This photo was taken on the first day of football practice. LeVerne H. "Kip" Taylor (1909-2002) was the head football coach at Oregon State College from 1949 to 1954, compiling a record of 20-36.
From left to right: Lon Stiner, Jim Dixon, Harold Moe, and William McKalip. Alonzo "Lon" Stiner served as head football coach at Oregon State from 1933-1948, following a four-year stint as assistant coach. He compiled an overall record of 74-49-17 and was undefeated in three bowl game appearances. Jim Dixon, an alumni with the Class of 1926, later served as assistant football coach and head wrestling coach for his alma mater. Dixon Recreation Center is named in his honor.
The old armory and gymnasium building was converted to a playhouse for Oregon State’s excellent theatre program around 1951. It was later named Mitchell Playhouse, in memory of C. B.Mitchell, longtime chair of the Speech Department and director of the Theatre program. The building was used as the playhouse until 1990, when fire safety concerns closed it for that purpose. In 1992 it reopened as the Valley Gymnastics Center.
Paul Valenti (1920-2014) was integrally connected to Oregon State University for more that seventy years, beginning with his arrival on the Oregon State College campus as a student athlete in 1938. A member of the Beaver basketball squad during his undergraduate years, Valenti later served as freshman baseball coach, freshman basketball coach, head basketball coach and head tennis coach, spanning a time period from 1946-1970. He continued on as Assistant Athletic Director until retiring in 1982, and remained an enthusiastic ambassador for OSU until his death in 2014.
Steve Johnson was a star post player for the OSU basketball team from 1977 to 1981. He was drafted number 7 overall in the 1981 NBA draft and played professionally for ten years.
Paul J. Schissler (1893-1968) was head football coach at Oregon State from 1924 to 1932, compiling a career record of 48-30-2. He later coached professionally with the Chicago Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers football teams.