This year marks the 40th anniversary of an athletic achievement by a Beaver team that has never been duplicated at any time in the school's history.

In 1961, the Beaver cross country team won the NCAA national championship, thus becoming the one and only OSU team to win one of the coveted NCAA awards.

Top: The 1961 National Champion Beaver cross country team. Photo from The Beaver, 1962. Left: Dale Story's barefoot style took him to the top of the heap in 1961, when he won the individual national

The word "team" must be emphasized here because OSU has had numerous individual national champions, particularly in gymnastics and wrestling.

Led by Dale Story, who always ran in his bare feet and who garnered the individual title at the meet, OSU became the first West Coast cross country program to win the championship.

Other team members for Head Coach Sam Bell included Rich Cuddihy, Bill Boyd, Cliff Thomson and Jerry Brady.

-- George P. Edmonston, Jr.