Paul Brothers (born April 18, 1945) made a life career out of winning as an athlete and coach. Raised in Roseburg, Paul emerged as a two-way All-State quarterback and defensive back. He led the Indians football team to an undefeated state championship in 1961. The RHS defense only allowed 26 points the entire season.
Brothers was recruited by several national college powers before choosing Oregon State. Coach Tommy Prothro handed him the keys to the offense in the second game of his sophomore year in 1964. That Beaver team won eight of the next nine games and advanced to the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
Brothers had to make some big adjustments when Coach Prothro left for UCLA. Dee Andros brought in his ground-pounding running game and Paul did more handing off than throwing passes in his final two seasons.
Those Beaver teams were 5-5 and 7-3 and Brothers was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys before landing in Canada, where he played five seasons for B.C. and Ottawa.
Paul Brothers took up the real estate in Eugene in the mid-70’s and then began his next athletic chapter: basketball coach. Brothers first spent ten seasons at Marist High School leading the girls basketball program and assisting with the football team, coaching his own two sons. He frequently shared the head coaching title, including with his wife, Karen. The Spartans finished second the state twice.
Then it was on to Willamette High School, where Brothers would stay for 18 more seasons, winning state championships in 2007, 2009, 2013 and ‘14. Always looking for a new way to outwit opponents, Brothers infamously had his 2012 team freeze the ball in that championship game against Springfield and future WNBA center Mercedes Russell. That tactic didn’t quite work as the Millers ground out a 16-7 victory, but Willamette did win a finals rematch against Russell and Springfield the next year. Brothers’ 28-year high school coaching record is 556-180, a 75% win percentage.
Paul Brothers is also a member of the Oregon State University Hall of Fame and was named Roseburg football Athlete of the Century.