Oregon State Beavers football

Early history

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.^[3] Bloss' son, William, started the first team, on which he served as both coach and quarterback.^[4] The team's first game was an easy 64–0 victory on November 11, 1893, over visiting Albany College.^[5]

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.^[6]

• Oregon Intercollegiate Football Association (1893–1897)
• Independent (1898–1901, 1903–1907, 1909–1911)
• Northwest Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1902, 1908, 1912–1914)^[7]
• Pacific Coast Conference (1915–1958)
• Independent (1959–1963)
• Pac-12 Conference (1964–present)

Oregon State has won seven conference championships, 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.^[8][9]

† Co-championship

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 164–8. The team claimed their second league championship in the OIFA.^[10]

The Aggies defeated Oregon (26–8) and Washington (16–0).^[11] With those two wins, they then proclaimed themselves regional "Champions of the Northwest".^[12]

The 1907 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football team represented Oregon Agricultural College 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 137–0. The Aggies' victories included games against Oregon (4–0), Pacific University (49–0), and Willamette University (42–0).^[11]

Oregon Agricultural's game against Loyola, then known as the St. Vincent's College Saints, was a Thanksgiving Day matchup of the "Champions of the Northwest" and the "Champions of California", with the winner taking home the "Championship" of the entire West Coast. After their victory, the Aggies proclaimed themselves "Champions of the Pacific Coast".^[13]

List of head coaches, tenure, and number of seasons.^[14]

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.

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]

Oregon

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 40 miles (64 km) 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 has traditionally been the last game of each season and was long known as the "Civil War Game." The two schools have played each other 128 times, tied for fifth most among any Division I FBS rivalry. Though not officially recognized by the universities, the Platypus Trophy is awarded annually to the winning alumni association. Oregon leads the series 69–49–10 through the end of the 2024 season.^[22]

Washington State

Main article: Oregon State–Washington State football rivalry

The rivalry with Washington State started in 1895 when Cougars defeated the Beavers 41–35. It is among the most played FBS rivalries in history. The two rivals have meet 110 times as of 2025 and will play each other twice with a home-and-home series in 2025. Washington State leads the series 57–50–3 through the middle of the 2025 season.^[23]

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 10 straight from 1983 to 1993. The rivalry has not been officially named yet, with suggestions including the "Land-Grant Rivalry", the "Cascade Cup", and the "Colombia River Rivalry".^[24]

Northwest Championship

Main article: Northwest Championship

The Northwest Championship is a rivalry between Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State. The four Pacific Northwest rivals began playing in a round-robin format in the 1903 season. No trophy is awarded to the winner, and no organization grants the title,^[25] although in 2002, the Washington Huskies wore homemade t-shirts for the Northwest Championship.^[26][27][28]

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

• Heisman Trophy

Terry Baker (1962)

• Maxwell Award

Terry Baker (1962)

• Groza Award

Alexis Serna (2005)

• Biletnikoff Trophy

Mike Hass (2005)

Brandin Cooks (2013)

• Chic Harley Award

Terry Baker (1962)

• Paul Hornung Award

Jack Colletto (2022)

• National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award

Mike Kline (1961)

Terry Baker (1962)

• UPI College Football Player of the Year

Terry Baker (1962)

• Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year

Terry Baker (1962)

• Sporting News College Football Player of the Year

Terry Baker (1962)

• College Football Network Punt Returner of the Year

Anthony Gould (2022)

• Silver Anniversary Awards

Terry Baker (1988)

Pellom McDaniels (2015)^[31]

• NCAA Inspiration Award

Esera Tuaolo (2024)^[32]

Coaches

• Sporting News Coach of the Year

Dennis Erickson (2000)

• AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year

Mike Riley (2008)

Mike Riley (2012)

Jonathan Smith (2022)

• Amos Alonzo Stagg Award

John Cooper (2016)

• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year

Jacquizz Rodgers (2008)

• Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year

Bill Swancutt (2004†)

Stephen Paea (2010)

• Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year

Brandon Browner (2003)

Jeremy Perry (2005†)

Jacquizz Rodgers (2008)

Jermar Jefferson (2018)

Damien Martinez (2022)

• Pac-12 Coach of the Year

Dave Kragthorpe (1989)

Dennis Erickson (2000)

Mike Riley (2008)

Jonathan Smith (2022†)

• Pop Warner Trophy

Joe Francis (1957)

Terry Baker (1962)

Vern Burke (1963)

Pete Pifer (1966)

• W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy

Terry Baker (1962)

Vern Burke (1963)

Pete Pifer (1966)

• Morris Trophy

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.^[33]

† Consensus Selection, ‡ Unanimous Selection^[34]

The Beavers have had three players and three coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.^[35]

First round draft picks

Active NFL

Updated April 2026.^[36]

• Teagan Quitoriano, Arizona Cardinals
• Isaac Seumalo, Arizona Cardinals
• Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, Baltimore Ravens
• Joshua Gray, Carolina Panthers
• Skyler Thomas, Chicago Bears
• Jaden Robinson, Denver Broncos
• Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
• Kitan Oladapo, Green Bay Packers
• Anthony Gould, Indianapolis Colts
• Alex Austin, Miami Dolphins
• Blake Brandel, Minnesota Vikings
• Johnny Hekker, Minnesota Vikings
• Taliese Fuaga, New Orleans Saints
• Rejzohn Wright, New Orleans Saints
• Isaiah Hodgins, New York Giants
• Nahshon Wright, New York Jets

Announced schedules as of May 26, 2026.^[38]

2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032
at Houston	Portland State	vs BYU1	Sacramento State	Ole Miss	at Oregon	Oregon
Texas Tech	New Mexico	Idaho	San Jose State	at San Jose State	at Sam Houston	Tulsa
Montana	at Ole Miss	Oregon	at Wake Forest	at Kansas State	Kansas State	Appalachian State
at UTEP	at BYU	at New Mexico	at Oregon			Idaho

1. Vegas Kickoff Classic, Las Vegas, Nevada