The 1962-63 Oregon State Beavers reached the NCAA Final Four in men’s basketball, despite playing an independent schedule. It was the era between the end of the Pacific Coast Conference and the school's acceptance into the AAWU (pre-Pac-8). The Beavers were coming off a 24-5 season that ended at the NCAA West Regionals.
Coach Slats Gill rolled out an interesting group of diverse athletes including future NBA players Mel Counts and Jim Jarvis, future baseball manager Frank Peters and point guard Terry Baker. Baker had just won the Heisman Trophy a week prior to basketball season and would miss games in December while Beaver football took part in the Liberty Bowl.
OSU started the season 2-3 including a loss to 7th ranked West Virginia. Then came a seven game winning streak that started with their 7th consecutive Far West Conference championship at Memorial Coliseum. Mel Counts was a dominant big man, averaging a double-double (21.3 points and 15.6 rebounds per game). Terry Baker averaged 13.4 points per game while running the offense. The Beavers averaged 65 points per game and dominated the boards, thanks in large part to the presence of Counts in the middle.
Oregon State owned the Northwest, going a combined 13-3 against Oregon, washington, Washington State, Seattle, Portland, Gonzaga and Idaho. Post-season opened with anorth win over Seattle U., then a sweep of San Francisco and 4th ranked Arizona State at the West Regional. The Final Four presented even tougher challengers and the Beavs would fall to #1 Cincinnati in the semis and #2 Duke in the third-place game. Terry Baker became the first Heisman Trophy winner to play in the Final Four. Mel Counts was named All-America and MVP oif the West Regional.
1962-63 Oregon State Beavers:
Coach Slats Gill, Asst. Coach Paul Valenti, Manager Corky Smith, Terry Baker, Lynn Baxter, Rex Benner, Tim Campbell, Mel Counts, Grant Harter, Dave Hayward, Jim Jarvis, Jim Kraus, Steve Pauly, Frank Peters, Gary Rossi, Ray Torgeson