Payton, who played at OSU from 1986 to 1990 and started every game of his OSU career, is likely the greatest basketball player in OSU history. Among his honors were consensus All-American First Team (1990), Pac-10 Player of the Year (1990), Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (1990), Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1987), Olympic gold medals for the United States team in the 1996 and 2000 games, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2013). He is the all-time leading scorer at OSU (2,172 points) and the Pac-12’s all-time leader in assists (938) and steals (321). Professionally, he played most of his career with the Seattle Supersonics.
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.
OSU defeated #1 ranked UCLA, 61-57, before 10,376 fans in Gill Coliseum. The win by the Beavers ended UCLA’s conference winning streak of 50 games. This photo, taken by student photographer Chris Johns, appeared in the March 1974 Oregon Stater. Johns tied his camera to one of the basket supports behind the backboard in order to get the photo.
Miller and the Beavers are pictured here playing against Indiana at the Far West Classic tournament in Portland. Ralph Miller was one of the most successful basketball coaches in OSU and college basketball history. His OSU record was 359-186 (1971-1989), and his career collegiate record was 657-382.
