Bomb threat clears Hayward Field before NCAA championships

A phone bomb threat forced an evacuation at Hayward Field and jolted Eugene’s biggest track venue just as athletes were arriving for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. University of Oregon police and other responders cleared the stadium after the call came in around 1:09 p.m., with many college athletes still inside the facility.

An automated fire alarm message then played through Hayward Field around 1:38 p.m., telling people to leave. University police gave the all clear about 4:00 p.m., saying there was no threat, while the investigation into the source of the call continued. No injuries and no discovered device were reported in the initial response.

The timing heightened concern across the University of Oregon campus and around the 15th Avenue and Agate Street corridor, where Hayward Field sits as one of Eugene’s most visible national-stage venues. The championships were set to begin the next day, leaving officials to manage security, preparation and access at a site that would soon host one of the biggest events on the college track calendar.

Hayward Field has been home to the University of Oregon track and field program since 1921, and the rebuilt stadium opened in 2020. The university says 20 records have been set or broken there, and it says the decathlon world record has been broken at Hayward more often than at any other venue. That history made the disruption especially notable for athletes, officials and spectators already converging on Eugene.

The response also fit a broader public-safety system that Lane County and Eugene have built around major events. Eugene police say the Eugene Police Explosive Disposal Unit is a joint Eugene Police Department and Lane County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad that serves Lane County and handles more than 150 calls for service in a typical year.

Eugene police have also said Joint Hazard Assessment Team trainings at Autzen Stadium have included bomb threats, active shootings, unattended bags, biochemical threats and radiation threats. Those drills have incorporated major events such as the Olympic Trials and the 2022 World Athletics Championships, underscoring how seriously local agencies treat threats at large sporting venues.

For Eugene, the bomb threat was more than a temporary interruption. It was a test of the city’s security planning at a landmark that draws national attention, and a reminder that one call can instantly reshape the opening hours of a championship weekend.