The 1967 Oregon State Beavers football team represented
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
in the
1967 NCAA University Division football season
The 1967 NCAA University Division football season was the last one in which college football's champion was crowned before the bowl games. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Div ...
. The
Beavers
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...
ended this season with seven wins, two losses, and a tie, and outscored their opponents 187 to 137. Led by third-year head coach
Dee Andros
Demosthenes Konstandies Andrecopoulos (October 17, 1924 – October 22, 2003) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics He was the head coach at the University of Idaho from 1962 to 1964 and Oregon State University from ...
, Oregon State finished with 7–2–1 record, 4–1–1 in the
Athletic Association of Western Universities
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
(informally Pacific-8, a name it officially adopted the following year) tied for runner-up for a second consecutive year.
In a four-week period, the Beavers became the only team to ever go undefeated against three top two teams in one season since the inception of the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
, earning the nickname
Schedule
The Beavers had a 7–2–1 record, 4–1–1 in the
Athletic Association of Western Universities
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
. Ranks are prior to kickoff.
Roster
*QB
Steve Preece, Jr.
*OG Rocky Rasley, Jr.
*Skip Vanderbrundt, Sr. (defense)
*Bobby Mayes, Jr. Offense
*C John Didion, Jr. Offense
Game summaries
Before the season
Oregon State ended the
1966 season on a six-game winning streak. Nobody expected much out of the Beavers in 1967; even the Oregon State media guide said that the Beavers would be "rebuilding" in 1967. Quarterback
Paul Brothers, who led Oregon State to the
Rose Bowl as a
sophomore after the
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
season, and fullback
Pete Pifer, the Beavers' all-time leading rusher, had graduated. The starting quarterback was junior
Steve Preece, the
wunderkind
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
Andros had recruited from
Boise, Idaho
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...
, shortly after he arrived at Oregon State. Another newcomer on offense was junior fullback
Bill "Earthquake" Enyart, who previously backed up Pifer. Too talented to keep off the field, Enyart had earned
All-Coast honors at linebacker in 1966. The 1967 team only boasted six seniors.
Stanford
Stanford made their first trip to
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
, in 12 years. Oregon State and Stanford met for the first time
in three years, when the Indians almost derailed the Beavers'
Rose Bowl trip. Oregon State entered the game a one-point favorite. In the second quarter, the Beavers' Billy Main opened scoring by running in untouched from five yards out. Mike Haggard's extra point gave Oregon State a 7–0 lead. The lead lasted all of fifteen seconds, as Stanford's Nate Kirtman returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, knotting the score at seven. Six minutes later, a ten-yard punt return by Mark Waletich gave the Beavers the ball at the Indians' 39. Oregon State drove 34 yards to set up Mike Haggard's 22-yard field goal with less than three minutes left. On the ensuing kickoff, Stanford's
Gene Washington mistakenly downed the ball at his own one-yard line. The Indians could only manage four yards and Stanford could only manage a 10-yard punt. The Beavers could only manage four yards themselves, but Haggard's 28-yard field goal gave Oregon State a 13–7 lead with just over a minute left in the first half. In the second half, Stanford could only muster a 44-yard field goal attempt, which fell short of the crossbar. The Beavers'
Skip Vanderbundt
William "Skip" Gerard Vanderbundt (born December 4, 1946) is a former American football linebacker in the NFL from 1969-1978.
He played college football at Oregon State University and was selected in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the San F ...
killed off three drives with interceptions. His second was with less than five minutes left. His last was at the Oregon State 16 with 1:25 left, which effectively ended the game. The Beavers did not win another season opener
for a decade, under second-year head coach
Craig Fertig.
Arizona State
In heat, Andros summed up the playing conditions by saying, "It's hot as hell."
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
caught the first break, recovering an Oregon State fumble at the Beaver 20. Oregon State's Mike Groff ended the threat by intercepting Ed Roseborough at the Beaver 15. Six plays later,
Steve Preece dove in the end zone for a 7–0 lead. The Sun Devils responded by driving 63 yards for a touchdown of their own but missed the extra point. Late in the second quarter, Oregon State's
Don Summers ran in from one-yard and Mike Haggard's extra point split the uprights. The Beavers went into the locker room up 14–6.
