John Mackey was Johnny Unitas' tight end with the Baltimore Colts, a three-year starter at Syracuse and the first modern tight end, a bruising blocker and a superb athlete who played basketball and lacrosse for the Orangemen.
Mackey made five Pro Bowls and caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Johnny U. in Super Bowl V, a ball deflected off Duck Hall of Famer Mel Renfro. Deflected twice, the freak, heads-up play set a Super Bowl record for the longest pass play at that time, since surpassed.
Winning the Mackey would be a big deal for the Oregon program, the first in school history to go along with Mariota's Heisman, Penei Sewell's Outland Trophy and the Dave Rimington Award won by Jackson Powers-Johnson in 2023.