A little Civil War history

For those newer Beaver fans, here's a little history on the Civil War from the Alumni Association.

Beaver eClips - Carry Me Back

Civil War lore

In a nutshell: OSU enters this Saturday's Civil War game in Eugene needing a win to remain bowl-eligible. The Ducks sport a 9-1 record, a top-10 ranking and have a possible BCS bowl bid on the line. Not only is this the oldest football rivalry in the West...this year marks the 109th meeting between the two schools...it may also be the most colorful.

In the beginning: OSU won the inaugural match in 1894, 16-0.

Overall: OSU is 44-54-10 all-time. Since 1997, the annual slugfest has been a back-and-forth affair, with each university winning at home and losing on the road. But has it always been this way? No. For the most part, the series has been characterized by long stretches in which one school has "owned" the other. For example, beginning in 1898 and for the next 23 years, OSU managed but six wins against 11 losses. Of the 10 ties the two programs have racked up (the most of any OSU opponent, in or out of conference), six of them occurred during this period. Not until 1936 would the Beavers finally enjoy a long run of success, with but eight losses (against two ties) in a 38-year period that stretched to 1974. But nothing lasts forever. The coin flipped in 1975 with a 14-7 OSU loss in Eugene. After this, Oregon State would not record another win over its archrival until Dave Kragthorpe's squad accomplished the feat, 21-10, in 1988.
Doubling-up: The two schools faced each other twice in one season in 1896 and again in 1945. UO won both games the first time, OSU both the second.

Ties: The last 0-0 tie in NCAA history was recorded at the 1983 Civil War game in Eugene. Because both teams entered the contest with losing records and going nowhere, the game is sometimes referred to as the "Toilet Bowl." In 1994, the NCAA adopted overtime rules to render tie games a thing of the past. However, no "tie" for the Beavers was more disappointing than the Civil War game of 1957. OSU beat the Ducks 10-7 to finish atop the Pacific Coast Conference with a 6-2 record, 8-2 overall. Because the Ducks had also finished the conference with an identical 6-2 record (7-3 overall) and because the PCC had a "no repeat" clause for appearances in the Rose Bowl (OSU had gone the previous season), it was the Lemon Yellow and not Prothro's Orange and Black that made the trip to Pasadena to face Ohio State.

Say what? The football field at Autzen Stadium is named for popular UO coach Rich Brooks, who played football for OSU from 1960-62. After graduation, he served as an assistant under Beaver boss Dee Andros. Brooks is tops among Duck coaches for Civil War victories. Current "Voice of the Beavers" Mike Parker is a UO graduate. Autzen Stadium and Mac Court public address announcer Don Essig is a Beaver alumnus and former member of the OSU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Say WHAT? SU's alma mater, "Carry Me Back," was written by W. Homer Maris in 1919. Maris was a graduate of the UO, class of 1913. At the time he penned the song, he was a graduate student and faculty member at Oregon State

Riots and neutral sites: A riot at the 1910 game forced both schools to cancel the 1911 game. The rivalry resumed in 1912, but at a stadium located in Albany. Known at the time as the "State Championship Game," the series remained in Albany until 1915. Portland's Multnomah Stadium (now PGE Park) has hosted seven neutral site Civil War games. OSU is 4-4-1 when playing the Ducks outside Eugene or Corvallis.

Trick plays: During the 1933 season, Lon Stiner's team devised a special "pyramid play" to block field goal and extra point attempts. The clever maneuver featured 6-5 Clyde Devine being hoisted skyward by teammates to just the right height to tip the ball and change its direction. First tried against Washington State without fanfare, it was later used against the UO at Multnomah Stadium and captured on film by Portland news photographer Ralph Vincent. The image attracted worldwide attention and continues to be one of the most talked about and publicized photographs in OSU sports history. Stiner's "trick play" was subsequently outlawed by the NCAA.

Pranks: For many years, pranks were a mainstay of the series, with each school trying to outdo the other in nasty deeds. However, the prank of all pranks took place, not during Civil War week, but just before OSU's 1957 Homecoming game with Washington State. Posing as reporters from the Seattle Post Intelligencer, four UO athletes "kidnapped" members of OSU's Homecoming court and took them to Salem, where the parents of one of the "nappers" entertained the group with a sit-down dinner. The story made national news and a good time was had by all.