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Amory
"Slats" Gill will
forever be
remembered for his
tenure as basketball
coach at Oregon
State, which
eventually caused
the school to rename
its gym after him.
Born in Salem in
1901, Gill earned
his nickname at age
12 due to his slight
frame, which caused
a friend to liken
him to a picket
fence. He played
both baseball and
basketball at Salem
High School and
played in the
state's first two
championship games.
Salem won in 1920.
He was named
all-tournament first
team both seasons.
Gill moved to OSU
and played both
baseball and
basketball, finding
his greatest success
on the hardwood. In
his three varsity
seasons, 1921-24,
the Beavers were
either third or
second in the
Pacific Coast
Conference's
Northern Division.
Following
graduation, Gill
coached in Oakland,
Calif., for a season
then returned to OSU
as an assistant. He
became head coach at
age 27 in 1928 and
stayed in that
position until 1964.
He also coached the
baseball team from
1932-'37.
In his
36 seasons as
basketball coach, he
won 599 games and
took the Beavers to
the NCAA Tournament
Final Four twice,
1949 and 1963. OSU
won the Pacific
Coast Conference
title five times.
Following his
retirement, he
became athletic
director and served
in that capacity
until passing away
in 1966 at age 64.
Gill was
inducted to the
Oregon Sports Hall
of Fame as part of
the inaugural class
in 1980 and the
Oregon State
Athletics Hall of
Fame in 1988. He was
inducted to the
Naismith Basketball
Hall of Fame in
1968.
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