By Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen and Megan Guerre.
Title: Football Photograph Collection, 1894-2000
Predominant Dates: 1910-1965
ID: P 004
Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Office of Intercollegiate Athletics
Extent: 0.85 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The Football Photograph Collection has been arranged in one series: I. Football Photographs, 1894-2000. The images are individually numbered and arranged numerically. Some of the individual item numbers have been assigned to different views of the same topic (for example: P004:046; P004:123; and P004:176).
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The Football Photograph Collection consists of action shots of Oregon State football players during practices and games as well as portraits and posed photographs of teams and individual athletes. Also depicted are coaches, equipment and training staff, and athletic facilities such as Bell Field and Parker Stadium. Oregon State University began intercollegiate competition in football in 1893.
Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.
The Football Photograph Collection is made up of approximately 408 photographic prints, 376 negatives, and 13 color slides. These images mainly depict football players during practices and games. The bulk of the photographs were produced from around 1910 to the late 1950s. These images document different aspects of practices such as punting, passing and receiving, and sprinting drills. Some photographs are action shots while others appear to be posed. The majority were taken at Bell Field or Parker Stadium. Action shots at games depict Oregon State athletes facing off against players from Multnomah Athletic Club, Washington State, Idaho, Michigan State, Montana and other schools and organizations. Of special note are several images of games between Oregon State and the University of Oregon, known as the Civil War.
Images in the Football Photograph Collection also depict coaches and trainers, fans and spectators in the stands at Bell Field and Parker Stadium, construction of the aforementioned facilities, and players receiving equipment. The collection includes images of Paul Schissler, Lon Stiner, Kip Taylor, and Tommy Prothro, who were head football coaches from the 1920s to mid-1960s. Of special note is a manuscript titled "My Day with the Team" that describes a day in the life of an Oregon State football player from the perspective of a faculty member. This manuscript includes images of players. Team photographs from a number of years are included in the collection as well as images of the 1942, 1957 and 1965 Rose Bowl games. There are also a few images of other sports, including baseball, track, and basketball.
Many of the photographs were made by Hise Studio in Corvallis; images by W.S. Gardner, Richard Gilkey, and J. Kenneth Munford are also included.
Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.
Oregon Agricultural College's first football team was formed in 1893 by Head Coach William H. Bloss, son of College President John McKnight Bloss. Members of the team included a high school junior as well as John Fulton, a faculty member at the College who worked in the chemistry department.
The College's first football game was played against Albany College on November 11, 1893 and ended in a 63-0 sweep. Home games were played at Bell Field from 1913 to 1953, when construction of Parker Stadium was completed. In 1999, the stadium was renamed as Reser Stadium; the stadium was expanded in 2005.
Throughout the history of Oregon State's football team, three Rose Bowl appearances have occurred: 1942 (W), 1957 (L), and 1965 (L). In 1933, Oregon State played defending national champion USC to a scoreless tie with no player substitutions. Eleven men (now known as the Iron Men) played both offense and defense for the full game.
More Extent Information: 800 photographs; 3 boxes, including 1 oversize box
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Note: The bulk of the photographs were acquired by the University Archives in the 1960s with additional materials received until 2000.
Related Materials: The Beaver yearbooks, Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC), Intercollegiate Athletics Photograph Collection (P 031), Beaver Yearbook Photographs (P 003), Richard W. Gilkey Photographs (P 252), and the W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection (P 192) contain additional football photographs. Information pertaining to Oregon State football such as its history at the University, player rosters, and game statistics can be found in the yearbooks, OSU Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC), Rose Bowl Football Game Scrapbooks (MSS RoseBowl), Oregon State College - New York University Football Game Scrapbooks (MSS OSCNYUFootball), Sports Media Guides (PUB 054), George Edmonston Jr. Collection (MSS Edmonston), Harvey L. McAlister Collection (MSS McAlister), and the Chuck Boice Papers (MSS Boice).
Preferred Citation: Football Photograph Collection (P 004), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Processing Information:
We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online.
The archivist-prepared description of this collection uses the phrase “Civil War” to refer to the long-standing athletic rivalry between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. A history of this athletic rivalry, and use of the phrase “Civil War” to describe it, is available online in The Origins of the "Civil War" Football Game blog post.
In June 2020, Oregon State University President Edward J. Ray announced that the term “Civil War” will no longer be used by either university because it “represents a connection to a war fought to perpetuate slavery.”
We acknowledge the racism represented by the use of this phrase and the harm it may cause our users. In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collections, we have retained the use of this phrase in the collection description.
[Date of acknowledgement: November 2021]
Oregon State University. Office of Intercollegiate Athletics
Gardner, W. S. (Winfield S.) (1863-1933)
Gilkey, Richard William, 1930-
Hise Studio
Munford, James Kenneth
Oregon State College. Athletic Department
Oregon State University. Athletics.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Football--Oregon--Corvallis.
Football coaches--Oregon--Corvallis.
Football players--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon Agricultural College--Football.
Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
Oregon State College--Football.
Oregon State College--Students.
Oregon State College. Athletic Department
Oregon State University--Football.
Oregon State University--Students.
Oregon State University. Athletics.
Oregon State University. Office of Intercollegiate Athletics
Rose Bowl (Football game) (1942 : Durham, N.C.)
Rose Bowl (Football game) (1957 : Pasadena, Calif.)
Rose Bowl (Football game) (1965 : Pasadena, Calif.)
Film negatives.
Photographic prints.
Slides (photographs).