Lord Love a Duck

As I sat down to my computer early Tuesday morning, I was astonished and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of former Portland Trailblazer center Kevin Duckworth. In a time when the sports world is completely commercialized, I call recall a time of my own when the "grass roots" marketing approach of the Blazer franchise of old led to my only encounter with the man affectionately known as "The Duck".

Kevin Duckworth was a second round pick of the San Antonio Spurs who was acquired in a trade by Portland for Walter Berry, a collegiate juggernaut out of St. Johns who never really established himself as an NBA player. When Duckworth was brought to the team there was no city wide gathering in Pioneer Courthouse Square or even a big greeting at the airport. He arrived in the city with very little fanfare at all.

When "The Duck" joined the Blazers there were already two centers in front of him on the depth chart, Sam Bowie, who was out that season with a broken leg and Oregon State's own Steve Johnson, who had taken over the starting center position in Bowie's absence. Despite his current standing, it wouldn't take long for Kevin Duckworth to ascend to becoming an crucial part in the Blazers line-up.

Going into the 1987-88 season, the Blazers had much reason for optimism. However that optimism was thought to be dashed before the season ever started. Bowie was lost for the second season in a row to a broken leg and shortly after the regular season began, center Steve Johnson would succumb to injury. Going forward, the Blazers would be forced to rely on the unproven seven footer from Eastern Illinois. It would not be long before the Blazers realized that wasn't such a bad thing after all.

The Blazers themselves were in a great state of transition. They had an up and coming star in shooting guard Clyde Drexler and a reliable floor leader in point guard Terry Porter. The starting small forward position was well manned, but in a state of flux. Two time All Star Kiki Vandeweghe, who had been a prolific scorer for the Blazers in previous seasons, had been suffering from back injuries. His understudy, Jerome Kersey, had slowly been gaining prowess and chipping away at Vandeweghe's minutes. When Vandeweghe's injury forced him to the sidelines, Kersey took away the starting small forward position never to relinquish. This became the core group that would drive the Trailblazers seasons to come. Rip City was about to erupt. When veteran power forward Buck Williams was acquired following the 1988-89 season, the Blazers had assembled their starting line up, a line up that would be atop the Western Conference for years to come.

It was sometime during the early portion of that era, when I was an early teenager, that my aunt made it a point to drive my cousins and myself to the Old Cannery Mall in Corvallis, Oregon. There I would be introduced to my first NBA player, Kevin Duckworth. He was just coming into his own and was out doing one of the many guest appearances that professional athletes do. At the time, he was the tallest man I had ever seen in my life. I was a devout Blazer enthusiast and I was thrilled to meet him. "The Duck" was terribly gracious and very unimposing for a man of his size. He came across as a gentleman who would take the time necessary to make each person feel of importance. It was there that I beat Kevin in a free throw contest on a seven foot tin hoop and won a prize. I recall thinking I could make it in the NBA if I, as a teenager, can beat Kevin Duckworth in a free throw contest. Oddly enough, that one never panned out.

On the flip side, I remember to this day being a little disenchanted that more people had not shown up to meet "The Duck". Their was maybe a dozen people and very little fanfare. I remember thinking to myself that here stood one of the greatest assets to a great franchise and nobody came out to see him. It was disheartening to see and I wished I would have been able to remedy it myself.

For years, Duckworth remained in the shadows of his teammates. At times, he suffered intense fan indignation, occasionally by Blazers' fans, and immense media scrutiny. He was placed under the microscope far more than any of his teammates. Much of the attacks from the media seemed to address Duckworth's weight . It was a sensitive topic to him and although he always remained in good condition for those many years, it was always a very easy target for the press. As I look back on "The Duck" and I begin to realize that he was vastly unappreciated as he should have been. He absorbed far too much of the burden when the Blazers did not win and never received the proper credit when they did. It was pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle when some of your teammates are amongst the most athletically gifted and flashy the league has to offer and it sure as heck would be easy to be considered "out of shape" in comparison. Eventually Kevin Duckworth became the scapegoat for many fans when the Blazers could not get back to the apex of the Western Conference. Despite his efforts, "The Duck" became the focus of the team's substandard performance and it wasn't long before he was eventually jettisoned to Washington Bullets.

Upon the completion of his career, Kevin chose to remain in Portland. He always remained true to 'RIP CITY". He continued to remain an ambassador for the franchise where he obtained his greatest success and for the city that he had come to call home. He remained an ambassador up until the final hours of his life.

In the hours before his public memorial service, I rest here with many hopes and prayers on my mind and with the comfort that my fellow Oregonians won't let me down. I hope that as the city of Portland goes far out of their way to pay their respects to Kevin Jerome Duckworth. I pray that legions of Blazermaniacs make way to "Glass Palace" to honor and remember their hero and fallen prince. I pray that Kevin is able to witness from above a standing ovation greater than the one he received in his return to the lineup in Game 7 of the 1990 conference semifinals against the Spurs. I pray that Kevin's family are comforted and are taken in by the wonderful and caring attributes a city like Portland has to offer. Most of all, I pray that we never forget this great man, ambassador, friend and teammate we've all lost. To answer the long awaited question that's been on the minds of opposing teams fans for many years, "What is a 'Duck' worth?" The answer is simple: More than you will ever know.

Thank you for your life and stewardship, Kevin.

R.I.P.