Paul Valenti

Paul Bartholomew Valenti (September 10, 1920 – September 13, 2014) was an American college basketball player and coach, known for his long association with Oregon State University.

This article is about the American basketball player and coach. For the comedian, see The Chris and Paul Show.
Paul Valenti
Valenti from the 1970 Beaver
Biographical details
Born(1920-09-10)September 10, 1920
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 13, 2014(2014-09-13) (aged 94)
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
Playing career
1939–1942Oregon State
Position(s)Guard/Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1946–1964Oregon State (assistant)
1964–1970Oregon State
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
UPI West Coast Coach of the Year (1966)

Valenti recruited and coached the first African American basketball player in Oregon State history when he added junior college transfer Charlie White to the Beaver squad for the 1964–65 season.

Valenti is a member of the Oregon State Athletic Hall of Fame and the Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Hall of Honor.

Biography

Early years and collegiate career

Paul Valenti was born September 10, 1920, in San Francisco, California, to an Italian immigrant couple from Mill Valley. Valenti attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley where he was a star athlete on the school's tennis[1] and basketball teams.[2]

Valenti enrolled at Oregon State College (OSC) in Corvallis, Oregon, in September 1938, turning down an offer to play from in-state rival University of Oregon.[3] As first-year students were prohibited from participating in varsity athletics in this era, Valenti spent the 1938–39 season on the OSC Freshman basketball team, earning his stripes as a star forward for the undefeated squad.[3]

The 6-foot-1-inch (1.85 m.) Valenti[4] was promoted to the OSC varsity basketball team for the 1939–40 season, for which he was a "swingman," starting games at both forward[5] and guard.[6]

Valenti would spend three years playing for coach Slats Gill, primarily as a shooting guard, finishing his collegiate career with the 1941–42 campaign.

Coaching career

After a stint in the United States Navy during World War II, during which he served in the Pacific Theater,[3] Valenti returned to Corvallis in 1946 as an assistant to Gill. He would remain in that position for 18 years.[7]

Valenti got his first taste of head coaching during the 1959–60 season as he served as interim head coach of the Beavers when Gill fell ill, leading the team to 9 victories in the 12 games that he coached.[8]

Valenti would succeed his mentor Slats Gill as Oregon State's head coach in 1964. During his first year at the helm, Valenti broke the school's color barrier when he recruited and coached the first black scholarship basketball player at Oregon State University, Charlie White, a six-foot-three guard who transferred from Monterey Junior College in California.[9]

Valenti had his best season in 1965–66, leading the Beavers to the AAWU (now the Pac-12 Conference) title and a berth in the 1966 NCAA Tournament, after being picked to finish last in the league.[10] His 1965-66 unit was the only team other than UCLA to win an AAWU/Pac-8/Pac-10 title between 1963–64 and 1978–79.

During his six full seasons as head coach, Valenti compiled a 91–82 record.

Death and legacy

Paul Valenti died on September 13, 2014, at the age of 94.[11]

Valenti is a member of the Oregon State Athletic Hall of Fame and the Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Hall of Honor.[7]

He is the namesake of the Paul Valenti Award, an honor bestowed every year by Oregon State to the basketball player demonstrating the greatest desire and determination.[3]

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Oregon State[12] (Independent) (1959–1960)
1959–60 Oregon State 9–3
Oregon State[12] (AAWU / Pacific–8) (1964–1970)
1964–65 Oregon State 16–107–74th
1965–66 Oregon State 21–712–21stNCAA Elite Eight
1966–67 Oregon State 14–148–8t2nd
1967–68 Oregon State 12–138–6t3rd
1968–69 Oregon State 12–148–6t5th
1969–70 Oregon State 10–164–107th
Oregon State: 91–82 (.526)47–40 (.540)
Total:91–82 (.526)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References
  1. "Harman Wins NCS Net Championship," Palo Alto Times, May 25, 1936, p. 7.
  2. Sis Banfield, "Tamalpais High School Notes," San Anselmo Herald, Feb. 11, 1937, p. 2.
  3. "Beaver Nation Loses an Icon: Paul Valenti Dies at 94," Albany Democrat-Herald/Corvallis Gazette-Times, Sept. 14, 2014, pp. B1, B4.
  4. "College Teams Await Whistle," Corvallis Gazette Times, Jan. 12, 1940, p. 7.
  5. "Oregon State Wins," Oakland Tribune, Dec. 21, 1939, p. 27.
  6. "Wayne U Upsets Oregon; Beavers Lost to BYU," Medford Mail Tribune, Dec. 22, 1939, p. 4.
  7. "Paul Valenti, longtime Oregon State player, coach and administrator, dies at 94". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  8. "Slats Gill is Getting Better". Port Angeles Evening News. 8 February 1960. p. 1. Retrieved September 24, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. Chuck Boice, "What They're Saying," [Salem] Capital Journal, Sept. 22, 1964, p. 13.
  10. Kerry Eggers, "No One Can Replace 'True Beaver' Paul Valenti," Portland Tribune, Sept. 24, 2014.
  11. "Paul B. Valenti Obituary". McHenry Funeral Home. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  12. "2013-14 Oregon State Beavers Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Oregon State Beavers. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.

Works
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