George Karlavitis honors our country in the US and in American football. Many years before him there was a great figure who left a whole era in this so “foreign” sport for Europe and the Greeks.

This is Demosthenes Andrikopoulos, the legendary Dee Andros, nicknamed the “Great Pumpkin”which has been attributed to him due to his large build and the orange jacket he wore.

Born in Oklahoma on October 17, 1924, he was one of three sons of Konstantinos Andrikopoulos, an immigrant from Geliniatika, Xylokastro, Corinth.

He had a career as a player, but served as head coach at the University of Idaho from 1962 to 1964; and at the University of Oregon from 1965 to 1975 with a 62–80–2 record.

The “movie” life of Di Andros began to “write” its first … episodes when he graduated from Central High School in Oklahoma in 1942, and then at the age of 18 enlisted in the army during World War II.

“K” spoke to his nephew Vassilis Andrikopoulos, who unraveled much of his legendary uncle’s … tangled life.

“He honored our country and was destined to become a symbol of peace because he participated in US operations in the key battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.” – says Mr. Vasilis, who turned 70 today.

Iwo Jima, a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, owned by Japan and translated as “sulfur island”, was a strategic point during World War II. He would have remained, perhaps, forever in … the small print of geography, if one of the bloodiest conflicts in history had not been fought there, which lasted from February 19 to March 26, 1945.

Approximately 21 square kilometers of the island were watered with the blood of 21,844 Japanese and 6,800 Americans. The impregnable fortress of the Land of the Rising Sun was falling into US hands, and war reporter Joe Rosenthal’s famous photograph, which he immortalized for the Associated Press (he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1945), showed six Marines pinning an American flag from above. Suribatsi hill on February 23, 1945, about a month before the last shot on the island. Di Andros was also present in this scene, but a little further away.

“He was present at the raising of the American flag, and the American state awarded him the Grand Cross. Iwo Jima was a key island for the US as it bisected the Pacific Ocean. De Andros is a legend, he has become a symbol of American football,” emphasizes Mr. Vasilis “K”, and continues: “He was a cousin of my father and uncle. His younger brother Konstantinos (Gus) was an excellent dancer and was even called Nureyev from the USA as he had an excellent dance school.”

Andros played college football in Oklahoma as a quarterback from 1946 to 1949 under the legendary Bud Wilkinson. Selected in the 14th round (177th overall) by the Chicago Cardinals in the 1950 NFL Draft.

“Plato and Demosthenes were baptized with ancient Greek names. Their father Konstantinos loved Greece very much,” recalls Mr. Vassilis. “Plato “pulled” Demosthenes to football, because he was a player too (he played four years in the NFL for the Cardinals). Plato’s daughter came to Greece in September last year to fulfill the wish of her father, who did not have time to visit us again, as he fell ill and died.

Andros’ coaching career began as an assistant coach in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas Tech, Nebraska, California, and Illinois.

Andros became the head coach at the age of 38. in Idaho with vandals in February 1962.

He was hired as head coach at Oregon State in February 1965. He replaced the legendary Tommy Protro, who left after ten seasons at Corvallis for UCLA, just ten days after leading the Beavers to the Rose Bowl. Andros compiled a 51–64–1 record in eleven seasons at OSU. In Civil War games against the Oregon Ducks, he had an overall record of 9–2. The nickname “Great Pumpkin” was first mentioned by a Spokane sportscaster during a Halloween weekend game in 1966.

Andros is best known for an incredible 1967 season in which his team, the Oregon State Beavers, earned the nickname “The Giant Killers” with a 7–2–1 record. They outscored their rivals 187–137.

Within four weeks The Beavers became the only team to have never lost to the top three ranked teams in a season since the AP Poll; and from that moment on they were all referred to as the “Giant Killers”.

Andros’ tenure at Oregon culminated in the 1968 season. After two six-win seasons in 1969 and 1970, his teams won just 13 games over the next five years, starting on a 28-game losing streak.

After retiring from coaching, he became athletic director in Oregon from 1976 to 1985, retiring and continuing to work as a special assistant with the Beaver Sports Scholarship Fund when health problems forced him to stay at his home in Corvallis. He also competed in Oregon athletics for almost four decades.

In 1992, his 1967 Giant Killers were inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. In the spring of 2003, he was awarded the Martin Chavez Lifetime Achievement Award at Oregon’s fifth annual Bennys Celebration.

He was married to Luella Andros and they had a daughter, Gina (Joanna). O Dee Andros died in Corvallis on October 22, 2003 at the age of 79.

“Demosthenes’ daughter, Ioanna Andrikopoulou, is the wife of Phil Baker of Pink Martini,” says Mr. Vassilis.

“My family often corresponded with Demosthenes. My father did not know English and took the letters to the girl in the village so that she would translate them for him. He kept them all in a metal box in a closet. The last time Demosthenes came to Greece was in 1978.”

* I sincerely thank Mr. Vassilis Andrikopoulos for the photographic material entrusted to “K”.