The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Jonathan Smith has been the head coach since November 29, 2017. Their home games are played at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.
History
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Early history
Football at Oregon State University started in 1893 shortly after athletics were initially authorized at the college. Athletics were banned prior May 1892, but when the strict school president, Benjamin Arnold, died, President John Bloss reversed the ban. Bloss's son William started the first team, on which he served as both coach and quarterback. The team's first game was an easy 63â€"0 defeat over the home team, Albany College.
Conference affiliations
The university has been in several athletic conferences. Prior to 1902, and in-between the Pacific Coast Conference and Pac-12 Conference (then called the Pacific-8 Conference), OSU played as an independent school.
- Independent (1893â€"1901)
- Northwest Intercollegiate Association/Independent (1902â€"1914)
- Pacific Coast Conference (1915â€"1958)
- Independent (1959â€"1963)
- Pac-12 Conference (1964â€"present)
Home stadium
The Beavers play their home games at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. It was originally called Parker Stadium when it was constructed in 1953, and had a capacity of 25,000. Parker Stadium was renamed Reser Stadium in June 1999. Major renovations from 2005â€"2016 increased the stadium's capacity to 43,363, which is the current capacity.
Rivalries
Oregon Ducks
Oregon State University's primary rival is the University of Oregon. The two schools enjoy a fierce and long-standing rivalry due to the proximity of the two campuses. The University of Oregon is in Eugene, Oregon, about 40Â miles south of Corvallis. The teams first matched up on the gridiron in 1894 and have been playing each other almost every year since. The rivalry game between the two schools is called the "Civil War" and is traditionally the last game of each season. They have played each other 121 times which makes it the seventh-oldest college football rivalry game.
Conference championships
Oregon State has won five conference titles, done through three different conferences, although two of them have links to the current Pac-12 Conference, as the conference claims the history of the PCC as their own, and the Athletic Association of Western Universities was the first name for the conference that later became the Pac-12 Conference.
Bowl history
Oregon State University has played in 17 postseason bowl games. The Beavers have also played in the Mirage Bowl, but this was a regular season game and a "bowl" in name only, not a post-season invitational bowl game. The 17 bowl game total does not include an invitation to play in the Gotham Bowl in 1960, when no opponent could be found for Oregon State. The Beavers are 11â€"6 in bowl game appearances.
Notable players and coaches
