Oregon State coach Mike Riley said he was self-conscious about having an Oregon state police escort at home and away football games – was he really that important? – but he became a believer after the Beavers knocked off No. 1-ranked USC in 2008.





Delirious fans at Reser Stadium stormed the field so quickly, surrounding Riley and many of his players, he wasn’t sure if there were any escape routes to the locker room.





The State troopers charged with protecting Riley and his team did their job. Coaches and players survived the mass celebration with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises.





“One of the only games where I actually got nervous (about the crowd),’’ said Riley as No. 15 OSU prepared for its Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl game against Texas.





“I was trying to find Pete Carroll, and there was no way. Those (troopers) just cleared the crowd and we got off. I don’t know if we could have done it without them. I never got to Pete. Never found him. That one was scary.’’





There is a strong Oregon State Police presence on campus that patrols the University area 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and part of the agreement with OSU is to have troopers work the home football games and provide security on the road.





They ride the team plane, stay in the team hotel, and make bed checks on the players.





“Interesting deal,’’ said Riley. “The guys that are with us a lot just become part of the group.’’





Two of the more familiar officers who are often close by the team are former Cal-Berkeley swimmer Sgt. Vonn Schleicher and senior trooper Orly Johnson, a former Oregon State wrestler who has been around Mike Riley and the Beavers since 2006.





Riley said he was glad he had Schleicher and Johnson flanking him at CenturyLink Field earlier this season after Washington upset then-No. 7 Oregon State 20-17.





“That was the other time I was nervous,’’ said Riley. “I was worried because we were just trying to get through the tunnel and here these people were coming right in our face. I saw a couple near-misses with our players but I never got (scared) because these guys were with me.’’





Schleicher remembers the game, and said Huskies fans, “did start to storm the field. We like to run alongside coach Riley and let him do his handshake before we trot off the field but in this case there were too many people running around us. I had a hold of Riley’s left arm and Johnson had his right arm. We weren’t going to let go.’’





Riley said, “it was a strange feeling for a long time’’ to have a State trooper on each arm, but he’s used to it now.





Schleicher and Johnson are Riley’s main guys. Schleicher is the field supervisor at home games. Johnson is the gregarious state trooper everyone around the program simply calls “OJ.’’





“They have been assigned for several years to closely monitor OSU coach Mike Riley, his staff, and the student athletes,’’ said Lt. Gregg Hastings, public information officer for the Oregon State Police.





Don’t get the wrong idea. Schleicher and Johnson are real-life cops, too.





“Their work with the athletic department is in addition to their other OSP assignments,’’ said Hastings.





When Oregon State was suffering through 28 years of losing football, there wasn’t much need for crowd control at home games. And on the road, OSU football coaches didn’t have their own security detail.





All of that has changed. The world has changed. “We know the majority of the fans are great fans, but there’s that element of unknown,’’ said Schleicher, “individuals that may wish to do harm or have ill intentions. We want to be able to help protect coach Riley and the student athletes.’’





Schleicher said escorting the head coach on and off the field is just a small part of the assignment. “One of the things we’re expected to do is develop relationships with the student-athletes, let them see law enforcement in a positive light,’’ he said.





“For some of these student-athletes, their (previous) involvement with law enforcement was a negative experience. What everyone sees is us running alongside coach Riley, but there’s more (to what they do).’’





Riley said, “these guys get to know our players a little bit, and they give some pretty darn good mentoring advice. It’s awfully nice to have them there for that. … it’s one more piece of the puzzle that we can surround our team with.’’





Schleicher said Johnson, “has the unique ability to strike up a conversation with just about anybody.’’





And most of the time, the players listen. “We want them to take a moment and think about doing the right thing because they remember talking with senior trooper Johnson or Sgt. Schleicher,’’ said Schleicher.





“We want them to recognize that they’re in the spotlight and their actions are not only going to be scrutinized by their University peers but also the media. Our hope is to hopefully intervene and put them on the right track before they make a bad decision.’’





Few teams go through an entire season without something untoward happening off the field.





When Oregon State football players get in trouble – three players were jailed on assault and disorderly conduct charges earlier this month – Schleicher and Johnson feel badly but they also have to play the role of law enforcement officers.





“You do get disappointed,’’ said Schleicher. “You ask yourself, is there something that could have been done to connect better with those players? At the same time, we need to always understand our primary role.’’





Riley realizes they are police officers first. “We don’t expect any favors,’’ he said. “When kids get in trouble, we expect our guys to receive the consequences they deserve if something happens. I always know I can get good, accurate information (in those situations) from Vonn and OJ. They’re very professional and handle it in a first-class way.’’





In four-plus years of being around Riley and the team, Schleicher knows that “the players hold coach Riley in very high regard. They have a lot of respect for him, and they don’t want to disappoint him.’’





Schleicher said he feels a strong connection to the players on game day, “when folks are down to business. Everyone is focused on their assignment and their responsibilities (the troopers included) and I tell you, the handshakes, the fist-bumps, the looks in their eyes, everybody knows (it’s game day). The majority of the players pass us right before they take the field. Coach Riley is one of the last ones to come on.’’





Riley, deep in pre-game thought, walks through the locker room “and all of a sudden I notice I’ve got two guys walking right with me. They know when I’m coming out.’’





At home, once the game is played and Riley is safely back in the Valley Center, the State troopers’ job is done.





Not so much on the road. “On the away games, we’re pretty much on alert until the team gets back to Corvallis,’’ said Schleicher.





Fans can get crazy, and do crazy things, especially if they have been drinking. But Schleicher says no one has ever messed with him, or grabbed at his weapon.





“That uniform down on the field is fairly imposing,’’ he said. “But do we train and anticipate for something like that? Absolutely.’’





The state troopers are ready for anything.





“I’m glad they’re with us,’’ said Riley.



