F. Wayne Valley

F. Wayne Valley (1914-1986) was an American businessman, philanthropist and football player. He attended Oregon State University in the 1930s, where he was a starting linebacker and fullback on the Oregon State Beavers football team, though he would ultimately graduate with a business degree from the University of Oregon.cite news|title=Cutting their losses|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2007-09-20|author=Rachel Bachman|accessdate=2007-09-20] [cite web|publisher=Oregon State University Alumni Association|title=Up Close and Personal: The Valleys |author=George P. Edmonston Jr. and Chuck Boice|url=http://www.osualum.com/s/359/index.aspx?sid=359&gid=1&pgid=512|accessdate=2007-09-20] He would later go on to a successful career in the homebuilding industry, starting his first building business in the late 1940s. His businesses were based in the East Bay city of San Leandro, California where he lived. He and his family and later moved to Piedmont, California in the late 1960s.

He was one of the original owners of the Oakland Raiders football team, and a founding member of the American Football League. He was the managing general partner of the team until forced out of this role by current managing partner Al Davis in 1972; Valley subsequently sold his stake in 1976. [cite book|author=Glenn Dickey|title=Just Win, Baby: Al Davis and his Raiders|pages=pp. 98–101|publisher=Harcourt|date=1991|isbn=0151465800] Along with his wife, Gladys L. Valley, they left the majority of their net worth the the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, based in Oakland, California. [cite web|url=http://foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/wgvalley/background.html|title=Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation: Background|publisher=Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation|accessdate=2007-09-20]

Valley died in 1986; his wife continued to operate the Foundation until her death in 1998. The foundation is a key donor to OSU, both academically and athletically; the Valley Library and Valley Football Center at OSU are both named in their honor.cite web|url=http://osufoundation.org/givingopportunities/facultysupport/endowedpositions/thewayneandgladysvalleychairinmarinebiology/|title=The Wayne and Gladys Valley Chair in Marine Biology|publisher=Oregon State University|accessdate=2007-09-20]

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