Ashton named best Oregon Athlete

It started as an office debate, then we posed the question to readers: Who is Oregon's greatest athlete? It grew from there to a top 64 bracket challenge, complete with readers filling out their own versions and following along. We asked, polled and discussed with you. Now the verdict is in:

Ashton Eaton is Oregon's Greatest Athlete of All Time.

I have no doubt this choice will be controversial for some, enthusiastically applauded by others. From the start, Eaton -- the world record holder in the decathlon -- has been touted frequently in comments from readers and he handily defeated all other athletes he faced in polling -- with one exception.

In voting for the Final Four, it appeared as though Terry Baker had defeated Eaton by 14 votes. However, in checking votes in our system, we discovered a number of spam votes that had to be disqualified, which changed the outcome of the poll. I heard from plenty of readers about this, but it was the right thing to do. This contest is far from scientific but we did want to make it as fair as possible (and, no, we did not find evidence of spam voting in any other polls throughout this process).

So, there you have it. Ashton Eaton it is, according to thousands of votes from readers.

How Eaton won:

He defeated Thomas Tyner in the Round of 64, Mel Counts in the Round of 32, Dan O'Brien in the Round of 16, Mel Renfro in the Round of 8 and Terry Baker in that controversial Final Four. He faced Oregon legend Steve Prefontaine in the final, winning with 64 percent of the vote.

More on Eaton:

Born in Portland, Ashton Eaton, 26, graduated from Mountain View High School in Bend in 2006 and holds the world record in the decathlon, having scored 9,039 points in June 2012, and in the heptathlon, having scored 6,645 points. The multi-event star is a three-time USA outdoor champion, a 2012 USA Indoor long jump champion, a 2013 World Outdoor gold medalist, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, a two-time World Indoor gold medalist (2012, 2014), and a 2011 World Outdoor silver medalist. Eaton, who attended the University of Oregon, won three NCAA decathlon championships (2008-10), two heptathlon championships (2009-10), and is a three-time Pac-10 champion (2008-2010). 

--Erik C. Anderson

A sampling of reader comments about Eaton:

OreOre: Eaton would beat Prefontaine in 9/10 decathlon events. He's stronger, faster, jumps higher, etc. Olympic champion, world champion, world record holder. Straight up superior athlete.

JEL: Eaton no contest. Pre had promise but died before he achieved it.   Eaton Won a Gold medal AND got the World record in a very difficult event.  

macmorrison: My heart is with Prefontaine, but my mind is with Eaton-Olympic Gold Metal, world record etc. I voted for Eaton based on his overall athleticism, not just running. The decathlon tests multiple skills, not just speed and endurance.

westsider: Some added words about Ashton Eaton

Decathletes peak at age 28-30 as they develop technique and strength, but he won Olympic gold and set the WR at 24 yrs old.

His decathlon long jump at the 2012 Olympic trials would have won the individual event.

He's world class at the 110m and 400m hurdles.

He broke Dan O'Briens 20 yr old indoor heptathlon record (6476) while still in college, and has extended it to over 150 points more.  The person who takes that record from him hasn't been born yet.

Ashton Eaton vs. Steve Prefontaine. 

It's come down to this in our quest to name Oregon's Greatest Athlete of All Time: Ashton Eaton vs. Steve Prefontaine. Two native Oregonians who competed in track and field for the University of Oregon and became known worldwide. One, currently in his prime; the other, taken before his full potential was known.

You have until Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. to vote. Results will be available Wednesday.

1 Ashton Eaton vs. 1 Steve Prefontaine

How they got here:

Readers voted Eaton past Thomas Tyner, Mel Counts, Dan O'Brien, Mel Renfro and Terry Baker. Prefontaine ousted Steve Jones, Peter Jacobsen, George Shaw, Dick Fosbury and Danny Ainge.

Ashton Eaton

Born in Portland, Ashton Eaton, 26, holds the world record in the decathlon, having scored 9,039 points in June 2012, and in the heptathlon, having scored 6,645 points. The multi-event star is a three-time USA outdoor champion, a 2012 USA Indoor long jump champion, a 2013 World Outdoor gold medalist, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, a two-time World Indoor gold medalist (2012, 2014), and a 2011 World Outdoor silver medalist. Eaton, who attended the University of Oregon, won three NCAA decathlon championships (2008-10), two heptathlon championships (2009-10), and is a three-time Pac-10 champion (2008-2010). 

--Erik C. Anderson

Steve Prefontaine

Prefontaine was born in Coos Bay and attended Marshfield High starting in 1965. He won cross country state titles as a junior and senior and added state titles in the 1-mile and 2-mile races as a senior. He attended the University of Oregon where he won three NCAA cross country championships and four straight 5,000-meter titles in track. He never lost an NCAA race. He was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team and finished fourth in the 5,000 meters. He set American records in every major distance race, but passed away in 1975 before his second chance at the Olympics in 1976. He is the most iconic American runner of the 1970s, helping spark Nike's position as global brand in the running world.