Paul B. Valenti (September 10, 1920 – September 13, 2014) was one in the long line of successful players turned coach at Oregon State University.
The son of Italian immigrants from Mill Valley, California, Valenti played basketball for coach Slats Gill at Oregon State from 1939 to 1942. The Beavers won two Northern Division championships during his time as a player.
After a stint in the United States Navy during World War II, Valenti returned to Corvallis in 1946 as an assistant to Gill and served in that position for 18 years. Valenti got his first taste of head coaching during the 1959–60 season as he served as interim head coach of the Beavers when Gill fell ill.
Valenti followed his mentor as head coach in 1964. He had his best season in 1965–66, leading the Beavers to the AAWU (now the Pac-12 Conference) title and a berth in the 1966 NCAA Tournament, after being picked to finish last in the league. That team was the only one other than UCLA to win the conference title between 1964 and 1979.
In his six full seasons as head coach, Valenti compiled a 91–82 record. He served as a coaching mentor to another future Beaver head coach, Jimmy Anderson. After retirement, he remained at Oregon State, coaching tennis and serving as associate athletic director. An active booster of all Beaver sports, Valenti could frequently be found holding court in the right field corner of Coleman Field during baseball games.
Valenti is a member of the Oregon State Athletic Hall of Fame and the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Basketball Hall of Honor. The Paul Valenti Award is presented annually to the Beaver men’s basketball player showing the greatest determination and desire.