2020 Tacoma Athletic Commission Tribute to Champions

tributetochampions.org

Tribute to Champions

August 23rd, 2021 • Greater Tacoma Convention Center FEATURING 2020 RECIPIENTS

STATE OF WASHINGTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES CONNELLY LAW OFFICES EXCELLENCE IN OFFICIATING AWARD FIRST FAMILY OF SPORTS AWARD FROSTY WESTERING EXCELLENCE IN COACHING AWARD DOUG MCARTHUR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD DICK HANNULA MALE & FEMALE AMATEUR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Presenting Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

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Offices in Tacoma & Seattle Connelly-Law.com | 253.593.5100

Connelly Law Offices Congratulates the

2020 Excellence in Officiating Award Recipients Jim Jezek Baseball

Amy Wertz Softball

Tyler Olsen Football

Ricky Underwood Girl’s Basketball

Dave Dempski Volleyball

Ray Moffatte Jr. Soccer

Randy Sears Softball

Joanne Flom Track & Field

Darrell Spivey Jr. Wrestling

Larry Berg Boy’s Basketball

“Win or lose, do it fairly.”

-Knute Rockne

TRUTH | JUSTICE | ACCOUNTABILITY | EQUAL ACCESS 2

“Tacoma Athletic Commission” Dedicated to Sports & Civic Betterment

Welcome to the Tribute to Champions.

The Tacoma Athletic Commission and the Shanaman Sports Museum are proud to host tonight’s event to recognize the many individuals who have achieved outstanding accomplishments at the highest level in sports in Tacoma and Pierce County. Tonight we are honoring them for their positive contributions to our community in the areas of sports, recreation, and civic betterment.

Congratulations to our Hall of Fame inductees. They have been great leaders and role models for our youth. Congratulations to those receiving special accolades for their involvement in promoting and encouraging involvement in sports as a way of life and for those in the coaching officiating fraternity. Their passion for sports is remarkable.

Jim Merritt

Kudos to our Amateur Athletes of the Year as their futures are bright. We will watch proudly as they become the leaders of tomorrow. And, a tip of the cap to the First Family of Sports, for the positive example they have set for future generations on how to build strong family bonds, with sports as a contributing factor.

The Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma-Pierce County has been committed since 1994 to preserving our sports history through written, visual and audio means. It is important to understand the past in order to truly appreciate the present. The museum is grateful to those who have shared their stories and memorabilia for the public to enjoy.

Marc Blau

The TAC has been supporting local youth in sports for 78 years, since World War II, and pledges to continue their efforts on behalf of those who excel both in the classroom and in the various areas and fields where they play.

Tribute To Champions Committee Members

Our appreciation goes to these sports fans that volunteered to serve on the committee to make this a memorable evening for all.

CHAIRMAN Marc Blau VENUE LOGISTICS, REGISTRATION & SETUP Colleen Barta, Cheryl Blau, Gary Brooks, Robyn Buck, Doug Cail, JD Cail, Laina Chavez, Shannon Heinrick, CJ Jobe, Jamie Lange, Kim Lawson, Jill Magnuson, Allison McKeever, Ed Menotti, Chelle Miller, Adam Parks, Margaret Rebillion, Aaron Roetcisoender, Heidi Rowntree, Tim Templin, Janice Teodoro-Forbes, John Wohn, Teri Wood and Bob Young.

SOUVENIR PROGRAM Layout and Design.......................Kellie Ham Type & Graphics Athlete Bios................................. Gary Brooks, Nick Dawson, Doug Drowley, Craig Hill, Arnold Lytle, Todd Milles, Shawn O’Neal, Rob Rang, Bill Schey, Tyler Scott and Gail Wood Cascade Print Media ...........Mario Menconi and Cori Gumser VIDEO PRESENTATION Kirk Isakson and Steve Thomas SILENT AUCTION Colleen Barta, Robyn Buck, Chelle Miller, Columbia Bank staff DECORATIONS Angie Eichholtz, Diane Pittman, Rocky Zlock SHANAMAN SPORTS MUSEUM STAFF Megan French, Julia Auve, Katherine Kidwell, Adrian Cufley and Kim Davenport SPONSORSHIPS & AUCTION PROCUREMENT Marc Blau, Don Gustafson, Dave Lawson, Bob Young and Terry Ziegler

Thank you to this evening’s many sponsors as without your financial support this event would not be possible. And, a big “High Five” to the committee of volunteers who have been working for the past eighteen months to ensure a memorable Tribute to Champions for all.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mike Sage-Sage Photography Stacy Tyler-Intensity Sports Photography

You can read all about the Tacoma Athletic Commission and the Shanaman Sports Museum elsewhere in this program. Feel free to contact us if you would like to help maintain a tradition of supporting athletic participation and excellence in Tacoma-Pierce County.

