Lon Stiner (June 20, 1903 – March 8, 1985) remains one of Oregon State’s most memorable coaches, having led the team to its first bowl game, then first Rose Bowl during his 14-season run at the helm of the program.
Born in 1903, Stiner grew up in Hastings, Neb., and played on the line at the University of Nebraska from 1923-26. He was voted All-American his senior season.
In 1928, Stiner became an assistant at Oregon State under coach Paul Schissler, a one-time assistant at Nebraska, and helped the Beavers to a combined record of 28-19-1 in five seasons. In 1933, Schissler became coach of the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League and Stiner moved up to head coach at age 30.
The Depression hit both of Oregon’s major athletic programs hard, but Stiner always got the most out of his players and resources.
The Beavers went 6-2-2 in Lon’s first season, including the 0-0 tie with #1 USC, the two-time national champions. That was the famous “Iron Men” game at Multnomah Stadium. OSC had only eleven available players who played for the entire 60 minutes. The Beavers also crossed the country for a 9-6 win over Fordham at New York City’s Polo Grounds.
Stiner booked another even longer trip at the end of the 1939 season, to Hawaii by ship. Oregon State won two games there in the Pineapple Bowl series, finishing 9-1-1.
In 1941, the Beavs won the Pacific Coast Conference championship and qualified for the Rose Bowl. That game was moved in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack and O-State made another long trip to North Carolina to meet #2 ranked Duke on their home field. OSU won another big game and finished 12th in the rankings after an 8-2-2 season.
Lon Stiner was a hot coaching prospect but elected to stay in Corvallis. He remained Beaver head man and won another Pineapple Bowl. He coached the Beavers until 1949.
In his fourteen seasons (the school did not field teams in 1943-44 due to World War II), Stiner guided the Beavers to a combined record of 74-47-17, and the team had four first-team All-Americans. The Beavers were 8-6 against Oregon and 2-3 against Nebraska. Stiner is also a member of the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame.