Larry Rose is a connection to names that linger deep in the pages of Oregon football history.
A native of Reedsport, Rose played for the Ducks under Bill Bowerman and then Len Casanova in the early Fifties. He met NFL Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin on a recruiting trip, and was teammates at Oregon with George Shaw, the only UO football player ever selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Among the oldest living alumni of the program, Rose was going to travel from his home in Tigard to attend a game this fall as an honorary captain. The COVID-19 pandemic spoiled that plan, but Rose's connection to the past remains very much worth celebrating.
A fullback and linebacker, Rose played freshman football under Bowerman in 1952, then played varsity under Casanova in 1953 and 1954.
"It was a time of my life that sticks with you," Rose said recently in a phone interview. "It was great."
The location of Rose's name on the wall of all-time UO letterman, outside the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, puts his time with the program in perspective. His name appears just after that of John Robinson, who played at Oregon later in the Fifties, then went on to coach USC to a share of the national championship in 1978. Just below Rose's name are those of Joe Schaffeld, the longtime UO defensive line coach, and Jim Shanley, co-captain of the 1957 Rose Bowl team. Below Schaffeld's name is that of Shaw, the UO quarterback during Rose's playing days, and the No. 1 overall pick in the 1955 NFL Draft.
Rose's first varsity game was as a sophomore in 1953. The Ducks opened that season by playing at Nebraska, and beat the Cornhuskers, 20-12. Oregon's next win over Nebraska wasn't for another 64 years, in 2017.
The game in 1953 was nationally televised, just the second year that college football games were broadcast coast to coast. Well, parts of the coasts — Rose's family had to drive from Reedsport to Portland in order to watch the broadcast.
"They didn't have a television in Reedsport," Rose related with a chuckle.
Rose himself also had to go to Portland to see a television set for the first time, while at the Multnomah Club for a high school all-star game. It was at Multnomah Stadium in Portland, prior to enrolling at Oregon in 1952, that Rose attended an NFL exhibition game featuring Van Brocklin's Los Angeles Rams. Rose was invited to a dinner attended by Van Brocklin, "The Dutchman," who led the Ducks to the Cotton Bowl in 1948.
The Ducks' next winning season was in 1954, their fourth season under Casanova. A junior on that team, Rose had 30 carries for 123 yards, and also caught a pass. Oregon secured a winning record by claiming the season finale over Oregon State, 33-14.
Rose can tell stories that bring Oregon history to life. When he decided to play for the Ducks, Bowerman — who coached freshman football as well as track — wrote a letter to Rose's parents, thanking them for entrusting their son to Oregon.
"Now," Rose said, "my grandson has that."
Rose's position coach was John McKay, who took over as Oregon's offensive leader in 1949 after Van Brocklin graduated, and later coached USC to four national championships. McKay was a fiery contrast to his head coach Casanova, the "Grand Old Daddy" of the UO football program, who had a gentlemanly demeanor, Rose said.
"He wasn't one to give you a pep talk to get you going," Rose said. "It was John McKay who did that."
Rose's memories of his time at Oregon off the field are vivid as well. He was a business major and a proud member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.
Among the hijinks Rose could share was helping Oregon's legendary former athletic trainer, Bob Officer, prank an old friend of Officer's, Washington State baseball coach Buck Bailey. Bailey and the Cougars were playing the Ducks at old Howe Field; Officer recruited Rose and another student-athlete, future UO track and field Olympian and head coach Bill Dellinger, to sneak down to WSU's dugout during the game and pin an ox tail on Bailey — a literal game of "pin the tail on the donkey."
Rose and Dellinger positioned the ox tail just right on WSU's bench. Bailey sat down on it, then jumped up with a howl. Rose and Dellinger ran for their lives — and only then did Rose realize that, if either one of them got caught, it probably wasn't going to be Dellinger, the future Olympian.
"He could run forever," Rose said.
But the two Ducks had planned their escape route well. They ran into McArthur Court, popped out another set of doors and sprinted through the Pioneer Cemetery, then home to safety.
Rose played for Bowerman and Casanova, was teammates with Shaw, and played pranks with Dellinger. Those are all names carved into the bedrock of UO athletics history, and Rose was there alongside them, a living link to Oregon's past.
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