1942 Oregon State Football Rose Bowl Champion

The 1941 Oregon State football team played its way to immortality through strong defense, a young coach and some good fortune that resulted in a win over second-ranked Duke in the only Rose Bowl to be played outside of Pasadena, Calif.

The Beavers had become a solid program under coach Lon Stiner, who took over the program in 1933 and led the team to the 1940 Pineapple Bowl in Hawaii. But, the team had lost two All-American linemen to the NFL following the 1940 season. It opened the season with a loss to USC and was 2-2 overall following a loss to Washington State.

But, the Beavers had already scored a 9-6 win over Pacific Coast Conference title contender Washington, and a stunning 10-0 win over Stanford, which had played in the Rose Bowl the previous season.

Following a 7-0 loss at Washington State, the Beavers produced four consecutive shutouts and won the PCC title with a 12-7 decision at Oregon, Nov. 29. Every other PCC team had suffered at least three conference defeats, including Stanford, which lost its final two games to finish 6-3.

Heading for the Rose Bowl, Oregon State had the honor of selecting its opponent, although unbeaten Michigan was not available because the Western Conference that included Michigan, did not allow teams to play in the postseason. The Beavers selected Duke, their third choice, but the game was nearly cancelled following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and then subsequent fears of attacks at large events such as the Rose Parade and then Rose Bowl. The game was moved to Duke Stadium in Durham, N.C., and played as scheduled, Jan. 1, 1942.  

In the Rose Bowl, Bob Dethman threw touchdown passes of 31 yards to George Zelick and 68 yards to Gene Gray and Don Durden ran for a 15-yard score as the Beavers upended the Blue Devils, who had entered as a 3-1 favorite.

Center Quentin Greenough was named All-American following the season, and three Beavers: Dethman, back George Peters and lineman George Halverson; were selected in the 1942 NFL Draft.

 The 1942 Oregon State Rose Bowl team was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.