We Were Bad

The Story Of The 2001 Oregon State Football Team

Beaver Nation,

When a story demands to be told, you tell it.

So, we are making a documentary on the 2001 Oregon State Fiesta Bowl Team. 

We are three Oregon State graduates with a dream of telling the story of one of the most incredible teams in Beaver Football history. It is a story that must be told.

If you enjoyed following along as ESPN rolled out The Last Dance–a look into Michael Jordan’s career and his team’s last chance to win an NBA Championship–you may have an understanding of what we want for this doc. 

The Last Dance docuseries was wildly successful; averaging 5.6 million viewers throughout its run, trending on social media for over a month straight, and sweeping the nation with a television craze typically reserved for live events. We want to create that same effect for Oregon State Football with our film.

Obviously, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ championship runs exist in a more elevated sports universe than OSU, but we believe that this story and the characters involved (combined with the overwhelming popularity of college football) are captivating enough to attract the attention of individuals across the country, even those who don’t know the difference between the Beavers and the Ducks. It may be shocking, but outside of the Pacific Northwest, those people exist. We will change that.

Why tell this story?

This is a team that needs its own historical record. As OSU is in the midst of rebuilding the football program, there is no greater time than now to tell this team’s story.

The 2000-01 team is one of the most dominant in school history but their triumphs have not been properly celebrated or documented. We owe it to the team to tell their story the same way they played the game: no holds barred, raw, and flat-out entertaining. This film would memorialize that team and allow fans to relive the glory of the Fiesta Bowl season forever.

We are offering the opportunity to give OSU some much deserved positive publicity. We want everyone from diehard Beaver fans, to the casual college football viewer, to enjoy a film that will shine a light on Oregon State legends and boost the Oregon State brand on a national level.

In this doc, you’ll hear about the Trail Blazers coming down to Corvallis to hang out at The Peacock with TJ Houshmandzadeh; how Ken Simonton, Chad Johnson, and other offensive players would bet on who would score the first TD of the game; anecdotes about Dennis Erickson’s “to the echo of the whistle” coaching style; and so much more.  

How Will Beaver Nation Benefit from this story?

Seasoned OSU fans will be able to recall the amazing memories they have of Beaver Football, as they witnessed this uniquely special team playing together. 

A younger generation of Beaver fans will be inspired when they realize what’s possible in Corvallis.

The film will even serve as a recruiting and branding tool for the current football program as they rebuild under Jonathan Smith.

As OSU attempts to raise money for Reser Stadium renovations–during a time when we may not be able to attend live sporting events–we see this film as an automatic win for the football program, and an opportunity to put a spotlight on the university.

More About Us:

Alex Crawford – Director, Producer
A proud Beaver Believer and a media Swiss Army knife, after graduating from OSU in 2013, Alex worked in broadcasting as the producer of “Dusty and Cam” on KFXX 1080 The FAN. He also produced Legend of the Giant Killers, a feature-length film which was screened up and down the West Coast and aired nationally on the Pac-12 Networks in 2016.

Ashtyn Butuso – Producer, Editor, AD
Ashtyn worked in the football video office while attending OSU. After graduating in 2013, she worked at the Pac-12 Networks for several years. Whether producing short-form content for social media or long-form content for national television, Ashtyn is a content creation wizard behind the scenes. 

Jordan van der Weyden – Director of Photography Jordan is an OSU grad (Class of 2012) and is a seasoned Director of Photography who has created video content for brands such as Nike, Adidas, Google, and the Los Angeles Rams.

How Can You Help Us?

To be candid, we need funding. It costs a lot of money to make a movie. But our plan is to do it in a manner that gives ownership to as many Beaver fans as possible. The Last Dance docuseries had a budget of $20 million and, although that kind of cash would be nice, we’re confident we can get this done for a small fraction of the cost. 

It is vital that this film is of the highest quality possible, and we can only do that with the help of Beaver Nation. Can’t donate? We’d love it if you’d forward this newsletter to friends, fellow fans, alum, and anyone else you think would want to help us out. 

Donations of any amount help but we’re also looking for a title sponsor or a handful of presenting sponsors/donors to make this possible.

Thank you so much for your consideration. We believe this story can change how the world sees Oregon State Football.

Go Beavs! 

Ashtyn, Alex and Jordan