In the first four minutes of the second half, Oregon State extended the lead on Preece's six-yard touchdown, but Haggard's extra point was blocked. In the third quarter, Arizona State benched Roseborough in favor of
Rick Shaw. Shaw led the Sun Devils on a 47-yard drive and hit
J. D. Hill
J. D. Hill (born October 30, 1948) is an American former professional player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Arizona Sta ...
for a two-point conversion to pull within six. Midway through the fourth quarter, Preece ran in for his third touchdown of the game. Arizona State countered with a late touchdown to make the score a more-respectable 27–21 but never seriously threatened after that. The Sun Devils went 8–1 the rest of the way, only losing by two to undefeated Wyoming, which finished #6 in the AP Poll, one spot in front of the Beavers.
Iowa
In the seventeen seasons from 1956–1972, Oregon State and
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
played 12 times, more times than Oregon State played conference opponents California and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
in the same period. The Hawkeyes won the first five meetings, but the Beavers won the sixth 17–3 in 1966. In the first seven minutes, Oregon State built a 14–0 lead. Steve Preece scored the first, running untouched into the end zone from 35 yards out. Billy Main scored the second by dragging two defenders into the end zone. Main tacked on a second touchdown from 40 yards out later in the quarter. The Beavers had a chance to add another first-quarter touchdown but fumbled at the one. Oregon State got the ball back at their own six, and drove 94 yards on 11 plays.
Bill Enyart
William "Bill" "Earthquake" Donald Enyart (April 28, 1947 – February 10, 2015) was an American football player, a fullback for the Buffalo Bills and linebacker for the Oakland Raiders
Early life
Born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Enyart grew up ...
's two-yard second quarter plunge put the Beavers up 28–0. Mike Haggard tacked on a 27-yard field goal for a 31–0 halftime lead. Iowa managed to outscore Oregon State 18–7 in the second half, although the Hawkeyes' final touchdown came with three seconds left. The nine-game winning streak remains the Beavers longest since 1962–1963.
Washington
By the time Oregon State arrived in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, the season was already beginning to take its toll on the Beavers. Defensive starters, Harry Gunner and Mark Waletich, were sidelined. Gary Houser was unable to play tight end but still managed to perform his punting duties. Oregon State fumbled on its second play from scrimmage.
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
drove to the six before Charlie Olds came up with an interception in the end zone. The Beavers subsequently drove 80 yards in 14 plays for a touchdown, capped off by Steve Preece's one-yard plunge. Mike Haggard shanked the extra point, one of only three missed extra points in 1967, to keep the score 6–0. The Huskies responded by driving 72 yards to set up a 21-yard field goal to pull within three. Late in the half, a bad punt was nullified because the Beavers were called for clipping; instead of Oregon State getting the ball at their own 42, Washington took over at the Beaver 36. The Huskies drove 27 yards in five plays to set up a 26-yard field goal, which sent the teams into the locker rooms tied at six. Neither team threatened until the fourth quarter. The Beavers fumbled at their 35. From there, Washington's Carl Wojchiechowski ran in from 18-yards out with two minutes left to win 13–6.
Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
was 2–1. Their only loss was to undefeated
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
in
Laramie. Wyoming finished the season #6 in the AP Poll. The Cougars had defeated New Mexico and West Michigan by a combined 55 points. On Oregon State's second play from scrimmage, Steve Preece was intercepted. Eight plays later, the Cougars were up 7–0. Later in the quarter, Don Whitley intercepted a Brigham Young pass and returned it to the Cougar two. On the next play,
Bill Enyart
William "Bill" "Earthquake" Donald Enyart (April 28, 1947 – February 10, 2015) was an American football player, a fullback for the Buffalo Bills and linebacker for the Oakland Raiders
Early life
Born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Enyart grew up ...