RESEARCH A special thanks to Ilona Perry of the Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library, for her efforts in tracking down contact numbers, photos and information about our inductees when requested. Her efforts were invaluable.

Sincerely,

USHERS A special “Shout Out” to the University of Puget Sound men’s basketball and swim teams for serving as ushers tonight.

Jim Merritt President Tacoma Athletic Commission

Marc Blau President & Co-Founder Shanaman Sports Museum

Visit the museum online at www.tacomasportsmuseum.com 3

ORDER OF PRESENTATIONS 5:30pm

Social & Silent Auction of Sports Memorabilia

6:30pm

Welcome—Jim Merritt, TAC President Masters of Ceremonies—Art Thiel and Mike “The Gasman” Gastineau National Anthem—Derik Nelson & Family

6:45pm

Video and Presentation of Distinguished Achievement Awards Connelly Law Offices Excellence in Officiating Award—Jack Connelly, presenter Baseball—Jim Jezek Boys Basketball—Larry Berg Girls Basketball—Ricky Underwood Football—Tyler Olsen Softball—Randy Sears & Amy Wertz Soccer—Ray Moffatte, Jr. Track & Field—Joanne Flom Volleyball—Dave Dempski Wrestling—Darrell Spivey, Jr

First Family of Sports Award—Paula Names Larkin, presenter The Heinrick Family—John, Irene, Jack, Patricia, Margaret, Dennis and Kathleen

Frosty Westering Excellence in Coaching Award—Paul Hoseth, presenter Don Gustafson—Girls Golf Coach, Life Christian Academy Joe Waters—Boys Soccer Coach, Bellarmine Prep

Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award—Doug McArthur, presenter Brian Kamens, Tacoma Public Library, Northwest Room Aaron Pointer, Pierce County Parks & Recreation-Metro Parks Tacoma

Dick Hannula Amateur Athlete of the Year Award—Dan Hannula, presenter Morgan Weaver—Soccer, Curtis HS/Washington State University Malachi Flynn—Basketball, Bellarmine Prep/WSU/San Diego State University

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ORDER OF PRESENTATIONS (continued) 7:15pm

State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame Don Zech, UPS Men’s Basketball Coach—Cheryl (Huntington) Franco presenter

7:20pm

Tribute to Champions Videos and Hall of Fame Presentations HOF—Administrators, Coaches, Officials & Trainers—Sophia Maria Hall, presenter

HOF—The Three B’s: Baseball, Boxing & Basketball—Jay Stricherz, presenter

HOF—The News Tribune Sport Staff (1987–2000) —John Clayton, presenter

HOF—The Athletes: Racing, Fencing, Football, Mountaineering, Hiking, Shooting, Snow Skiing, Slowpitch Softball, Fastpitch, Softball, Swimming, Track & Field and Volleyball —Sam Ring, presenter

HOF—1979 & 1980 Mt. Tahoma High School State Football Champions

Closing

—Sandy Vindivich Snider, Song Staff —Terrie Guesman Bray, Yell Staff —Rob Rang presenter

Art Thiel and Mike Gastineau, MC’s

This evening’s program may be viewed on TV Tacoma or on YouTube under “Tribute to 5

MASTERS OF CEREMONIES

Thanks To the Following Sponsors for Their Support!

Art Thiel Tacoma-raised and a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Art was sports columnist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before co-founding sportspressnw.com. He’s written or co-written three books, including the Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists with Mike Gastineau. His commentaries can be heard Friday mornings and afternoons on NPR affiliate KNKX-FM 88.5.

HOSTS Tacoma Athletic Commission Shanaman Sports Museum PRESENTING SPONSOR Connelly Law Offices

Never having met a metaphor he could not twist beyond recognition, Art has been illuminating, agitating, amusing and annoying Puget Sound sports readers for a long time Along with Steve Rudman, he co-founded Sports Press Northwest and his radio commentaries can be heard Friday and Saturday mornings and Friday afternoon on KPLU-FM 88.9.

In 2003 he wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Rudman and KJR Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists.”

A member of the Tacoma News Tribune staff from 1972–75, Art started taking prep football call-ins at TNT in college, becoming night sports boss by his senior year. He interned on news side for a summer but left after he was told he didn’t type the TV logs fast enough.

