Despite the success, Oregon State did not receive much attention. Only the conference was allowed to go to the Rose Bowl. No other team was allowed to participate in a bowl game. Because they were precluded from participating in a bowl as the second-place team, most of the nation did not hear much about the team. In the off-season, Dee Andros met one of his black players, Fred Milton, on-campus. Milton had grown a Van Dyke; however, Andros had a no facial hair policy. When Milton refused to shave it off, he was kicked off the team. The Black Student Union and 4000 other students protested Andros' decision. By the time the mess had sorted itself out, two-thirds of the black players had quit the team. There were no black recruits in the 1969 recruiting class. Andros was labeled a racist in many circles and seemed unable to shake it.
