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This Saturday, here on campus, OSU and
USC will meet for the 64th time in football,
in a series that dates back to 1914.
In all these years, Oregon State has won
seven times. Yes, seven times. There have
been four ties and one of these, played Oct.
21, 1933, at Portland’s historic Multnomah
Stadium, remains among the most memorable
games ever played in Oregon.
Using but 11 players the full 60 minutes,
Oregon State College (as OSU was known then)
held two-time defending national champion
and No. 1-ranked USC to a scoreless tie,
thus ending the nation's longest winning
streak at 25.
It is believed this is the only time in NCAA
history that a defending national champion
and No. 1-ranked school was toppled from the
ranks by a team using only 11 men the entire
game.
The young men who played that day are known
to us now, most affectionately, as the
“Iron Men,” although the name first used
to describe what they did on that hazy
October day 67 years ago was “Iron
Immortals,” penned by sports writer L.H.
Gregory in his Oregonian sports column the
day after the game.
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Top
of page: The 1933 Iron Men of Oregon
State.
Above: Pierre Bowman, Hal Joslin,
Red Franklin and Hal Pangle.
Left: Look closely at the
players' faces and body language in
this shot of an unidentified OSC
player stopping USC's Homer
Griffith.
Below: The Iron Man defense made
USC fight for every yard.
All photos from The Beaver, 1934.
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Of the 11, only one remains, Bill Tomsheck
of Corvallis (see special reunion notice in
this edition of E-Clips). So, what became of
the other 10 “Iron Immortals?” Here’s
a summary, listed in the order in which they
died:
1. Back...Norman
Clifford “Red” Franklin: A
franchise player who did it all for Lon
Stiner’s “Iron Immortals.” Had a
career year in ’33. First-team All
America. Majored in education. Was a member
of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In Dec., 1937,
became co-owner of a service station in
Corvallis, later moving to Lacomb, Oregon.
Died May, 1947.
2. Tackle...Harry
Montague Field: From Hawaii.
Majored in business administration. Became
head football coach at Punahou Academy in
Honolulu. In 1963 was elected to the Hawaii
state senate. Died on May 23, 1964.
3. Back...Harold
James Pangle: Education major.
Professional football player, Chicago
Cardinals, 1935-37. Spent most of his career
in the military, rising to the rank of Lt.
Col. Was Assistant Chief of Staff of the
Japan Logistical Command in the early 1950s.
Dies of a heart attack in Costa Mesa,
Calif., Dec. 31, 1967.
4. Guard...Vernon
Elsworth Wedin: Majored in
education and became a teacher. Was a member
of Alpha Tau Omega social fraternity. Taught
at Newberg High in Newberg, Ore., until
1939, moving to Chehalis, Wash., in 1940 to
teach and coach. He remained there until his
death Feb. 28, 1971.
5. Tackle...Adolf
J. “Tar” Schwammel: Franchise
player. First-team All-American. Education
major and member of Phi Delta Theta.
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Played for the Green Bay Packers in 1936,
then moved to Porterville, Calif., to enter
the clothing business. In 1940, took a job
with the Coca Cola company in San Francisco.
Then moved to Hillsboro after the war as
co-owner of H.A. Dryer Co., a company
selling Quonset buildings. Lived in Honolulu
for last 31 years of his life, retiring as a
Tupperware distributor. Died Nov. 18, 1979
in Honolulu.
6. End...Charles
Woodrow “Woody” Joslin:
Majored in education. His house was Sigma Nu.
Originally from Spokane, Wash., were he
returned after graduation. Occupation
unknown. Moved to Corvallis and then becomes
owner of a beverage distribution (Nehi)
company in Coos Bay. Died May 14, 1983, in
North Bend, Ore.
7. Back...Harold
W. Joslin: Majored in education.
In 1940 was an employee of the Columbia
Steel Company in Redding, Calif. No other
career information available through
historic records of the Alumni Association.
Died three days after his brother Woody on
May 17, 1983, in Marin County, Calif.
8. End...Vic
Curtin: Another education major.
Became one of the best-known detectives with
the Portland Police Department for 29 years.
Stationed mostly with the East Precinct.
Retired as security supervisor for Northwest
Textbook Repository in Portland. Died
12/17/87.
9. Tackle...Clyde
Devine: At six feet, six inches
tall, Devine was the “centerpiece” of
Lon Stiner’s Pyramid Play, used twice
during the 1933 season to block extra points
and field goals and later outlawed by the
NCAA, making Oregon State’s Ironmen the
only team in college football history to
attempt the play in a real game situation.
He became a professional swimming and diving
coach for most of his life, both at Stanford
University (where he was diving coach) and
in private business. He was a high school
coach and teacher for 40 years and gave
private swimming and diving lessons in Reno
during his retirement. For three years he
was on the coaching staff at Nevada-Reno. He
died of cancer on June 22, 1990.
10. Back...James
Pierre Bowman: A native of
Hawaii, he worked as Industrial Relations
Director for the Kohala Sugar Company. Born
in Hilo, Hawaii on June 19, 1909, and
attended the Kamehameha Schools and the
Punahou School before enrolling at OSC. He
died on Feb. 6, 1995 at Kapaau, Hawaii. He
was 85.
11. Guard...William
“Bill” Tomsheck: The last
surviving Ironman. Lives in Corvallis.
Worked the majority of his career for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture in various
locations throughout the West. A native of
Illinois. Speaks fluent German. Still has a
handshake that will put you to your knees
and make your eyes water.
--George
Edmonston, Jr.
For more information on the 1933 contest,
read the story Iron
Immortals: 1933 Beavers withstood test of
time, which appeared earlier this
week in the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
(The Gazette-Times account was also written
by George Edmonston, Jr.)
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