Those were also his mountain climbing days. He successfully summited Rainier with a group of TNT staffers, but only after they put him at the end of a climbing rope. They said that when he led, my weight disturbed too much snow, which fell back on my climbing partners. Hence the nickname: Avalanche Art.

Mike “The Gasman” Gastineau Mike Gastineau is a freelance writer, author, and broadcaster.

His latest book, Fear No Man, was published in 2021 and tells the inside story of the undefeated and national champion 1991 University of Washington football team. His previous books include Mr. Townsend and the Polish Prince, published in 2018 and currently in development to be made into a movie, and Sounders FC: Authentic Masterpiece, a critically acclaimed best-seller published in 2013. In 2009, he co-authored The Great Book of Seattle Sports lists with Art Thiel and Steve Rudman.

GOLD SPONSORS Korum for Kids Foundation Dominos Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health The News Tribune Columbia Bank SILVER SPONSORS Financial Insights Brooks, Hughes & Jones/Wealth Advisors Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P. Rush Construction Cascade Print Media Kellie Ham Type & Graphics BRONZE SPONSORS Metro Parks Tacoma RET Physical Therapy Guardian Roofing PLATINUM SPONSORS Tacoma Rainiers Timberland Bank Parkinson Painting, Inc. Puget Law Group

His work has appeared in the Seattle Times, the Seattle Mariners Magazine, the Washington Athletic Club Magazine, SportspressNW.com, and Lindy’s College Football Magazine.

Mike was a sports talk show host at KJR Radio in Seattle from 1991 to 2012 where, in addition to his daily afternoon show he hosted shows on the Seattle Supersonics radio network and the University of Washington radio network.

Public Wifi: Access is GTCTC Public No Password.

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3109 Auburn Way N, Auburn, WA 98002 Website: auburnvw.com

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Derik Nelson & Family Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Derik Nelson & Family’s signature sound features velvety three-part pop/folk vocal harmonies only a family can deliver. Siblings Derik. Riana, and Dalten have been performing together since childhood.

Derik Nelson & Family, from Olympia, will sing the National Anthem.

They’ve garnered over 4 million views on YouTube, performed in 150+ cities across the USA, and reached 100,000+ students of all ages with educational music workshops, outreach programming, and fundraising assemblies. Derik appeared regularly as the lead guitarist on television’s “Glee,”among other shows. Derik Nelson & Family has performed the US National Anthem at Seattle Seahawks, Sounders FC, and Portland Trailblazers home games, and are proud to tour nationwide with their own headlining concert as a family in some of the finest performing arts centers and historic halls in the country.

SPORTS WEBSITES TO KEEP YOU INFORMED Tacoma Athletic Commission www.tacomaathletic.com Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma Pierce County www.tacomasportsmuseum.com State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame www.washingtonsportshalloffame.org Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Association www.oldtimerbaseball.com Tacoma South Sound Sports www.tacomasports.org Tacoma Rainiers Baseball Club www.tacomarainiers.com West Central District III www.wcd3.org WIAA www.wiaa.com Reign FC www.reignfc.com Tacoma Defiance www.tacdefiance.com Scorebook Live-High School Sports in WA www.sblivewa.com

Tribute to Champions Video Presentation Tell your friends who missed out on attending the Tribute to Champions that they are in luck because the full 2 ½ hour production will be broadcast by TV Tacoma which is carried on both the Rainier Connect North and Comcast Cable systems.

On Click! (via Rainier Connect) TV Tacoma is now available in High Definition on Channel 512 or in Standard Definition on Channel 12 within the Tacoma City limits and in Pierce County. In the City of University Place our Standard Definition Channel is 21.

On Comcast, TV Tacoma can be seen in High Definition on Channel 321 in Tacoma and Pierce County. Our Standard Definition Channel is 12 within the Tacoma City limits and Channel 21 in Pierce County.

TV Tacoma is not available on the Comcast system in University Place.

The Tribute to Champions is also available as a Video ON-Demand selection on the stations’s website at www.TVTacoma.com or on YouTube.

Go to tvtacoma.com In the left-hand navigation bar click on “Special Presentations.”

Look at the middle of the page and scroll down to find the “Tribute to Champions” click on the white triangle in the center of the screen to play it on your computer.

