| Teamname: | Oregon State Beavers football |
| Currentseason: | 2024 Oregon State Beavers football team |
| Firstyear: | 1893 |
| Athleticdirector: | Scott Barnes |
| Headcoach: | Trent Bray |
| Headcoachyear: | 1st |
| Hcwins: | 0 |
| Hclosses: | 0 |
| Stadium: | Reser Stadium |
| Stadiumbuilt: | 1953 (Reser Stadium) |
| Stadcapacity: | 35,548 |
| Stadsurface: | FieldTurf |
| Location: | Corvallis, Oregon |
| Ncaadivision: | I FBS |
| Conference: | Pac-12 |
| Confdivision: | North (2011–21) |
| Atwins: | 569 |
| Atlosses: | 629 |
| Atties: | 50 |
| Bowlwins: | 12 |
| Bowllosses: | 8 |
| Conftitles: | 7 (1893, 1897, 1941, 1956, 1957, 1964, 2000) |
| Heismans: | Terry Baker – 1962 |
| Allamericans: | 8 |
| Fightsong: | Hail to Old OSU |
| Mascotdisplay: | Benny Beaver |
| Marchingband: | Oregon State University Marching Band |
| Pagfreelabel2: | Outfitter |
| Pagfreevalue2: | Nike |
| Websitename: | OSUBeavers.com |
| Websiteurl: | https://osubeavers.com/sports/football |
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893[1] and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference.
Their home games are played at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.
See also: History of Oregon State Beavers football, List of Oregon State Beavers football seasons and List of Oregon State Beavers bowl games.
Football at Oregon State University started in 1893 shortly after athletics were initially authorized at the college, which was then known as Oregon Agricultural College. Athletics were banned prior to May 1892, but when the school's president Benjamin Arnold died, his successor John Bloss reversed the ban.[2] Bloss' son, William, started the first team, on which he served as both coach and quarterback.[3] The team's first game was an easy 64–0 victory on November 11, 1893, over visiting Albany College.[4]
The university has been in several athletic conferences. Prior to joining the Pac-12 Conference (then called the Pacific-8 Conference), OSU intermittently played as an independent school.[5]
Oregon State has won seven conference titles, done through four different conferences, although two of them have links to the current Pac-12 Conference, as the conference claims the history of the PCC as their own, and the Athletic Association of Western Universities was the first name for the conference that later became the Pac-12 Conference.[7] [8]
| 5–1 | 3–0 | ||||
| Oregon Intercollegiate Football Association | Will Bloss | 6–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 8–2 | 7–2 | ||||
| Pacific Coast Conference | 7–3–1 | 6–1–1 | |||
| 1957† | Pacific Coast Conference | Tommy Prothro | 8–2 | 6–2 | |
| 1964† | Tommy Prothro | 8–3 | 3–1 | ||
| 2000† | 11–1 | 7–1 |
The 1897 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football team compiled a perfect 5–0 record, shut out four of five opponents, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 164 to 8. the team claimed their 2nd league Championship (OIFA)[9]
The Aggies defeated Oregon (26–8) and Washington (16–0).[10]
With those two wins, they then proclaimed themselves regional "Champions of the Northwest".[11]
The 1907 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football team represented Oregon Agricultural College (now known as Oregon State University) as an independent during the 1907 college football season.
In their second season under head coach Fred Norcross, the Aggies compiled a perfect 6–0 record, did not allow any of their opponents to score, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 137 to 0. The Aggies' victories included games against Oregon (4–0), Pacific University (49–0), and Willamette University (42–0).[10]
Oregon State's victory at Loyola, then known as the St. Vincent's College Saints, was a big deal out West, a Thanksgiving Day matchup of the "Champions of the Northwest" and the "Champions of the California", with the winner taking home the "Championship" of the entire West Coast.[12]
The Oregon Agricultural Aggies' then proclaimed themselves "Champions of the Pacific Coast"[13]
This is still the only perfect season in Oregon State history, and moreover, they did not allow a single point this season.[12]
List of head coaches and tenure.[14]
See main article: List of Oregon State Beavers bowl games. Oregon State University has played in 20 postseason bowl games.[15] The Beavers have also played in the Mirage Bowl, but this was a regular season game and a "bowl" in name only, not a post-season invitational bowl game.[16] The Beavers lost the 1980 edition of the game against No. 14 ranked UCLA 34–3 in front of 80,000 at National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.
The 20 bowl game total does not include an invitation to play in the Gotham Bowl in 1960, when no opponent could be found for Oregon State.[17] The Beavers are 12–8 in bowl game appearances.