plowed in for a touchdown, knotting the score at seven. The Beavers’ best drives in the second quarter ended on a fumble and a missed 50-yard field goal. Brigham Young scored on a 40-yard field goal with less than three minutes left to take a 10–7 lead. They tacked on a 68-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-point lead into halftime.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Cougars added another touchdown for a 24–7 lead. Brigham Young was driving again in the fourth quarter, but Mark Waletich came up with an interception at the Oregon State two yard-line. The Beavers drove 98 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass from Preece to Billy Main to pull within 11. The Beavers’ best drive after that point ended after an interception. After Oregon State's defense forced a punt, the Beavers’ next drive ended when Preece's pass bounced off a receiver's helmet and was intercepted by
Bobby Smith. Smith returned the interception 27 yards for a touchdown to wrap up the Brigham Young victory. Oregon State committed 11 turnovers in the game, one fewer than the 12 the Beavers committed over the next five games.
Purdue
Entering the game, three undefeated teams topped the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
: the Trojans, the
Boilermakers
A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dep ...
, and the Bruins. All three were on the Beavers’ schedule over the next four weeks. The first was #2 Purdue, the defending
Rose Bowl champions on a nine-game winning streak. In 1967, the Boilermakers started the season beating
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and
#1 Notre Dame. The week before Oregon State came to
West Lafayette
West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister c ...
, Purdue beat Ohio State 41–6 in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
. The win remains the largest by any team over the Buckeyes in
Ohio Stadium since 1946.
Purdue's stars were
Mike Phipps
Michael Elston Phipps (born January 19, 1947) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Phipps played college footbal ...
at quarterback, Jim Beirne at end and
Leroy Keyes
Marvin Leroy Keyes (February 18, 1947 – April 15, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a running back and safety for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chie ...
at cornerback, running back, and punt and kick returner. Keyes was the nation's leading scorer in 1967 and would finish third in the Heisman balloting in 1967 and second in 1968. In both years, he was an All-American at both cornerback and running back. He appeared on the cover of
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
's 1968 college football preview. In 1987, he was voted the all-time greatest Purdue football player. In 2004,
College Football News
''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...
voted him the 86th best football player of all-time. Entering the game, Phipps led the nation in total offense. Phipps would finish second in the Heisman balloting in 1970. Beirne was an All-American in 1967 and actually broke the Purdue all-time record for receptions during the game. The Boilermaker faithful did not give the Beavers much of a chance, erecting tombstones with the Oregon State players’ names on them. The Beaver coaches made sure to drive the Oregon State bus past them the day before the game. Purdue entered the game 20-point favorites.
The day before the game, the voice of Oregon State football, Bob Blackburn was at a tuxedo-required event in Seattle. After the event ended, he realized that he would not have time to change before his flight, so he flew to Indiana and called the game in his tuxedo.
Oregon State's first drive went 82 yards, ending in a touchdown on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Steve Preece to a wide open Roger Cantlon for a 7–0 lead. The Boilermakers took less than two minutes to drive 62-yards for their own touchdown on Keyes’ 15-yard run to tie the game at seven with more than ten minutes left in the first quarter. At that point, the defenses took over, holding both offenses scoreless for more than 24 minutes. Late in the second quarter,
Jess Lewis
Jess Lewis (born July 28, 1947 in Aumsville, Oregon) is a retired amateur wrestler and American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers in 1970. He graduated from Cascade High School in Turner, Or ...
and Jon Sandstrom combined to recover a fumble at the Purdue 26. The Beavers drove 17 yards to set up Mike Haggard's 26-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the half. Oregon State went into the locker room 30 minutes away from pulling off the upset.
