John Witte (January 29, 1933 – March 17, 1993) made a name for himself as a standout lineman on Oregon State’s 1957 Rose Bowl team as well as a national-caliber wrestler.
A native of Klamath Falls, John won back-to-back OSAA wrestling championships in his junior and senior years.
Witte's Oregon State career played out in two parts, separated by service in the Korean War. From 1951-52, Witte played for coach Kip Taylor. OSU played two rugged schedules those years, facing seven ranked teams including #1 Michigan State. The Beavs were a combined 6-13 those two seasons but did sweep two Civil War matchups. On the wrestling mat, Witte won the Pacific Coast Conference heavyweight (then known as unlimited) championship and was the NCAA runner-up, gaining All-America status.
Three years later, Witte returned to play football for Tommy Prothro and wrestle. Those two Beaver teams reached the top 10 in the national rankings, and the Beavers won a conference championship and played in the 1957 Rose Bowl game. John was named All-America both years, the first Beaver football player to do so.
Witte was drafted into the NFL and played one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada and tried his hand at professional wrestling. He would later coach, teach and serve as Dean of Students at Jefferson High School in Portland.
Witte was inducted to the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.