Dick Corrick Football Scrapbook and Programs, 1954-1957

Predominant Dates: 1956

The Dick Corrick Football Scrapbook and Programs consist of an oversized scrapbook and a set of official game programs that primarily document the Oregon State College Beavers' 1956 football season. Corrick was a co-captain on that team, which won the Pacific Coast Conference championship and participated in the Rose Bowl football game on New Year's Day, 1957.

Creators

ID: MSS Corrick

Extent: 0.25 cubic feet

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

The oversized scrapbook held in this collection consists of fifty-eight disbound leaves with newspaper clippings and a small number of photographs (5) mounted on either side. The earliest clippings date to 1954-1955 and document the OSC football team's annual Spring intrasquad scrimmage, a 61-0 loss to UCLA, the resignation of head coach Kip Taylor and his staff, and the hiring of Tommy Prothro as Taylor's replacement.

The vast majority of the scrapbook is devoted to the 1956 OSC football season and includes both regional and national coverage of the Beavers' improbable run to the Rose Bowl. Included among the clippings are season previews as well as an assemblage of game previews, game stories, and game analyses. The scrapbook also features stories on the community excitement that surrounded the Beavers' march towards a PCC title; the celebration that ensued once OSC had clinched a Rose Bowl berth; team activities prior to the Rose Bowl game; opinion pieces written in anticipation of the Rose Bowl game; and analyses of the actual game itself, which OSC lost to Iowa by a score of 35-19.

Likewise included in the scrapbook are multiple profile articles probing some of the notable personalities on the 1956 OSC team, most prominent among them being head coach Tommy Prothro. Other individuals highlighted in the newspaper clippings include star players Earnel Durden, Paul Lowe and John Witte, and also Dick Corrick, a co-captain and starter at center who was repeatedly described as being perhaps the smallest offensive lineman in the country that year. Of particular note is a newspaper photograph showing Corrick creating the scrapbook that is described in this finding aid.

The collection also includes a complete set of eleven official game programs that have been spiral bound together. Each program contains the roster and photos of the two teams competing; individual and team statistics; a narrative of the season as it had unfolded to that point; information on the schools being represented by each team; and background on the rules of football.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The 1956 Oregon State College Beavers, fondly referred to at the time as "The Black Bandits of Benton County," surprised many by claiming the 1956 Pacific Coast Conference championship and playing the University of Iowa in the Rose Bowl football game on January 1, 1957. Just two years removed from a 1-8 season that included a 66-0 loss to UCLA, the Beavers, led by second-year head coach Tommy Prothro, compiled a regular season record of 7-2-1 (5-1-1 in conference) in earning a trip to the Rose Bowl for only the second time in school history.

The 1956 team's statistical leaders included top scorers Paul Berry, Joe Francis, Earnel Durden, and Paul Lowe. Tackle John Witte was also awarded consensus All American honors following the season. Notable wins included victories at Missouri, versus UCLA, and at Washington. OSC tied Oregon in the annual Civil War game, lost in conference to USC, and lost out of conference to Iowa on two occasions - once in the pre-season (13-14) and again at the end of the year in the Rose Bowl (19-35). The 1957 match-up marked the first time in Rose Bowl history that two teams played one another for the second time in a given season. The Beavers finished the 1956 campaign ranked number 10 by the Associated Press and number 13 by the United Press International.

Dick Corrick was born in Ottumwa, Iowa in 1934, raised in La Jolla, California, and attended Oregon State College from 1953-1957, majoring in Education. A two-year letterman in football and a team co-captain during his senior season, Corrick was an undersized center and linebacker who was frequently commented upon by journalists as being perhaps the smallest offensive lineman in the country. Though playing at a weight of 161 pounds, Corrick started at center while a senior, helping lead OSC to a conference championship and Rose Bowl berth that year.

Following his graduation from Oregon State, Corrick built a career as a football coach, scout and administrator, coaching at Riverside City College, Iowa State University and Arizona State University before moving into the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers. Originally hired as a scout, Corrick later headed the Packers' personnel department, serving in this capacity from 1978 to 1989. He spent an additional eleven years as a talent evaluator for the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons organizations before retiring in 2001. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 74.

Author: Chris Petersen

Statement on Access: This collection is open for use.

Arrangement

Preferred Citation: Dick Corrick Football Scrapbook and Programs (MSS Corrick), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.

Acquisition Note: The Dick Corrick Football Scrapbook and Programs were transferred to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center by the OSU Athletic Department in 2015.

Acquired: 2015.

Languages of Materials

English

Other