In the third quarter, Keyes scored his second touchdown on a seven-yard run to give the Boilermakers the lead for the first time, 14–10. After the touchdown, the Beavers’ defense stiffened, not allowing Purdue past the Oregon State 40 for the rest of the game. Late in the third quarter, the Beavers pulled within one on Haggard's 32-yard field goal. With 6:35 left, Jess Lewis came up with his second fumble at the Boilermaker 30. Six of the next seven plays, Preece handed off to Bill Enyart, who capped the drive with a four-yard run with 3:54 left. However, the two-point conversion failed, leaving Oregon State in front by five. Haggard was instructed to kick the ball away from Keyes. He lofted the ball high in the air, and Purdue was unable to field the kick, which was recovered by the Beavers' Mel Easley on the Boilermaker 28. Oregon State only managed seven yards, but Haggard converted his third field goal, a 38-yarder with 1:06 left to put the Beavers on top 22–14. Purdue's last hope evaporated when Mike Groff intercepted the Boilermakers' first pass on their next drive to seal the victory. 2000 people turned out at the Corvallis Airport to welcome the team home. The Beavers' win remained Oregon State's only visit to West Lafayette until 2021. It remains Oregon State's sole win in West Lafayette.
Upon finding out that Blackburn had worn a tuxedo to the game, Dee Andros asked Blackburn to keep wearing the tuxedo, which he did for the rest of the season.
Washington State
After a first quarter
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
punt, personal fouls on back-to-back plays gave Oregon State the ball at the Cougar 12. Five Bill Enyart carries later, the Beavers were up 7–0. Washington State's best drives of the first half ended in a missed 40-yard field goal and a fumble that
Skip Vanderbundt
William "Skip" Gerard Vanderbundt (born December 4, 1946) is a former American football linebacker in the NFL from 1969-1978.
He played college football at Oregon State University and was selected in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the San F ...
recovered at the Oregon State 31. On the ensuing drive, a 28-yard Billy Main carry gave the Beavers the ball at the Cougar nine. Enyart carried three consecutive times for his second touchdown and a 14–0 Oregon State lead with 1:38 left. The Beavers held Washington State to three-and-out and got the ball back at their own 27. After a 15-yard screen pass from
Steve Preece to Main, they hooked up again for a 58-yard touchdown and a 21–0 Oregon State lead at halftime.
On the Cougars' opening drive of the second half, they pulled within two touchdowns. Two minutes later, Washington State recovered a blocked Gary Houser punt at the Beaver four. However, the Cougars got no closer on four plays to end the threat. Oregon State tacked on two fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Don Summers and reserve quarterback Bobby Mayes to take a 35–7 lead. WSU threatened one last time, but the Beavers' Larry Rich made a touchdown-saving tackle at the Oregon State three to preserve the 28-point
homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
victory.
UCLA
Oregon State and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
met for the first time since
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
, the final year of the
Pacific Coast Conference. The game pitted the Beavers against their former coach,
Tommy Prothro
James Thompson "Tommy" Prothro Jr. (July 20, 1920 – May 14, 1995) was an American football coach. He was the head coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1965 to 1970, compil ...
, for the first time. The game was the third between
Dee Andros
Demosthenes Konstandies Andrecopoulos (October 17, 1924 – October 22, 2003) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics He was the head coach at the University of Idaho from 1962 to 1964 and Oregon State University from ...
and Prothro. Prothro had won the first two. The Bruins began the season by beating
#3 Tennessee. They followed the win by beating
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
on the road by 32. Later in the season, they returned to Pennsylvania and beat
Penn State by two. The Nittany Lions wound up tenth in the AP Poll; the loss to UCLA was their biggest loss of the year.
The star for UCLA was quarterback
Gary Beban
Gary Joseph Beban (born August 5, 1946) is an American former professional football player. Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, narrowly beating out O.J. Simpson, and the Maxwell Award while playing quarterback for the UCLA Bruins. He played ...
, who went on to win the 1967
Heisman
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
and Maxwell Trophies. He and their three All-Conference linemen were the biggest reasons the Bruins were averaging 31 points an outing, averaging victories over their opponents by more than 15 points a game. There was no All-Conference selection for kicker in 1967, but UCLA's
Zenon Andrusyshyn almost certainly would have been the All-Conference selection. The Bruins’ bye week was the previous week, so UCLA had two weeks to prepare for the Beavers. Oddsmakers initially made the Bruins a 13-point favorite but gamblers loaded up on upset-minded Oregon State. At kickoff, the spread was a mere seven points.