And for those of you who would like to purchase a copy of the entire Tribute to Champions proceedings: Make check for $20 payable to “City Treasurer” and send to: MSC Building—TV Tacoma Attn: BOC 1224 MLK JR WAY, Tacoma, WA 98405 7

The TAC supports sports and the youth of Pierce County, And the TAC Needs You If supporting youth and sports in Tacoma-Pierce County is appealing to you, joining the Tacoma Athletic Commission should be a “no-brainer.” No other sports-oriented organization in Pierce County ever has done more for our kids and their sports, and the TAC is currently celebrating 79 years of doing just that.

Over $6 million has been donated to schools, recreation departments, boys and girls dubs, deserving teams and individual athletes during that time thanks to TAC dues and special events staged by Commission members.

Among the fund-raisers or events which the TAC supports or sponsors are this Tribute to Champions, the Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma-Pierce County, the Tom Names Salute to Sports and the TAC Athlete of the Year program, the annual Golden Gloves amateur boxing show, the Celebrity Golf Classic and the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.

Tonight’s induction of new members into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame is another TAC tribute to sports in our community.

If the TAC is destined to continue its efforts of support, it needs the help of civic-minded, sports-minded citizens like you. A TAC individual membership or a TAC Corporate/Business Membership is the ideal way to assist this worthwhile cause.

An application below will enable you to join now.

Or you may locate an application form online at www.tacomaathletic.com.

For information, contact TAC Executive Secretary Karyn Siegrist at 253-759-1124 or via email at karyntac@gmail.com.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TAC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name __________________________________________________________________ Mobile Phone __________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ E-mail address ______________________________ Individual Membership - $100, Corporate Contributions - $250, $500, $1000, $2500, $5000. Enclose check.

Mail to: Tacoma Athletic Commission, Box 11304, Tacoma, WA 98411

“Playgrounds To The Pros: An Illustrated History Of Sports In Tacoma-Pierce County” From games played in schoolyards to professional championship teams, sports have occupied an important place in the cultural development of the Tacoma area. Playgrounds to the Pros provides an extensive overview of the sports played in the region during the last 150 years. It is not limited to such crowd favorites as baseball, football, and basketball; it also includes archery and auto racing, bowling and boxing, horseshoes and hydroplanes, marbles and mountaineering, soccer and swimming, and much more.

Published in 2005, this history of more than 40 sports acknowledges the many men and women athletes who have contributed to their sports over the years, including Lois Secreto, who epitomized ice skating in the 1940s; pro golfer Ken Still, who competed in six Masters, 13 U.S. Opens, and seven PGA Championships; Ryan Moore, who won the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship; bowling great Earl Anthony; Doug Stevenson, goalie of the riotous Tacoma Rockets in the late forties and fifties; and Gertrude Wilhelmsen, 1936 Olympic athlete and star shortstop of the Tacoma Tigerettes. It is also a tribute to the colleges, schools, organizations, owners, managers, coaches, referees, umpires, and fans who have helped make sports such a significant part of Tacoma and Pierce County’s community, a place where love of a game, any game, is honored and enjoyed.

HOW TO ORDER PLAYGROUNDS TO THE PROS Books may be purchased directly through the Tacoma Athletic Commission for $25.00 plus an additional $9.00 if shipping is required. Send payment to: TAC--PO Box 11304--Tacoma, WA 98444 For credit card payments or additional information contact Karyn Siegrist at karyntac@ gmail.com or call 253-307-9096.

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Connelly Law Offices EXCELLENCE IN OFFICIATING AWARD

Baseball—Jim Jezek While it’s not uncommon to find multi-sport athletes, Jim Jezek is an example of a multi-sport official. For nearly the past 25 years, he’s worked his way around the local officiating circuit for baseball and football.

The “EXCELLENCE IN OFFICIATING AWARD” THE “EXCELLENCE IN OFFICIATING AWARD” is presented to collectively honor officials previously recognized for their leadership, dedication and high standard of professionalism displayed on and off the “field of play.” Their efforts are acknowledged for laying a foundation of excellence as officiating pioneers.

Presented annually to a currently active official in Tacoma-Pierce County who has made a significant contribution to the betterment of officiating.

Factors used in the selection of this individual include, but are not limited to, the following:

Born in November of 1964 in Aberdeen, Jezek graduated from Franklin Pierce High School in 1983 and attended Green River College in Auburn. He was a second baseman on the baseball diamond and also played golf, but it’s been as an official that he’s made his mark on the local athletics scene.

Jezek started umpiring in the Summit-Parkland Youth Association in 1997 and joined the Western Washington Baseball Umpires Association in 1999. He umpired various USSSA and Girls’ Seattle League Tournaments. He added football to his resume when he joined the Western Washington Football Officials Association in 2009, and he joined the Pierce County Umpires Association in 2012.

