Strawberry Canyon,” never without a cigar or a rusty limerick, led the Golden Bears to a 38–4–1 record over the next four seasons. Three of the losses came in the Rose Bowl. Oregon, led by fi ery quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, also was strong in 1948. The Ducks fi nished the regular season 9–1 and challenged Cal to a postseason playoff. The Bears declined and got the Rose Bowl nod, while the PCC granted a spe- cial dispensation for Oregon to play in the Cotton Bowl, where it fell to SMU, 20–13.
Montana dropped out of the PCC in 1950, having won just nine conference games in 24 seasons. A more memorable shift came a year earlier, when Henry (Red) Sanders came to Westwood. The coach changed UCLA’s uniforms to the now-familiar “powder keg blue,” and on the fi eld he shaped the Bruins into a national force. Between 1952 and 1955, UCLA went 34–5, won three PCC titles and an NCAA championship, and was never ranked lower than No. 6 in the nation. In 1953, do-everything back Paul Cameron led the Bruins in rushing, passing, scoring, punting, punt returns, kick- off returns, and interceptions. Sanders died unexpectedly in 1958, but one of his assistants continued to have an impact. Tommy Prothro left UCLA to become Oregon State’s head coach in 1955. He oversaw an immediate turn- around, and took the Beavers to conference titles in 1956 and 1957.
“Vow Boys” 23
Those achievements were darkened by ominous clouds. In the midst of a national debate over the compensation of college players, PCC offi cials penalized UCLA, USC, Washington, and Cal in what would be dubbed the “Slush Fund Scandal.” Those schools felt ag- grieved by what they saw as heavy-handed treatment, and the PCC disbanded forever after the 1958 season. In March of 1959, the four schools re-formed as the Athletic Association of Western Universi- ties (AAWU). Stanford joined four months later, and the new conference became known colloquially as the Big Five. Gradually, the AAWU grew to resemble the former PCC. Washington State joined in 1962, and the two Oregon schools came aboard in 1964. During Oregon State’s short stint as an independent, in 1962 quarterback Terry Baker had become the fi rst West Coast player to win the Heisman Trophy.
FOOTBALL FACT
Heisman 10 Trophy Winners
Stanford University
ASUCLA Photography
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