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Bill Tomsheck Scrapbook, 1926-2003

Collection Overview

Title: Bill Tomsheck Scrapbook, 1926-2003

ID: MSS Tomsheck

Primary Creator: Tomsheck, William Henry

Extent: 1.45 cubic feet

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Bill Tomsheck Scrapbook documents Tomsheck's experience as a student and player on the 1933 "Ironmen" football team.

Scope and Content Notes

Assembled by alumnus Bill Tomsheck, this scrapbook documents Tomsheck's experience as a student at Oregon State College. Primarily pertaining to his participation in the legendary 1933 football team, the scrapbook includes correspondence, game programs and schedules, greeting cards, newspaper clippings, and photographs. The newspaper clippings, cut from the Barometer, Oregonian, and Oregon Journal, focus mostly on the games of the 1933 season as well as profiles on Tomsheck and other members of the team. There are materials in this scrapbook which also document Tomsheck's involvement in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, including photos of the house at OSC.

An addition to the Tomsheck Scrapbook Collection (Accession 2006:015) consists of materials pertaining to Oregon State College alumnus and football player Bill Tomsheck. About half made up of photographs, this transfer also includes informational materials, newspaper clippings, panels from an exhibit about Tomsheck and the "Ironmen" team, notes, a scrapbook, and a decal for Bell Field. In addition to images of the Ironmen team in group shots and in play, the photographs depict Tomsheck posing with a statue of a football player that he commissioned to honor the Ironmen team, visiting Reser Stadium during football practice, and with a bronze sculpture of a football player for which he modeled. There are about 120 images in total. The clippings and informational materials were collected by Tomsheck while researching and developing the Ironmen exhibit.The scrapbook contains printouts of digital images documenting the creation of a bronze statue of a football player dedicated to the Ironmen team.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Born in Harvey, Illinois, Bill Tomsheck came to Oregon State College in 1931 to study agricultural science. Attracted by the promise of an athletic scholarship to defray tuition and other costs, Tomsheck joined the football team as a starter in his sophomore year. Staying on the team for his third year at OSC, Tomsheck played left guard as part of a legendary line-up of players known as the "Ironmen." The 1933 "Ironmen" team was 6-2-2, including a victory over eastern power Fordham and a 0-0 tie with defending Pacific Coast champion University of Southern California (USC). The team played the entire USC game without a substitution which ended USC's 26-game winning streak. After graduating in 1935, Tomsheck worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and resided in Portland, Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City before returning to Corvallis in the late 1960s after retirement. In 2003, Tomsheck was the sole surviving member of the 1933 Ironmen team.

Administrative Information

Related Materials: In addition to images of Tomsheck in Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC) HC3422, there is also a file in the OSU Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC). A taped interview with Tomsheck featured in the 1991 history of OSU athletics "A Look Back at the Orange and Black" can be found in the Intercollegiate Athletics Moving Images (FV 031). The Special Collections and Archives Research Center also includes the Ade Schwammel Collection (MSS Schwammel). Schwammel was a teammate of Tomscheck.

Preferred Citation: Bill Tomsheck Scrapbook (MSS Tomsheck), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

Tomsheck, William Henry

People, Places, and Topics

Football--Oregon--Corvallis.
Greek letter societies--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon State College--Football.
Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Oregon Beta Chapter.
Tomsheck, William Henry
University History

Forms of Material

Photographic prints.
Scrapbooks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.