Fiesta Bowl Championship 20th Anniversary Slated for September

CORVALLIS – Oregon State University Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes announced the “Fiesta Bowl Championship 20th Anniversary” will be celebrated the weekend of Sept. 25-27 on campus when the Beavers host Washington State at Reser Stadium. The 2000 team, as well as its head coach Dennis Erickson, will also be enshrined into the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame on the same weekend as part of the fully to-be-announced future 16th class.

The team compiled an 11-1 record, won the 2001 New Year’s Day Fiesta Bowl, and finished the year No. 4 in the country. Erickson, a 2019 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, earned one of his three then-Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year honors following the regular season.

Current Beaver head coach Jonathan Smith was the team’s quarterback and was selected the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player after passing for 305 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-19 victory over Notre Dame. The Beaver offense accounted for 446 yards.

Defensively, the Beavers limited the Fighting Irish to just 155 yards of offense and created three turnovers. Linebacker Darnell Robinson was named the bowl’s Defensive MVP after making seven tackles, including one sack, two tackles-for-loss, and forcing a fumble.

“I’m very proud to be a member of this iconic team,” Smith said. “The players on this team formed a unique bond representing Oregon State University that remains today. This will be a special weekend on campus that we invite all of Beaver Nation to relive the memories and celebrate the Fiesta Bowl championship.”

Following the season, receiver Chad Johnson (Cincinnati), defensive end DeLawrence Grant (Oakland), offensive tackle Mitch White (New Orleans), and receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati) were selected in the NFL Draft. Safety Terrence Carroll (Philadelphia), defensive lineman LaDairis Jackson (Seattle), tight end Marty Maurer (San Diego), and Robinson (Detroit) signed free agent contracts.

The 2000 team also featured future NFL Draft picks linebacker James Allen (New Orleans), linebacker Nick Barnett (Green Bay), cornerback Dennis Weathersby (Cincinnati), defensive lineman Dwan Edwards (Baltimore), tight end Tim Euhus (Buffalo), and linebacker Richard Seigler (San Francisco). Several other Beavers signed free agent contracts and had NFL careers.