Pacific Lutheran University SCene
October
1990
18 Sports
ew W Ik Of
F
e o ors our
/ Clifford Olson
By Mike Larson
F
o u r g i a n t s from P a c i f i c Lutheran's athlet i c past w i l l b e recogn ized forma l ly a n d per manently enshri ned in PLU's Ath letic Wal k of Fame, set for i nau guration F riday, Oct. 1 2 , at 1 1 :30 a. m_ Lege n d ary Lu es C l i ff O l son, M a rv Tom m ervik, M a rv H a rsh man and Rhoda Yo u n g w i l l be inaugural i nd uctees to PLU's Ath letic Hall of Fame. The project is part of the PLU athletic depart ment's cente n n i a l celebration pla ns. "Some people have sa i d we shou ld have done this years ago, and maybe we shou ld have. The important thing, though, is that we' re doing it now. It's a very appropriate centen n i a l p roject for our prog ram," sa i d Lute ath letic d i rector Dr. David Olson. "We have a long and rich heri tage i n sports at PLU and t h is is a marve lous way to celeb rate that history. The desig nated area, the wal k of fame cohcept, wi l l g ive us proper recognition of our great achievers," he sai d . Cl iff Olson was a long-time ath-
letic d i rector and coach at PLU and has remai ned a n a rdent sup porter of Lute athletics th rough the years. The names Tom m er v i k and H a rs h m a n a re sy nony mous with PLU footba l l ' s "G lory Yea rs" of the late 1 9 30s and ear ly 1 940s. Both Marv To m m ervik and M a rv H a rsh m a n a l so co a ch ed at PLU. Rhoda You ng's com m itment to wom e n ' s athlet ics from 1 938-67 hel ped lay the fou ndation for much of the suc cess today. S h e a l so led t h e establ ishment of PLU's M a y Fes tival Dancers. (See biog raph ies,) F i ve s q u a re, b r i ck co l u m ns com pose t h e Wa l k of F a m e, located along the north side of t h e sw i m m i n g pool between Olson Auditorium andl Na mes Fit ness Center. The fou r inaugu ra l i n d u ctees, as we l l as fut u re i n d uct ees, w i l l be reco g n i zed permanently by a plaque on the p i l lars. A Hall of Fa me Ba nquet is set for noon on Friday, Oct. 1 2. Any one i nterested in attend i n g the ba nquet should contact the PLU athletic department at 206/5 357 3 50. Cost is 59 per person.
CLIFFORD O. "CLIFF" OLSON - Coach "Molder of Pacific Lutheran's tradition of athletic excellence."
/I
Legendary Pac i f i c L u t heran ath letic di rector, coach and sup porter. In add ition to serving as a t h l e t i c d i rect o r , he a l so coached foot ba l l , basket ba l l , baseba l l , golf, t e n n i s and t rack. Olson's foot b a l l program com pi led a 64-33-6 record during h is 1 4 years as coach and won 1 8 stra i g h t games between 1 939-41 . H i s 1 940 g r i d team was one of Pacific Lutheran's fi nest finishing the season u n beaten i n eight games a n d setting national s m a l l-co l l ege attenda nce records. A 1 6-1 3 u pset victory i n 1 940 over then-major col l ege power Gonzaga catapu lted Pacif ic Lutheran i n tc the national spotl ight and sti l l stands as one of the a l l-time g reat moments in Pac i fic Lutheran athletics h isto-
ry. A 20-year servant to the Uni versity ( 1 92 9-48), h i s priceless cont r i b u t i o n , lead e rsh i p a n d v i s i o n took P a c i f i c L u t h e ra n from ath letic anonym ity i nto national promi nence.
Al u mni Can Help Make PLU Career Day A Success A l u m n i who wou ld l i ke to help students make i nformed deci sions about their futu re careers are asked to contact the A l u m n i Office (206) 535-741 5. C a reer d a y i s t e n t a t i v e l y schedu led for t h e second week in March .
