The 1965-66 Oregon State Basketball Team was one of the most successful in school history, finishing just one game shy of the Final Four. The team finished 21-7 overall and won the Athletic Association of Western Universities, the AAWU, which was a precursor to the Pac-8 and then the Pac-10. Their success came as a surprise to many. Pre-season polls had the team finishing anywhere from fifth to last place in the conference. During the pre season and regular season, the team won OSU’s 10th consecutive Far West Classic title, beat UCLA and took three of four games over intrastate rival, University of Oregon.

In the NCAA tournament, the Beavers beat Houston, with their star player, Elvin Hayes, in the first round. Houston was the highest scoring team in the country, averaging around 100 points per game, but the Beavers, with their stellar defense, held them to just 60 points with the final score of 63-60. The Beavers lost the next game, 70-64 to Utah to end their season. Team awards went to Charlie White (MVP), Scott Eaton and Rick Whelan (who shared the Howard Merrill Award for desire and determination) and Ed Fredenburg (the Ed Lewis award for leadership). White also earned Converse All American honors and was named to the all-conference team. Loy Petersen (in photo at left making the jump shot) made the All-Far West Classic team and the Sports Network’s All-AAWU team.

The coaching staff consisted of Coach Paul Valenti, Assistant Coaches Jim Anderson, Bill Harper, and Jim Jarvis. The team roster included Bob Franz, Ray Carlile, Jeff Cudworth, Charlie White, Karl Weide, Gary Wilken, Larry French, Ed Fredenburg, Dave Fox, Loy Petersen, Harry Gunner, Rick Whelan, Scott Eaton, Terry Vaughn (manager), and Bill Robertson (trainer).