Canzano: Oregon State's $48 million windfall has a story
A final act of love from Wayne and Gladys Valley.
F. Wayne Valley was a bruising fullback who studied at Oregon State in the 1930s. After graduation, he went to work and made his fortune as a home builder in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Valley helped bring pro football to Oakland in the 1960s and became commissioner of the AFL. He was one of the founders of the Raiders and held a 15.2 percent stake in the team. He hired Al Davis as head coach and general manager of the team. Years later, Davis back-stabbed Valley, circumventing him in a business deal, and eventually ended up in control of the franchise.
Gladys, Valley’s wife, once said of Davis: “Wayne had nothing against Al except that he was a liar and a cheat and a despicable cad.”
Did you see Oregon State’s announcement this week of a $48 million revenue-sharing initiative? That the money is earmarked for revenue sharing with athletes? That $24 million of it is coming from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation?
“This is a huge deal,” OSU President Jayathi Murthy told me on Wednesday.
I suppose I could write about how much better the opening for the athletic director job at Oregon State looks right about now. More on that in a bit. But first, I want you to know a little about Wayne and Gladys, because they’re the ones picking up the bill.
They were a power couple on campus in Corvallis back in the day. Wayne carried the football, scored TDs, and blocked. Gladys was the first secretary for the College of Science at OSU. They graduated from college, fell in love, got married, had four kids, and eight grandchildren.