| Pineapple Bowl | W 39–6 | ||||
| Lon Stiner | W 20–16 | ||||
| Lon Stiner | Pineapple Bowl | W 47–27 | |||
| Rose Bowl | Iowa | L 19–35 | |||
| Tommy Prothro | None Found | ||||
| Tommy Prothro | Liberty Bowl | W 6–0 | |||
| Tommy Prothro | Rose Bowl | L 7–34 | |||
| L 3–34 | |||||
| Oahu Bowl | L 17–23 | ||||
| Dennis Erickson | W 41–9 | ||||
| Dennis Erickson | Pittsburgh | L 13–38 | |||
| New Mexico | W 55–14 | ||||
| Mike Riley | Insight Bowl | Notre Dame | W 38–21 | ||
| Mike Riley | Sun Bowl | Missouri | W 39–38 | ||
| Mike Riley | Emerald Bowl | Maryland | W 21–14 | ||
| Mike Riley | Sun Bowl | Pittsburgh | W 3–0 | ||
| Mike Riley | Las Vegas Bowl | BYU | L 20–44 | ||
| Mike Riley | Alamo Bowl | Texas | L 27–31 | ||
| Mike Riley | Hawaii Bowl | Boise State | W 38–23 | ||
| LA Bowl | Utah State | L 13–24 | |||
| Jonathan Smith | W 30–3 | ||||
| L 8–40 |
See main article: Reser Stadium. The Beavers play their home games at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. It was originally called Parker Stadium when it was constructed in 1953, and had a capacity of 25,000. Parker Stadium was renamed Reser Stadium in June 1999. Major renovations from 2005 to 2016 increased the stadium's capacity to 43,363, where it stood through the 2021 season.[18] Another renovation project, called "Completing Reser", was announced on Feb. 4, 2021.[19] The stadium featured a temporary capacity of 26,000 during the 2022 season[20] and now has an official capacity of 35,548 at the completion of the construction project for the 2023 season.[21]
See main article: Oregon–Oregon State football rivalry. Oregon State University's primary rival is the University of Oregon. The two schools enjoy a fierce and long-standing rivalry due to the proximity of the two campuses. The University of Oregon is in Eugene, Oregon, about 40miles south of Corvallis.
The teams first matched up on the gridiron in 1894 and have been playing each other almost every year since. The rivalry game between the two schools is traditionally the last game of each season and was long known under the moniker "Civil War Game." The two schools have played each other 127 times which makes it the seventh-oldest college football rivalry game. Though not officially recognized by the universities, the Platypus Trophy is awarded annually to the winning alumni association.
See main article: Washington State Cougars.
The rivalry between Washington State started in 1895 when Washington State defeated the Beavers 41–35. The rivalry between the two schools has transformed after the 2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment made them the only schools remaining in the Pac-12. The Cougars have led the series 57–48 and won the last matchup with a score of 38–35. The Beavers largest margin of victory was 66–13 in 2008, while the Cougars largest margin of victory was 55–7 in 1991. Oregon State's longest win streak against the Cougars is six straight from 1966 to 1971, while Washington State's longest against the Beavers is ten straight from 1983 to 1993.
See main article: Northwest Championship. Is a rivalry between Oregon State, Washington State, Washington state and Oregon. The four Pacific Northwest rivals began playing in a round-robin format in the 1903 season. No trophy is awarded to the Northwest Champion, and no organization grants the title,[22] although in 2002, the Washington Huskies wore homemade t-shirts for the Northwest Championship.[23] [24] [25]
See also: List of NCAA football retired numbers.
| 11 | 1959–1962 | [26] [27] |
Although not a retired number Oregon State has "AL" displayed opposite Terry Baker's number "11" in Reser Stadium for long time donor/philanthropist/contributor Al Reser.
Players
Terry Baker (1962)
Terry Baker (1962)
Alexis Serna (2005)
Mike Hass (2005)
Brandin Cooks (2013)
Terry Baker (1962)
Jack Colletto (2022)
Mike Kline (1961)
Terry Baker (1962)
Terry Baker (1962)
Terry Baker (1962)
Terry Baker (1962)
Anthony Gould (2022)
Terry Baker (1988)
Pellom McDaniels (2015)[28]
Esera Tuaolo (2024)[29]
Coaches
Dennis Erickson (2000)
Mike Riley (2008)
Mike Riley (2012)
Jonathan Smith (2022)
John Cooper (2016)
Jacquizz Rodgers (2008)
Bill Swancutt (2004†)
Stephen Paea (2010)
Brandon Browner (2003)
Jeremy Perry (2005†)
Jacquizz Rodgers (2008)
Jermar Jefferson (2018)
Damien Martinez (2022)
Dave Kragthorpe (1989)
Dennis Erickson (2000)
Mike Riley (2008)
Jonathan Smith (2022†)
Joe Francis (1957)
Terry Baker (1962)
Vern Burke (1963)
Pete Pifer (1966)
Terry Baker (1962)
Vern Burke (1963)
Pete Pifer (1966)
Esera Tuaolo (1989)
Inoke Breckterfield (1998)
Bill Swancutt (2004)
Stephen Paea (2008, 2009)
†Shared Award
Oregon State has had 53 first team All-Americans in the history of the program as of the end of the 2023 season, with 8 Consensus All-Americans and 2 Unanimous All-Americans.[30]
† Consensus Selection, ‡ Unanimous Selection[31]
The Beavers have had three players and three coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[32]
| 1982 | 1960–1962 | |||
| 1991 | Coach | 1955–1964 | ||
| 2008 | 1963–1964 | |||
| 2011 | 1967–1968 | |||
| 2019 | Coach | 1999–2002 | ||
| 2022 | 2002–2005 |
On December 1, 2023, it was announced that the Beavers and the Washington State Cougars would each play six Mountain West Conference opponents, five opponents from the Power Five conferences and one FCS opponent for the 2024 season.[33]
| Idaho State | Portland State | Sacramento State | Portland State | Idaho | San Jose State | Ole Miss | |
| Oregon[34] | Fresno State | Texas Tech | New Mexico | at New Mexico | at San Jose State | ||
| Purdue | at Texas Tech | at San Diego State | at Ole Miss | ||||
| at Boise State | Houston | at Houston | |||||
| California (tentative; location TBD) | |||||||
| Virginia (tentative; location TBD) | |||||||
| Washington State(TBD) |