In the first quarter, the Beavers got the first break, when Oregon State's Jim Belcher came up with a fumbled punt at the UCLA 38. Two plays after Steve Preece scrambled for 35 yards, Bill Enyart bowled in from one yard out for a 7–0 lead. At the beginning of the second quarter, the Bruins stopped Enyart six inches from the end zone, but Enyart spun into the end zone. The referees ruled that Enyart's forward progress had been stopped and gave the ball to UCLA. On the ensuing drive, the Beavers' Bill Nelson jarred the ball loose from the Bruins' Rick Purdy. Oregon State's Jess Lewis recovered the fumble, but one of the officials had blown the play dead, while the ball was still in the air. The officials ultimately awarded the ball to UCLA, who drove 99 yards for a touchdown, knotting the score at seven. UCLA followed the touchdown with a 52-yard Andrusyshyn field goal. With less than two minutes left, the Bruins recovered a blocked Gary Houser punt at the Beaver 16. Oregon State's defense did not allow the Bruins a yard, but Andrushyn kicked a 33-yard field goal to give UCLA a 13–7 halftime lead.
Both teams' defenses dominated most of the third quarter, but the Beavers' Billy Main managed to scamper into the end zone from nine yards out. Mike Haggard's all-important extra point hit the left upright, which preserved a 13-all tie. In the fourth quarter, the Bruins put together a 71-yard drive aided by an inadvertent whistle, which nullified a UCLA fumble. The Bruins had to settle for a 26-yard field goal. UCLA threatened again later in the quarter, but Mark Waletich intercepted a Beban pass in the Oregon State end zone with less than two minutes left. The Beavers drove 69 yards in less than a minute but faced fourth-and-six at the Bruin 11. Andros opted to try a field goal. Haggard's 28-yard field goal split the uprights with 1:15 left. The Bruins, trying to avoid the first blemish on their record drove to the Oregon State 23. Andrushyn came on for a 40-yard field goal attempt, but Ron Boley batted down the kick with less than 10 seconds left to preserve the tie. The 16 points were the fewest that UCLA would score in 1967. Preece was voted
AAWU
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
Back of the Day. Defensive end Harry Gunner was voted AAWU Lineman of the Day. 1000 people turned out at the Corvallis Airport to welcome the team home. The game had barely ended when Dee Andros began being assailed by questions about Oregon State's chances against the
#1 Trojans. He finally grew sick of it and said, "I'm tired of playing these number two ranked teams. Bring on number one."
Southern California
The #1
Trojans
Trojan or Trojans may refer to:
* Of or from the ancient city of Troy
* Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans
Arts and entertainment Music
* '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...
were a juggernaut. In the 1960s, USC would finish no worse than second in their conference, winning six conference championships, playing in five Rose Bowls and winning two national championships. The
1967 USC Trojans football team
The 1967 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. In their eighth year under head coach John McKay, the Trojans compiled a 10–1 record (6–1 agains ...
may have been the best Trojan team in the decade. ''
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' ranked that USC team as the #9 team of the 20th century. Their non-conference schedule included
#1 Notre Dame in
Notre Dame;
#3 Michigan State in
East Lansing
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...
; and
#4 Texas in the
Coliseum
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...
. Southern California started off the non-conference slate with a 17–13 win over Texas. Then, they defeated Michigan State 21–17. In the Battle for the
Jeweled Shillelagh, the Trojans defeated the Irish 24–7 at Notre Dame. The 17-point loss served as the largest margin of defeat the Irish would endure at Notre Dame between 1963 and 1976. When the Trojans rolled into Corvallis, they were averaging winning every game by more than 20 points against a very difficult schedule. The game marked the Trojans' first-ever trip to Corvallis. All previous Oregon State "home" games between the two teams had been held in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and
Tacoma.
