Gridiron History Makes Colorful Backgrounds

from the OAC Barometer 03Mar1933

(Editor's Note: This is the sixth of a series of articles on football and especially football coaches at Oregon State college.)

By HAL ERNE

Joseph Pipal was appointed head football coach of O.A.C. in 1916. Before coming to Corvallis, Pipal was head coach of Occidental college, California. Coach Pipal received his college and early athletic training at Beloit college, Wisconsin. He graduated from Harvard college school of physical education. Before taking charge of athletics at Occidental, Pipal coached football and track at the University of Omaha and University of South Dakota.

Coach Pipal ran into difficulty at the outset of his first season (1916) when the veteran alumni eleven humbled the lighter, inexperienced varsity by a score of 13 to 7. The Multnomah club handed the Beavers their second consecutive setback of the season. A place kick from the 18-yard line in the last three minutes of play broke a 0 to 0 tie.

Conference season was opened at Moscow with a 26 to 0 victory over Idaho. The Beavers showed teamwork in this game which was a 50 per cent improvement over other games.

In one of the most spectacular games ever played in the northwest, "Lone Star" Deitz's championship Washington State team crumpled before the vicious onslaught of the Orange and Black gridiron team. The Beavers won the game by a 13 to 10 score, avenging the 29 to 0 defeat of the year before.

The biggest intersectional contest of the '16 season was played in Portland when Pipal's determined eleven, representing the breezy west, met the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers on Multnomah field. The heavier and more experienced Cornhuskers defeated the Beavers by a score of 17 to 7. O.A.C. won its third conference game and held on to the leadership of the conference when they trounced Whitman by a 23 to 0 score. The team next traveled to Seattle where Gil Dobie's purple and gold Washingtonians snowed the Beavers under by a 35 to 0 score. The Aggies were no match for the great Washington team. Doped to lose by at least 40 or 50 points, the Orange and Black men surprised their admirers and hold the powerful Bezdek machine to four touchdowns, losing by a 27 to 0 store at Corvallis in the annual homecoming game.

A fairly successful season ended in Los Angeles, where the Beavers, playing under a warm sun, forward passed and ran their way to a 16 to 7 victory over the Trojans.

The fighting soldiers from the [        ] in the opening game of the '17 season by a score of 34 to 6. Coach Pipal and his men next went to Pendleton where they routed Idaho, 26 to 6. The trip to Berkeley was not as successful however, as the Golden Bears triumphed over the Aggies, 14 to 3.

Old Dame Fortune was on the job, and as a result of her presence, a 0 to 0 game with Washington State was changed to 6 to 0, in the final minutes of play, with the Cougars on the long end of the score. Coach Pipal's men put up a terrific battle, but the odds and breaks were against them.

Despite adverse weather conditions, the Beaver machine defeated the Emerald aggregation on Multnomah field Portland, by a score of 14 to 7. Thus a successful season ended with this brilliant victory.

H. W. Hargiss, director of physical education and coach of athletics at Kansas Normal college, was chosen to succeed Pipal as football, track and basketball coach at O.A.C. in 1918. During, the four years that Hargiss coached at Kansas his teams won the state football championship four times. Hargiss came here well recommended as an athlete and coach.

Vancouver Barrack steam opened the '18 season at Corvallis and were sent home on the short end of a 7 to 0 score.

Hargiss' crew made its debut outside of Corvallis, losing to the Camp Lewis moleskin artists at American Lake by a 21 to 0 score. The soldiers had one of the best service teams in this section.

Big game day found Oregon hammering out a 13 to 0 triumph over the Aggies at Corvallis. The Aggies started the game off with a rush, scoring in the first five minutes of play, but a weak line failed to hold up under the strain and Oregon broke through for two scores.

Washington pulled a big surprise in winning over the Beavers, 6 to 0 at Seattle. The failure of the Aggies to defeat Washington came as a big surprise to the O.A.C. fans. In the final game of the season at Multnomah field, the Aggies, although outplaying the veteran club team, lost 0 to 0.

Old - timers, representing the alumni, battled the college men to a scoreless tie to open the '19 season. The varsity was forced to take the offensive during most of the game, Pacific "U" next come to Corvallis and was downed, 47 to U.

Fumbles and penalties spelled defeat for the Orange and Black team in their own backyard and gave Stanford a 14 to 6 victory. The Beavers were heavy favorites before the game and the defeat brought great surprise.

The University of California and Oregon Aggie game was said to be the most spectacular game ever witnessed on the Berkeley field. Both teams flashed a strong offense and line smashes and off-tackle runs gained repeatedly for both teams. California won the game by a score of 21 to 14.

O.A.C. lost to their old rivals on Hayward field by a score of 9 to 0. This game was considered by many to have been the best game ever played by the two institutions in their 26 years of rivalry.

Aggie football team broke their season's jinx when they defeated the powerful Washington State Cougars on Multnomah field by a 6 to 0 score. The score was the result of two field goals from the educated toe of Carl Lodell.

R. B. Rutherford, director of physical education and head athletic coach at Washington university, St. Louis, was elected to fill the position of director of physical education and intercollegiate athletics at O.A.C. in 1920. At Washington university, Rutherford was head coach of all major sports. Coach Rutherford graduated from the University of Nebraska and was the best all-around athlete ever turned out by that university. He was picked on the mythical all-Missouri Valley football team for three years and in his senior year was placed on some of the all-American teams.

Coach Rutherford's warriors began the '20 season by holding the Multnomah club eleven to a scoreless tie. The Beavers menaced the club's goal line several times, but lacked the necessary punch to score. The following week, the Aggies defeated the purple and gold of Washington at Seattle by a score of 3 to 0. Rutherford's team was the first O.A.C. team that came back with the Huskies' pelt in 15 years.

California visited the Aggie a long enough to administer a 17 to 7 whipping to the Beavers. The Orangemen fought to the last whistle, making their only score in the final quarter.

O.A.C. virtually scored a victory when they played the highly touted Emerald eleven to a scoreless tie. The game was played under perfect conditions and 60 minutes of hard, fast football.

The annual Thanksgiving Day game with Multnomah club at Portland ended the '20 sermon. The Aggie offensive broke through the club's line for a 10 to 7 victory.