OSU's first appearance was in 1949. Coach Slats Gill had some great teams in the late 1940s and the crowds they drew to the old Men's Gymnasium contributed to the building of Gill Coliseum. The demand for tickets was such that students could attend only on alternating nights. Townspeople, in most cases, were out of luck. At the Final Four in Seattle, the Beavers were crushed by the OSU from Oklahoma, 55-30, then lost in a heartbreaker to Illinois, 57-53, to finish fourth.

Far left: For many, the early 60s were known as the Mel Counts era. Top Left: Slats Gill coached some of the best teams in OSU's history. Left: Terry Baker wasn't just a football man. He also helped the Beavs get to the Final Four in 1963. All photos on this page from The Beaver, 1963.

In 1963, Slats Gill's boys finished 22-9, capping off the season by bagging the NCAA Western regionals championship with victories over San Francisco and Arizona State to advance to the Final Four.

At Louisville, defending national champion Duke and then Cincinnati defeated the Beavers to send them packing home.

Long-time OSU fans will remember the early 60s as the "Mel Counts Era." The junior center led the team in 1963 with 21.3 points and 15.6 rebounds per game and earned All-America honors at season's end.

But Slats had other outstanding athletes as starters, including team captain Terry Baker, who didn't join the '63 team until after he had won the Heisman Trophy and had quarterbacked the Beaver footballers to a Liberty Bowl victory.

OSU was at its best in the regionals. After defeating Seattle in Eugene 70-66 to advance to the Western regionals in Provo, OSU next polished off San Francisco 65-61 in a tense victory that saw Counts score 23 and Baker 21. Next was Arizona State, ranked No. 3.

OSU's Steve Pauly turned in a career day against the Wildcats, holding ASU's brilliant forward Joe Caldwell to 17 points while scoring 22 himself. The result was an impressive 83-65 victory and a trip to Louisville for the Final Four. Baker joined Counts on both the Far West Regionals and Coast all-star teams.

The early 60s were the final years of coaching for Slats Gill. They were also some of his best. His 1962 team finished 24-5 and set a school record by rolling off 16-straight victories. They were also 5-0 against the UO, including a victory over the Lemon-Yellow in the Far West Classic championship game. At the regionals, the Beavers came from behind to nip Pepperdine before losing to UCLA 88-69 to end the season.

In 1964, Gill's team finished at 25-3 but lost 61-57 to Seattle University to end the season. They also lost the right to advance to the regionals to face UCLA. This was the year the Bruins would win their first national championship in men's basketball.

This was also Slats Gill's final game. After 36 years and 599 victories, he was calling it quits. Counts again made All-American.

-- By George Edmonston Jr. and Chuck Boice