USC's two biggest stars were right tackle
Ron Yary
Anthony Ronald Yary (born July 16, 1946) is an American former professional football player who played as an offensive tackle primarily for the Minnesota Vikings and also for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL). He was ...
and halfback
O. J. Simpson. Yary was the best lineman in the country and would win the Outland and Rockne Trophies at the end of the year. Simpson led the country with 1050 rushing yards. He would go on to finish second on Heisman ballots in 1967 and would win the trophy in 1968. Both players would wind up as the first overall pick of the
NFL draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
after their respective senior seasons, and each would enter both the
College Football and
Pro Football Halls of Fame. On defense, the Trojans had three First Team All-Americans:
Tim Rossovich
Timothy John Rossovich (March 14, 1946 – December 6, 2018) was an American football linebacker and a television and movie actor, active from 1977 to 1998. He was the brother of actor Rick Rossovich.
Biography
Rossovich was born in Palo Alt ...
at end,
Adrian Young
Adrian Samuel Young (born August 26, 1969) is an American drummer and member of the rock bands No Doubt and Dreamcar.
Biography
When not performing, in the studio or touring, Young likes to spend his time out on the golf course, as he is an a ...
at linebacker, and
Mike Battle
Michael Leonard Battle (born July 9, 1946) is a former American football player in the American Football League (AFL). and the National Football League (NFL). A safety, he played college football at the University of Southern California wher ...
in the secondary. The game was highly anticipated. California governor (and future President)
Ronald Reagan and Oregon governor
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up t ...
made the trip. Reagan had famously said he would handpick a box of oranges if Oregon State won. Tom McCall turned the boast into a bet when he offered to put up a freshly caught silver salmon against Ronald Reagan's handpicked box of oranges. The game was held on
Veterans Day
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than d ...
, so, along with the two governors, ten generals and admirals, including Lt. General
Jimmy Doolittle
James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...
; three
Congressional Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. T ...
recipients; and the Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps were on hand. Additionally, the 1942 Oregon State Rose Bowl team was celebrating its 25th anniversary and were in attendance. All told, 41,494 fans filled the 40,750-seat stadium. It was the most-attended single sporting event in the history of Oregon to that date. The weather, which became a topic of contention after the fact, was typical for a November in Oregon. From the eighth to the eleventh only .83" of rain fell. At kickoff, the
#1 Trojans were 11-point favorites over the #13 Beavers.
On the Trojans' first play from scrimmage, Simpson quickly showed he was worthy of Heisman consideration, rushing for 40 yards around left end. However, the Trojans were forced to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide right. The Trojans did not get any closer to the Beaver end zone for the rest of the game. By the end of the first quarter, Simpson had already rushed for 87 yards. Early in the second quarter, the Juice finally broke loose. He shook off a tackler at the Trojan 37 and steamed upfield with four blockers to lead him. He only had one man to beat, Mark Waletich. Simpson slowed down in an attempt to allow his blockers to make a play on Waletich. Waletich stayed in front of Simpson long enough and out of nowhere, Jess Lewis closed on Simpson, eventually dragging O.J. down from behind at the Beaver 32. USC would get eight yards on the next three plays. Rather than attempt a 41-yard field goal, the Trojans went for it, but Ron Boley tackled the Trojans' quarterback, Steve Sogge, for no gain. Later in the second quarter, Oregon State's
Skip Vanderbundt
William "Skip" Gerard Vanderbundt (born December 4, 1946) is a former American football linebacker in the NFL from 1969-1978.
He played college football at Oregon State University and was selected in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the San F ...
came up with a Southern California fumble at the Trojan 47. Over the next eight plays, the Beavers rushed for 34 yards all on running plays by Bill Enyart, Steve Preece, and Billy Main. On fourth-and-three at the Trojan 14, Mike Haggard's 30 yarder split the uprights for a 3–0 lead with 5:02 left. After holding USC to a three-and-out, Oregon State's Bob Mayes ran 25-yards on a reverse. However, Haggard's second attempt from 28 yards sailed wide right, and the half ended with a 3–0 Oregon State lead.
