CORVALLIS — Matt Larson admits his article wasn’t well-researched or written.
A reporter for Oregon State’s Daily Barometer student newspaper, Larson wrote a column in 1992 that the Beavers needed more traditions in football. He included several examples at other schools, including Clemson players touching Howard’s Rock before they take the field.
He didn’t expect to get a call from then-OSU football coach Jerry Pettibone.
“Our sports editor, Scott Olson, kind of chuckled and told me Pettibone had called about the story,” Larson told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “I called him back and he said the idea of a Beaver the players could touch as they took the field sounded great. He wanted the get the students engaged more and build connection between the students and the team.”
That bronze connection is returning to Reser Stadium this week. But more on that later.
After Larson’s column, Pettibone and the OSU athletic department commissioned a local artist to create a life-size, bronze statue of a beaver. Ken Scott of Eugene crafted the statue, according to The Oregonian’s archives.
Scott, a lifelong artist with metal artwork on display at galleries and public spaces throughout the state, died last December at 81.
Pettibone said students fundraised on campus to get the statue built, and Larson recalls star running back Chad Paulson being involved.
The 1991 season — much like 2025 — was a struggle: OSU was 0-10 before a 14-3 road win over Oregon to finish the year. The Beavers came into that rivalry matchup as 19 1/2-point underdogs to the Ducks.
Larson’s column was published in the Barometer the following spring, and the Bronze Beaver statue made its debut at OSU’s 1992 season opener against Kansas (a 49-20 loss). It was placed at the end of the ramp from the Valley Football Center for players to touch before coming onto the field at Parker Stadium, later renamed Reser Stadium in 1999.
The now 86-year-old Pettibone remembers looking at various models of the Bronze Beaver statue before deciding on the final product. A small replica still sits on a shelf in Pettibone’s home, he said.
The Bronze Beaver had a plaque on its stand — dated September 5, 1992 — that read, “As a symbol of our quest for excellence in the classroom and on the field of competition, this statue is a representation of the unity between the student body and the student-athletes of OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY.”
1992 wasn’t a good year for Pettibone’s team. The Beavers went 1-9-1, but still joyfully took part in the new Bronze Beaver tradition.
It even played a role in the rivalry game with Oregon.
“Before the (1992) Civil War, we got a message some students from Oregon were going to try and spray paint the Beaver green,” Pettibone said. “Fraternities and sororities would camp out overnight to guard it, and my wife and I brought some pizza for them. They were having a good time, throwing a frisbee around and all that.”
Pettibone said that at the end of the season, OSU football seniors received framed, color photos of themselves in uniform standing next to the Bronze Beaver.
BeaverBlitz.com owner and OSU alum Angie Machado shared on X that she remembers guarding the statue with her sorority sisters. Some current OSU athletics staffers were in their university years at the time, too.
Pettibone resigned in 1996 after six straight losing seasons. When Mike Riley took over in 1997, he gave the statue to Pat Casey and the OSU baseball program, as several players wanted it in the dugout.
Ever the aficionados of rallying objects, baseball players.
The Bronze Beaver sat in and around the OSU dugout for “a couple seasons,” Casey said, but he’s unsure how long. A photo of it appeared in the 2006 OSU baseball media guide.
After that, its whereabouts were unknown, lost to the sands of time and not mentioned in university records for nearly two decades. It is unclear how frequently it changed locations.
On Wednesday, when The Oregonian/OregonLive inquired about the statue, OSU athletics staff found it almost immediately. The Bronze Beaver was sitting in storage underneath Gill Coliseum alongside other OSU memorabilia.
The inquiry, initially sparked by a fan’s social media post, inspired OSU to dust off the statue and the school now plans to bring it back this weekend.
The Bronze Beaver will be on display in Parker Plaza outside Reser Stadium beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday before the OSU football game vs. Lafayette. Fans can bask in its glory, rub the nose for good luck, and take photos with it if they so choose.
The Beavers (0-7) will use it to rally their fanbase as the team navigates the remainder of a challenging 2025 season. OSU is reeling after the firing of coach Trent Bray earlier this week and finds itself at a pivotal moment in program history.
Oregon State (0-7) vs. Lafayette (5-2, FCS)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 18
- Time: 7 p.m. PT
- Where: Reser Stadium
- TV Channel: The CW (Channel 32 in Portland)
- Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.