Lon Stiner - Coaching

Lon Stiner remains one of Oregon State’s most memorable coaches, having led the team to its first bowl game, then first Rose Bowl during his 14-season run at the helm of the program.

Born in 1903, Stiner grew up in Hastings, Neb., and played on line at the University of Nebraska from 1923-26. In 1926, he was voted an All-American.

In 1928, Stiner became an assistant at Oregon State under coach Paul Schissler, a one-time assistant at Nebraska, and helped the Beavers to a combined record of 28-19-1 in five seasons. In 1933, Schissler became coach of the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League and Stiner moved up to head coach at age 30.

The Beavers went 6-2-2 in his first season, a record that included a 0-0 tie against No. 1 USC, which had won the previous two national titles, at Portland’s Multnomah Stadium, and a 9-6 win over Fordham at New York City’s Polo Grounds. In the tie with USC, Stiner used the same 11 players for the entire 60 minutes. The team finished the season with a 22-0 loss at Nebraska.

In Stiner’s era, the Beavers went to three bowl games, including the 1942 Rose Bowl, when the team won its first Pacific Coast Conference title. Oregon State beat No. 2 Duke in the Rose Bowl played in Durham, N.C., due to wartime concerns brought on by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Beavers finished 8-2-2 and ranked No. 12. Following the season, Stiner – just 38, had opportunities to coach several larger programs, but remained at Oregon State and received a $400 raise.

The Beavers beat Hawaii in the Pineapple Bowl in 1940 to finish 9-1-1, and again in 1949. Following the 47-27 win on Jan. 1, 1949, the school moved to replace Stiner.

In his 14 seasons (the school did not field teams in 1943-44 due to World War II), Stiner guided the Beavers to a combined record of 74-47-17, and the team had four first-team All-Americans. The Beavers were 8-6 against Oregon and 2-3 against Nebraska. Stiner was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, and to the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.

He was inducted to the Nebraska chapter of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 2008.