In the third quarter, Enyart took off from the Beaver 24, and was not caught until he reached the Trojans' 19. When he was tackled, Enyart fumbled. The fumble was recovered by USC's team captain, Adrian Young. As the game wore on, both defenses only seemed to get stronger. Early in the fourth quarter, USC faced a third-and-two at its own 23. Ron Boley dropped Steve Sogge for a loss. Later in the quarter, the Trojans had their best scoring opportunity of the second half, when they faced third-and-one at Oregon State's 42. Boley again tackled Sogge in the backfield for a two-yard loss. Oregon State's returner, Charlie Olds, received the ensuing punt at the Beaver nine and raced downfield. He was hit at the Trojan 35-yard line and fumbled. The ball bounced near Olds but not near enough to recover the fumble. Instead, Olds knocked the ball out of bounds. The referees called a penalty for illegal batting, which was a personal foul, penalized by an automatic change of possession. USC was unable to generate a first down on the drive. In the last 44 minutes of the game, the Trojans managed just three first downs and only crossed midfield twice. Perhaps the best boost for the defense was the punting of Gary Houser. USC did not start a drive beyond their own 35 after a Houser punt all game long. With three minutes left,
Skip Vanderbundt
William "Skip" Gerard Vanderbundt (born December 4, 1946) is a former American football linebacker in the NFL from 1969-1978.
He played college football at Oregon State University and was selected in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the San F ...
forced a Simpson fumble. It proved to be Simpson's final carry. He ended with 188 yards rushing but, more importantly, no touchdowns. Fittingly, Jess Lewis came up with the fumble at the Trojan 35. Oregon State's offense was so enthused that they managed their only first downs of the second half, which enabled the Beavers to run out the clock. The Beavers faced fourth-and-one at the Trojan 38 with 34 seconds left. Enyart ran for one yard and a first down. Preece took a knee to end the game.
The Los Angeles Examiner wrote of Oregon State "Giant-killers? Heck, today they're the giants." That night, Andros received congratulatory calls from Governor McCall, Senator Mark Hatfield, and Oklahoma's former head coach (and Andros' old coach), Bud Wilkinson. Oregon Journal sports editor George Pasero reported that Trojan Athletic Director Jess Hill told the Los Angeles papers that an AAWU rule would be passed to require teams to use tarpaulins in the week prior to a game. Governor Reagan issued a statement that he would help to purchase the tarp and that he would have his $1 donation in the mail shortly. Upon hearing the quotes from Hill and Reagan, Andros told the Journal that he would consider using a tarpaulin, if the Los Angeles schools purchased "a couple of big fans and blow the smog out of the Coliseum." No AAWU rule was ever passed about the use of tarpaulins.
Enyart finished with 135 yards. Simpson had 188 yards, 81 yards on two carries. The other Trojans were held to 18 yards combined. The 3–0 loss was the last time the Trojans would be shut out until they went on probation in 1983. USC would not lose another regular season game until
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
; for the rest of the 1960s decade, their only blemishes would be ties against arch-rival Notre Dame in
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Janu ...
and
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, and a loss to national champion
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in the
1969 Rose Bowl
The 1969 Rose Bowl was the 55th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference defeated the defending national champ ...
. The 1967 Oregon State team remains the only college football team to go undefeated against three top two teams in the same season. It is unclear whether
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up t ...
ever received the box of oranges Ronald Reagan had promised to hand-pick. UCLA's 48–0 win over Washington the same day eliminated Oregon State from the Rose Bowl race. Conference rules did not permit more than one team to go to a bowl game at the time, so the Civil War would be Oregon State's last game of the year. On November 18,
#1 UCLA and
#2 USC battled for the
Victory Bell in the Coliseum. UCLA was 7–0–1 and USC was 8–1. It has been dubbed the "Game of the Century" and the "signature game" in the rivalry.
The 21–20 win on Simpson's 64-yard fourth quarter scamper helped propel the Trojans to a national championship. The Beavers' 1967 win over USC would be their last over the Trojans until
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
.
