PORTLAND, Ore. — In 2021, several sports stories dominated interest in Portland. Ryan Crouser's gold medal performance in the Tokyo Olympics, the Portland Timbers' run to the MLS Cup final, culminating in a championship match at Providence Park, and the change in leadership at the top for the Portland Trail Blazers were among the local sports stories that captured the interest of KGW's viewers.
Here's a look at the biggest sports stories for fans in the Portland metro area for 2021:
Honorable mention
A team of 11 and 12-year-olds from Lake Oswego advanced to the Little League World Series and won their first game there. They dropped the next two but it was a memorable run all the same. ... Damian Lillard kept Blazers fans guessing about his intentions all summer long, with reports about him considering leaving Portland surfacing for the first time. Thankfully for Portland, Lillard has since reiterated, on more than one occasion, his commitment to the Blazers. ... Oregon State football had its best season since 2013, finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record and making it to a bowl game. The Beavers lost to Utah State, 24-13, in the LA Bowl on Dec. 18. ... A couple Olympians with local ties performed well at the Tokyo Olympics. Future Oregon State gymnast Jade Carey won gold in the floor exercise and Vancouver native Jordan Chiles won silver in the gymnastics team final for Team USA. ... Blazers guard Anfernee Simons became the first player in team history to win the Slam Dunk Contest. ... Portland State football coach Bruce Barnum picked up the tab for more than 2,000 beers — it cost him more than $14,000 — after promising to buy beer for fans who showed up to the team's home opener against Western Oregon.
10. Oregon State men's basketball reaches Elite 8
Picked to finish last in the Pac-12, the Beavers beat five Associated Press Top 25 teams, the most since their 1975-76 team won the same number. They won their first game in the Big Dance since 1982, tied the 1963 Final Four team for the most tournament wins in school history with three, and matched Missouri in 2002 as the worst-seeded team to reach the Elite Eight. Oregon State's dream NCAA Tournament run ended with a 67-61 loss to second-seeded Houston in the Elite 8, but it was a run the school's fans won't soon forget.
9. Oregon hires Dan Lanning as head football coach
Mario Cristobal left Oregon after four seasons to coach his alma mater at the University of Miami, leaving a big void at the top of the Oregon Ducks football program. Oregon interviewed Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. They even flirted with former coach Chip Kelly. But in the end, the Ducks hired George defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to be the program's new football coach. Under Lanning, Georgia's defense ranked first in scoring defense in the country, allowing just 9.54 points per game.
8. Winterhawks change longtime mascot
The Portland Winterhawks unveiled a new logo in July, retiring its Native American logo and mascot after 45 years. The day of the announcement, the team's online storefront had the new logo emblazoned across the top of the webpage with the following message: "It's time to take a step forward. To define our own identity — our own look, our own feel, our own experience. It's time to build community. It's time for the future." In 2020, Portland's Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) started a petition asking the team to change its branding. The petition garnered more than 4,000 signatures.
7. Blazers hire Chauncey Billups as head coach
Longtime head coach Terry Stotts was fired in June, shortly after the Blazers lost in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. The ensuing process to hire a new head coach was mired in controversy from the start, with the Blazers coming under fire because two candidates, Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups, had a history of violence against women. The Blazers eventually hired Billups, who was accused of rape in 1997. He was never charged and settled out of court in 2001 after the woman sued him in civil court. Many Blazers fans were also upset because the Blazers passed over another finalist, Becky Hammon, who would have been the first female head coach in the NBA. The Blazers didn't make things better during Billups' introductory press conference, as president of basketball operations Neil Olshey refused to answer follow-up questions about the Blazers' investigation into the rape allegation. Later, a report from Oregon Public Broadcasting indicated the investigation by the Blazers was not as thorough as Olshey had promised.
6. Central Catholic caps perfect season with championship
The Central Catholic Rams ended a perfect 14-0 season with a 44-14 blowout victory in the 6A state championship game against Tualatin. The Rams repeated as champions, having also won the state championship in 2019 against Lake Oswego. There were no playoffs in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Central Catholic was dominant all season and won their four playoff games by 49, 31, 42 and 30 points. In the championship game, sophomore quarterback Cru Newman completed 12 of 24 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 11 times for 116 yards. Senior running back Ellis Bynum had 13 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns and junior tight end Riley Williams ended up with four catches for 140 yards and one touchdown.
5. High school football returns after pandemic hiatus
In early September, after a year away from action, Friday night high school football returned to the Portland metro area. Fans showed up, bringing face masks and a healthy dose of school spirit. Said one parent, Gina Nelson, at a game on Sept. 3 at Franklin High School: "It feels really good, the night's beautiful and it's nice to see everyone celebrating and doing normal things." The season continued through the regular season and into the playoffs, where champions were crowned again after a year without championship games.
4. Thorns hire general manager, head coach
The Portland Thorns replaced their head coach and general manager, hiring two women to fill two of the top positions for Portland's women's soccer team. New head coach Rhian Wilkinson replaced Mark Parson, who left the Thorns to take a job as the head coach of the Netherlands women's national team. And new general manager Karina LeBlanc replaced Gavin Wilkinson, who was removed as general manager in the wake of an investigation into the Thorns' handling of former players' sexual harassment allegations against former coach Paul Riley.
3. Blazers fire Neil Olshey
The Blazers fired Neil Olshey, the team's president of basketball operations, in early December, following a month-long independent investigation into the workplace environment under Olshey. According to Yahoo Sports, employees described a "toxic, hostile work environment where staff members [were] subjected to intimidation and profanity-laced tirades, among other bullying tactics." In the statement announcing the termination, the Blazers said they fired Olshey because of violations of the team's code of conduct, but didn't release the findings of the investigation. "This is a decision the fan base is galvanized on, people who've dealt with Neil Olshey are galvanized on," said Oregon columnist John Canzano. "I don't see anybody protesting this right now and in a strange way this is like the one basketball decision everyone agrees upon." Joe Cronin, the team's director of player personnel, was promoted to interim general manager and made a positive impression in his first news conference.
2. Portland Timbers play for MLS Cup at Providence Park
The Timbers came up short in the championship match against New York City FC, losing in a shootout, 4-2, but it didn't make the team's run to the MLS Cup final any less thrilling. The Timbers, who made their third appearance in an MLS Cup final, hosted the championship match in Portland for the first time. Following several days of festivities in downtown Portland leading up to the championship match, thousands of Portland Timbers fans packed Providence Park on a cold, rainy Saturday to cheer on their team. Even after the heartbreaking defeat, Timbers fans stayed in the stands after the game to cheer for the team at the end of a special season.
1. Ryan Crouser brings home Olympic gold
Ryan Crouser, the 28-year-old Oregon native, made history at the Tokyo Olympics, winning the gold medal in the shot put when he broke his own Olympic record with a throw that went 76 feet, 5 1/4 inches. It was Crouser's second consecutive gold medal in the shot put after winning in Rio in 2016.
Ryan Crouser's gold medal win
Crouser grew up in Boring and was part of the class of 2011 at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham. After Crouser won, he held up a sign that said, "Grandpa, we did it. 2020 Olympic champion." Crouser said he dedicated his gold medal win to his grandfather, Larry, who died the day before Crouser left for Tokyo. "I know that he was with me in the stadium tonight," Crouser said.