Gap Powell
Encyclopedia
George A. "Gap" Powell was an American football
player.
and was one of the first 12 students to graduate from Franklin High School.
from 1918 to 1921 and became the university's first college football All-American in 1921. In the January 1922 issue of "Football World," Powell was named as the first-team All-American at the fullback position. Powell was also a member of Oregon State's track team and won the Pacific Coast Conference
shot put
championship in 1920. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 1982 and the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
, for the first time. He also ran a depot and a service station in Long Beach. He remained in the business that he called "the oil and gas game" for his entire career. He also formed a company, G.A. Powell Co., that was a distributor for Rio Grande products. In addition to his business interests, Powell was an active recruiter for Oregon State in Southern California and became known as "Mister Oregon State" in Southern California.
Powell died in Long Beach in 1989 at the age of 90.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player.
Early life
Powell grew up in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and was one of the first 12 students to graduate from Franklin High School.
Football career
He played fullback for Oregon StateOregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
from 1918 to 1921 and became the university's first college football All-American in 1921. In the January 1922 issue of "Football World," Powell was named as the first-team All-American at the fullback position. Powell was also a member of Oregon State's track team and won the Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
championship in 1920. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 1982 and the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
Business career
After graduating from Oregon State in 1922 with a degree in business administration, Powell moved to Southern California where he went into the oil business. In 1922, he brought Richfield products to Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, for the first time. He also ran a depot and a service station in Long Beach. He remained in the business that he called "the oil and gas game" for his entire career. He also formed a company, G.A. Powell Co., that was a distributor for Rio Grande products. In addition to his business interests, Powell was an active recruiter for Oregon State in Southern California and became known as "Mister Oregon State" in Southern California.
Powell died in Long Beach in 1989 at the age of 90.