personal life, and we've been able to go to more games. And then this past year, we signed up for season tickets. We have a house in Jacksonville, and so we're up in Oregon a lot more. And then during the season, we're going to every game. We're actually going to all the away games as well.” 

Wehling said he remembers that single moment captured in the viral photo as pure joy. “We had just gone up 17–3 and they were in a TV timeout. And I was just so happy that we had just scored.”  

That joy, he shared, doesn’t just come from the game itself, but from every unique experience at different stadiums with opposing fanbases, and from seeing the team he cares about succeed. 

Honoring family legacy: June Liu, BA ’82 (leisure studies & services) and Sam Liu, BS ’85 (decision sciences, finance, and computer and information science) 

Alumni sibling duo June and Sam Liu have been traveling to Ducks games for 15 years, and their connection to the university runs deep. Their mom graduated from the UO, and they grew up in Eugene before attending the UO themselves. Traveling to support Oregon football isn’t just about cheering on their alma mater, but honoring their heritage too.  

“We have made . . . a commitment that anytime Oregon football is near either one of us or makes it to any kind of postseason play, that we will go,” June said. “I think part of that is not only our loyalty to the Oregon Ducks . . . but it's kind of an homage to our parents who always encouraged [us] and gave us opportunities to travel.” 

Of the two siblings, June shared that Sam is the bigger football fan. “Sam wears an Oregon shirt every day, or some form of Oregon every day . . . Probably in the last 20 years, I haven't seen him wear any other shirt,” she said.

Traveling with fellow alumni to the Penn State game through the UO Alumni Association’s Ducks Fan Travel program was a dream come true for Sam.  

“It was probably the most magical sporting event I've ever attended . . . to be sort of that little patch of green . . . in the visitor section. Even though we were . . . maybe 1,000 to 2,000 voices in a sea of 110,000, we know that the team can hear us and we feel like . . . we're actually making a difference,” he said. 

There’s a level of connection that they find traveling together for Oregon sports that’s particularly special for both of them.  

“It means a lot to be able to travel with [June] and experience . . . Oregon football with her,” Sam said. 

Heading East: Amy East, BA ’97 (political science, history), JD ’00; Marcus East, BS ’97 (general science); Lexi East, class of 2026; and Aidan East, class of 2028 

For the East family, traveling to cheer on the Ducks is a family affair. Amy and Marcus met at the UO and graduated with their bachelor’s degrees in 1997. Now, their two oldest children—Lexi and Aidan—study at the UO too. Amy said they’ve traveled with the UO Alumni Association nine times, tailgating and attending games across the country as a family.  

“It's what we do as a family. [Marcus’s] brother always tailgates with us. Some people go camping. We tailgate with the Ducks,” Amy said. 

When they traveled to Penn State, they reminisced about the birthplace of their kids and where Marcus went to medical school. The family called Pennsylvania home for eight years before returning to the West Coast in 2006. Traveling with the UOAA through the Ducks Fan Travel program allows them to maintain and create connections with both their immediate and extended Duck family.  

“I think the biggest draw for me has been the camaraderie that we have with the other alumni. It's just a fun group of people that want to travel with the Ducks,” Marcus said.  

Traveling with the Ducks 

Uniting over sports is a tradition almost as old as time. Whether an alum just graduated or flew the nest 50+ years ago, love for the Ducks brings the UO community together. As the postseason draws closer, so do new opportunities to connect with fellow Ducks. Stay tuned for opportunities through the Ducks Fan Travel program as the regular season progresses and we stay hopeful for an Oregon postseason run. Plus, join a local watch party near you, because when Ducks fly, they flock together. 

—By Sarah Bathke, BA ’25 (journalism), UO Alumni Association communications generalist