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 (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 preseason 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 Oregon. The Beavs were a mystery to their own fans, playing only one of their first eleven games at home in Gill Coliseum.
This was a balanced Beaver team. Loy Peterson was leading scorer (12.8 points per game) but Charlie White, Scott Easton and Ed Fredenberg also scored in double figures (or very close!). OSU shot 45% from the field and 75% from the line, outrebounding opponents most nights. The secret sauce was defense, the Beavers were the lowest scoring team in the AAWU but allowed the fewest points as well. Oregon State won 13 of their final 15 regular season games to qualify for post-season.
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 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 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).