What do you get when you cross wild rice and apples? No, it’s not a new low-fat holiday dish, but rather this year’s presidential Sun Bowl wager. University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer and his counterpart at the University of Minnesota, Mark Yudof, will ante up some all-natural fare for the Friday, Dec. 31, contest in El Paso, Texas. If the Minnesota Golden Gophers lose to the UO Ducks, Yudof says he’ll send Frohnmayer five pounds of Minnesota wild rice. If the Ducks lose, however, Frohnmayer will send Yudof an assortment of Medford pears and Hood River apples.

More than 300 Duck fans will fly south on Wednesday, Dec. 29, to root for their team as part of the UO Alumni Association (UOAA) Sun Bowl charters. Fans traveling in the Eugene charter will depart the Eugene Airport at 8 a.m. on Miami Air Flight 615, arriving in El Paso at 11:50 a.m. mst. Fans traveling in the UOAA Portland charter will take off from Portland International Airport at 7 a.m. on Miami Air Flight 614, arriving in El Paso at 10:55 a.m. mst. After the big game on Saturday, Dec. 31, Portland-area fans will leave El Paso at 5:30 p.m. on Miami Air Flight 616, arriving in Portland at 7:25 p.m. pst. Eugene-area Duck fans will take off from El Paso at 6:30 p.m. on Miami Air Flight 617, arriving in Eugene at 8:20 p.m. pst. SOURCE: Kathie Bedbury, UOAA associate executive director, (541) 346-2102.

—30—

#T-4033/Local,PDX