LEN CASANOVA| Oregon
In this series of the top 30 Pac-10 coaches of the modern era (1959-forward), Len Casanova is a bridge guy. He spent more of his time coaching football during the older era than after 1959.
|
THE CASANOVA FILE
Pac-10 tenure: Oregon 1951-66
Record: Oregon 82-73-8; Overall (including Santa Clara and Pittsburgh) 10-4-94-11.
Accomplishments: Took Oregon to three bowl games during a time when bowl games meant something; Retired after 16 years as the winningest coach in Oregon football history.
Best known for: Helping lead Oregon into the modern era as a tireless fundraiser for the school.
Quick fact: Oregon’s athletics facility is named the “Len Casanova Athletic Center.”
Current: Died in 2002 at age 97.
|
Yet Casanova, Oregon’s coach from 1951-66, has had a dramatic impact on the modern era of Pac-10 football.
To wit:
- · John McKay, John Robinson, Bruce Snyder and George Seifert ‑ all enormously successful head coaches during the modern era ‑ were assistants under Casanova at Oregon.
·
- Posted four seasons with seven or more wins from 1959-66, during a time when Oregon State had it going under Tommy Prothro.
·
- Became the Oregon’s athletic director after retiring as a coach in 1966, a role that morphed into fundraising for Ducks athletics. Casanova’s contributions over four decades were so revered that the school named its athletic facility after him.
No way Oregon is what it is today – the benefactor of many deep pockets, led by Nike’s Phil Knight; often at the forefront of adventures in college athletics; thriving in football despite its sparsely-populated Northwest location – without Casanova’s contributions.
First, let’s not forget his contributions as a football coach. And yes, we’ll have to break the trend here and go back to the pre-modern era to underscore Cas’ contributions as a coach.
Casanova took Oregon to three bowl games during an era when bowl games mattered. His Ducks went toe-to-toe with top-ranked Ohio State in the 1958 Rose Bowl, beating the Buckeyes everywhere but the scoreboard in a 10-7 loss. Oregon’s performance was so convincing, Ducks quarterback Jack Crabtree was named as the game’s MVP, a rare honor for someone from the losing team. Oregon wouldn’t play in another Rose Bowl until 1995.
Casanova’s Ducks also played in the 1960 Liberty Bowl and 1963 Sun Bowl, winning the latter over Southern Methodist. Casanova retired as the winningest coach in Oregon history, a record Rich Brooks would surpass in 1994, and more recently by the just-retired Mike Bellotti. Casanova was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977, and in 1990 was honored with arguably the most prestigious award for a college coach: the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award.
But as we alluded earlier, Casanova was more than a coach. He was about selling Oregon and all it had to offer. It was almost impossible to say no to Casanova, who didn’t take rejection easily.
In this regard, one of my favorite Casanova giving stories took place on the Oregon campus’ Newman Center, of all places. Cas, an unyielding Catholic, was at a service one Sunday as the Rev. Patrick LaBelle was celebrating Mass. Here is how the story goes, according to the Eugene Register-Guard:
“I was busy preparing the gifts of bread and wine and presumed that the gifts of cash, desperately needed for our support, were being given over by the crowds,” LaBelle said. “All of a sudden, a loud voice literally cried out, demanding that the basket stop. ...
“All eyes (turned) toward this distinguished-looking white-haired man (Casanova) standing in the middle of the chapel. ... The man held up an empty basket and told the students in the chapel that they could afford money for movies, cigarettes, beer and much more, so why couldn't they afford a few coins for the support of the Newman Center? He walked up to the front of the chapel and handed the empty basket to the first student and demanded that they ‘fill it up’ and pass it along.”
Previous in the series:
No. 30No. 29
No. 28 No. 27
No. 26 No. 25
No. 24 No. 23
No. 18 No. 17
No. 16 No. 15
No. 12 No. 11
No. 10 No. 9
Nick Daschel covers the Pacific-10 Conference for Buster Sports, and can be reached at ndaschel@bustersports.com
You can also follow Nick on Twitter
This post is part of the series 
Comments