On a morning deer hunt east of Eugene in mid-October, senior guard Jack Patera of Portland mistakenly shot and killed former Oregon teammate Ken Sweitzer, a graduate assistant.[1][2] It was ruled accidental and he was cleared of negligence.[3] This was the second death for the team in two months; in mid-August, junior guard Doyle Higdon of Cottage Grove was killed in a logging explosion while removing stumps.[2][4]
Oregon won all four games against northwest PCC opponents; their next sweep came 26 years later.