Oregon
The final opponent on #8 Oregon State's schedule was 2–7
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. The Webfoots were not another giant, but they were improving. Their two victories had both come in the previous four weeks. Oregon's strength was their defense behind defensive coordinator
John Robinson,
All-Conference nose guard George Dames, and All-Conference defensive back
Jim Smith. This was the first
Civil War game at
Autzen Stadium, which opened two months earlier with natural grass. The attendance was 40,100, a Civil War record at the time.
Gary Houser's first punt was partially blocked and recovered by the Webfoots at the Beaver 31. On their first play from scrimmage, Oregon's
Eric Olson threw a 20-yard pass. The Webfoots would only gain one yard on three plays and had to settle for a 27-yard field goal. Before halftime, Oregon State's
Bill Enyart
William "Bill" "Earthquake" Donald Enyart (April 28, 1947 – February 10, 2015) was an American football player, a fullback for the Buffalo Bills and linebacker for the Oakland Raiders
Early life
Born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Enyart grew up ...
fumbled twice inside Oregon's 10-yard line. Charlie Olds ended the Webfoots' best drive of the second quarter by picking off an Eric Olsen pass in the Beaver red zone.
Oregon State's first drive of the second half ended on a Beaver fumble at Oregon's 43. The Webfoots capitalized, quickly finding themselves with first-and-goal at the Beaver three. Oregon State's defense did not fold, stopping Oregon a foot short of the end zone on third-and-goal. However, the Webfoots dove in on their fourth attempt, increasing their lead to 10–0 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Oregon State was in dire straits after fumbling again at their own 45-yard line. Oregon drove 15 yards but missed a 47-yard field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Oregon State finally hit their stride. Starting at their own 20, the running game began finding holes over and through the Duck defense. On one third-and-eight,
Steve Preece found
Don Summers for a 35-yard gain. On the next play, Roger Cantlon slipped and fell down but still managed to haul in a pass at Oregon's one-yard line. From there, Enyart plowed over the Duck defenders and into the end zone, cutting Oregon's lead to 10–7 with nine minutes left. Oregon State's defense responded by forcing Oregon to go three-and-out. The punt only carried to the Beavers’ 45. Nine plays later, Oregon State had the ball first-and-goal on the four-yard line. The Webfoots loaded up the middle to try to stop Enyart; however, Steve Preece threw them a curve, running around left end for a touchdown with two-and-a-half minutes left to take the lead, 14–10. After getting the ball back, Oregon's final four plays only netted seven yards, turning the ball over to Oregon State. The Webfoots did not get the ball back.
Final standing
The Civil War victory propelled the Beavers to #7 in the final
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
, which was their best ever final ranking. It would take
another 33 years for Oregon State to be ranked any higher. Oregon State's 7–2–1 record was its best between 1962 and 2000. It is all the more impressive because the Beavers were only favored to win three of the ten games they played.
NFL/AFL Draft
Three Beavers were selected in the
1968 NFL/AFL Draft
The 1968 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. It took place at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City on January 30–31, 1968.
The Min ...
, the second
common draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (462 selections).
{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
, Player , , Position , , Round , , Pick , , Franchise
, - style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""
,
Skip Vanderbundt
William "Skip" Gerard Vanderbundt (born December 4, 1946) is a former American football linebacker in the NFL from 1969-1978.
He played college football at Oregon State University and was selected in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the San F ...
, , Linebacker, ,
3, , 69, ,
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, - style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""
, Harry Gunner, , Defensive end, ,
8, , 193, ,
Cincinnati Bengals
, - style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""
, Gary Houser, , Punter/Tight end, ,
9, , 236, ,
New York Jets
:
[ ]
References
Further reading
* John H. Eggers (ed.)
''Oregon State University: Football Facts, 1967,''Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Sports Information Department, 1967.
External links
WSU Libraries: Game video– Washington State at Oregon State – October 28, 1967
{{Oregon State Beavers football navbox
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
Oregon State Beavers football seasons
Oregon State Beavers 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 and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Jonathan Smith has been the ...