L
te Greats
Marv Harshman
Marv Tommervik
MARVIN S. "MARV" TOMMERVIK - Athlete / coach "Pacific Lutheran football legend, former athletic director and coach."
A ha lfback, Tom m e rvi k was one of the most prolific co l l e g iate passers of his t i me, ea rn i ng the n i ckname "Tom myg u n " fo r his aerial wizardry. One of the " M arvelous Marvs" du ring Pacific Lutheran footba l l 's g l o ry years of the late 1 9 30s a n d e a r l y 1 940s, h e averaged 1 7. 2 ya rds per pass and had a . 504 co mple t ion percentage, sensational i n th ose days. A t wo-t i m e A I I American, h e was t h e nat ion's top passer - among both large and sm a l l col leges - in 1 941 . He
esta blished more offe nsive foot ba l l records at Pacific Lutheran than anyone i n h i story , some wh ich stood for nearly 50 years, and was I nstrum ental in Pacific L u t h e r a n ' s 1 8- g a m e w i n n i n g st rea k between 1 9 39-4 1 . After g rad uating in 1 942, To m m ervi k spent th ree wart i m e years i n the Navy, then eventua l ly retu rned to h i s a l m a mater to serve as a t h l et i c d i recto r i n 1 94 6 . H e coached footba l l f ro m 1 947-50 and baseball from 1 947-5 1 .
MARVEL K. "MARV" HARSHMAN - Athlete / Coach "One of pacific Lutheran's all-time great athletes and coaches."
As an underg raduate at Pacific Lutheran, H a rs hm a n earn ed 1 4 athletic letters, starring i n foot b a l l , basket b a l l , baseba l l a n d t rack. Perhaps best remembered for his spectacu l a r moves as an A l l-Am e r i c a n fu l l ba c k o n t h e grid i ron, h e was one o f t h e "Mar velous Ma rvs" who hel ped lead Pacific Luthera n to 1 8 st raight victories from 1 939-41 and i nto national football prom i nence. His name is synonymous with Pacific Lutheran football's g l o ry yea rs of t h e late 1 9 30s a n d e a r l y
1 940s. U p o n g raduation f rom Pacific L u t h e ra n i n 1 94 2 , he eventuallY retu rned to his alma mater, serving as ath letic d i rec tor and a lso as footba ll, basket ba l l and t rack coach. Harshman coached colleg iate basketball for 40 yea rs, 1 3 seasons at Pacific L u t h eran ( 1 946-58). H i s 1 9 5 7 Pacific L u theran team finished with a 30-2 record a n d placed t h i rd at the NAIA national tou r nament. Harshman retired from coac h i n g i n 1 9 8 5 w i t h 642 career victories.
RHODA M. YOUNG - Athletic Staff "Pioneer Of women's athletics at Pacific Lutheran."
You ng's leadership and service hel ped Pacific Lutheran u p hold its com mitment to offer athletic opportun ities for both men and wom en. A 30-year serva nt to Pacific L u t h e ra n ( 1 9 3 0 -4 2 , 1 943-67) a n d a 1 9 35 g ra d u ate, she helped susta i n, n u rt u re and deve lop ath l et i cs for women during an era that more w i l l i ngly accepted o n l y m en's p rograms. In addition to teach ing physical education and health, she over saw a women's intram u ra l activi ty program from the late 1 9 30s
to the late 1 950s_ In 1 9 38, she esta b l i s h ed Pac i f i c L u t h e ra n ' s May Fest ival Da ncers, st i l l a pop u l a r st u d e nt fo l k-danc i n g c l u b . Young pioneered Pacific Luther an's first women's intercol legi ate a thletic p rogram i n t h e early 1 960s, a p rogram that i ncl uded field h oc key, basketball, vo l l ey b a l l a n d soft ba l l w h e n she ret i red i n 1 96 7 . Yo ung's devo tion to the U n iversity l eft an i ndel i ble mark and laid the fou n dati on fo r fut u re successes i n women's ath letics.