By George Edmonston Jr.

Charles Taylor Parker. "Charley is a man of tact, and studies like a fury, but when it comes to actual fact, why Charley's from Missouri." Photo/Stanza from the 1908 Orange.

Today, Nov. 14, marks the 50th anniversary of the first-ever game played at Reser Stadium, which, until June 14, 1999, was named Parker Stadium in honor of Oregon Stater Charles T. Parker, class of 1907. Parker, a Portland businessman, spearheaded fund-raising for the project and played a role in its construction. The Parker name is now associated with a plaza located just outside the east gates of the stadium. Parker Plaza is the site where many pregame activities are held.

A smallish Homecoming crowd of 13,500 witnessed the inaugural contest that chilly November day, a low scoring, almost no scoring affair between OregonState College and Washington State, in which the Beavers prevailed 7-0 on a late second quarter touchdown by backup running back Chuck Brackett from the 2-yard line.

In honor of this historic anniversary, here are other interesting tidbits about the stadium, covering everything from fund-raising and construction to the greatest games ever played in the now half-century-old facility.

*When it was finally opened, Parker Stadium was home field No. 6 for the Beavers. The other five were: (1) 1893-1905 (approx.)...a football field on OSU's Lower Campus, often referred to on campus maps as the "Athletic Field"; (2) 1905-1909...a crudely constructed gridiron located on ground beneath what is today the McAlexander Field House; (3) 1912-1914...an all-wood stadium just to the west of where 99E joins with Highway 20 near downtown Albany, Ore., the site of three Civil War games and one with the University of Washington; (4) 1910 (approx.) to 1953...Bell Field, located today on the site of the Dixon Student Recreation Center; (5) 1920s-1986...Multnomah Stadium (now PGE Park), where the Beavers sometimes played as many as four "home" games in a season.

*To help raise funds to construct Parker, students in 1951-52 often formed mock picket lines outside old Bell Field, carrying signs that read: "This stadium unfair to students, alumni, visiting teams, fans, and prospective students. Your contribution will help build a new stadium. Ask me for a pledge card."

Students paraded around Bell Field during football games in an effort to boost donations to State's new stadium. Fans who sat behind a post readily agreed..."this stadium is unfair." Photo from December 1951 Oregon Stater.

*By Christmas, 1951, alumni in 25 of 36 Oregon counties had contributed to the OSC Stadium Fund. Leading the charge were, ironically enough, alumni from Eugene and Lane County, whose support of the project totaled over five times that of Benton County. Josephine County was second, Morrow County third. The
campaign was launched by Charlie Parker in December 1949.

*When construction began on the new facility in the summer of 1952, OSC President A.L. Strand announced that Parker Stadium would not be ready for football until the 1954 season. He was almost right. As work began, the city of Portland was singled out for a special, last-minute solicitation under the direction of Lynn Sabin, former president of the OSC Alumni Association.

*After excavation of the site began, a hole 14 feet deep was dug, and 55,000 cubic yards of dirt removed from the hole. The dirt was piled high to make a slope surrounding the field. Today, the lower level bleachers at Reser, all sides, sit on this man-made slope.

*A quote from the October 1952 Oregon Stater reads: "Eventually, the stadium will be enlarged to a seating capacity of around 60,000." Raising Reser?

*The idea for a new stadium began in 1948, after OSC President A.L. Strand, Athletic Director Spec Keene and Charles Parker held meetings in which they agreed that Bell Field would soon have to be replaced. State money could not be used for the construction, so financing would (and did) have to come entirely from alumni and friends of the college. The original design of the
stadium called for the new facility to sport a roof and have seats for 30,000. When contributions fell short, the roof idea was dropped, along with 5,000 seats.

*Unlike many college football stadiums at that time, Parker Stadium was designed and built without a track encircling the field. The intention here, as now, was to keep the fans close to the action.

*For many years, Parker Stadium enjoyed a natural grass playing surface. Grass was first planted in the new facility on September 11, 1953. It was hoped the new turf would be tough enough for cleats by Homecoming on Nov.14th. It was, but was sturdy enough for only one game.

*In the late summer of 1953, Corvallis Gazette-Times Editor Bob Ingalls, '37, chided OSC Physical Plant Superintendent Richard Adams that he would give Adams a chocolate covered pickle if the turf in the new stadium would be ready for the Homecoming game with Washington State.Adams, his ire
aroused, planted a fast-growing rye grass that broke the surface in only seven days. The grass was ready and Ingalls paid up.

First aerial view of Parker Stadium taken severl weeks before the Homecoming game. Beavers now boast some of the best athletic facilities in the nation. And Richard Adams did have the field ready to play on before the Washington State game. Photo from the December 1953 Oregon Stater.

*The marketing slogan adopted for the first game was "Start Out With a Sellout." The campaign was a failure, as only 13,500 showed up to cheer on the Beavers. Over 12,000 seats stayed empty.

*The dismantling of Bell Field began almost immediately after Parker was opened. The last game played in the old stadium was a freshman football game between OSC and the University of Oregon.

*In a Nov. 13, 2003, Oregonian feature celebrating Reser Stadium's birthday, writer Norm Maves Jr. shared the following as "great Beaver moments in the history of Parker/Reser."

1962-OSU 20, Oregon 17
1964-OSU 7, Oregon 6
1967-OSU 3, USC 0
1979-OSU 33, Stanford 31
1981-OSU 31, Fresno 28
1988-OSU 21, Oregon 10
1998-OSU 44, Oregon 41
2000-OSU 23, Oregon 13

Norm's "not so great moments:"

1967-BYU 31, OSU 13
1972-Oregon 30, OSU 3
1994- Oregon 17, OSU 13

George Edmonston Jr. is editor of the Oregon Stater and Eclips.