Particularly in the past five years, Jezek has kept a busy schedule officiating both sports. He’s worked high school district baseball games at the 2A, 3A, and 4A levels and has also officiated high school football playoff contests during that time.

Boys Basketball—Larry Berg Many high school kids find a second home on the basketball court. Few turn that into a 40-year career. Larry Berg did just that, with an officiating career that included numerous high school state tournaments and college conference and national tournaments.

-Respect for the Spirit and the Letter of the “Laws of the Games.”

-Integrity and ethics.

-Exhibits a “service above self” attitude.

Born in Tacoma in May of 1960, Berg graduated from Wilson High School in 1978. Before he graduated, however, he’d already found his calling. In 1977, he officiated his first basketball games at Mason Junior High—five kids games— and he was paid cash on the spot: “I loved working with the kids, and from there

-Has a motivating effect on others and/or strong community involvement.

-Excellence in officiating -Years of service and positions held in Local, State and National Official’s organizations.

-Awards received from these organizations.

-A member in good standing of the Washington Officials Association, if applicable.

Jack Connelly swam competitively at Lakes High School and later coached the Lakes water polo team to a State title in 1983, ending the Puyallup Vikings streak of 10 straight championships.

Don Duncan, longtime swim coach at the University of Puget Sound, is seen trying to keep an enthusiastic Connelly, somewhat grounded.

I was hooked!”

Hooked, indeed. He officiated high school basketball from 1977 through 2016, with his final contest the 2016 state championship game between Federal Way and Kentwood in the Tacoma Dome. In his career, he worked seven state high school tournaments and starting in 1989, he also worked college games at the community college, NAIA, and NCAA Division II and III levels. He officiated community college championship tournaments nine times and also worked various playoff games in all of the four-year college conferences over the years.

Berg made a brief foray onto the gridiron from 1991–93, but as he said, “it doesn’t rain in the gym, so I stuck with my passion—basketball!”

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Connelly Law Offices Excellence In Officiating Award (continued)

Girls Basketball— Ricky Underwood Ricky Underwood was a multi-sport athlete growing up in Indiana, but the past 30 years have seen him make his mark on the hardwood as a basketball official.

Born in September 1960 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Underwood graduated from Snider High School in 1979 where he played football and basketball and ran track. He served in the Army from 1983–92, and that experience led him around the world (including to the Puget Sound) and into the basketball officiating ranks.

Underwood received rookie official of the year in basketball and football in 1989 while serving at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and he’s been working basketball games ever since.

He joined the Tacoma Basketball Board in 1993 and has officiated local high school and college basketball games, including numerous state tournament contests.

2020 RECIPIENTS Baseball Jim Jezek Boys Basketball Larry Berg Girls Basketball Ricky Underwood Football Tyler Olsen Soccer Ray Moffatte Jr. Softball Randy Sears Amy Wertz Track & Field Joanne Flom Volleyball Dave Dempski Wrestling Darrell Spivey Jr. 2019 RECIPIENTS Boys Basketball Mike Stephenson Girls Basketball Hiram “BJ” Aea Football Joe Horn Soccer Larry Baughman Softball Scott Buser Volleyball Peter Thomas Wrestling Chris Brayton 2018 RECIPIENTS Boys Basketball Mark Polcyn Girls Basketball Allen Estes Softball Graig Bolton Football Dwayne Johnson Soccer John O’keefe Volleyball Debbie Beckwith Wrestling Ton Maki

Football—Tyler Olsen Tyler Olsen is moving officiating into the 21st century, as the longtime local football official has taken to the digital airwaves to help promote football officiating. Between his time on the gridiron and in the recording studio, he is leaving quite the mark on the local officiating scene.

A lifelong Tacoma native, Olsen graduated from Wilson High School in 1993, where he played football and golf. He began his officiating career in 2008 as a member of the Western Washington Football Officials Association and Northwest Intercollegiate Football Officials Association.

Since then, he’s worked multiple high school and NCAA Division II playoff contests. He’s a WWFOA board member and has organized volunteer officials to referee summer passing camps at the University of Washington for the past three years.

In 2018, Olsen cocreated, with Dwayne Johnson, “Rule11 Officials,” a podcast in10

CONNELLY LAW OFFICES EXCELLENCE IN OFFICIATING RECIPIENTS

2017 RECIPIENTS Baseball Tom Purchase Boys Basketball Randy Black Girls Basketball Alberto Perez Softball Ken Laase Football Dan Stivers Soccer Dana Reinhart Volleyball John Wohn Wrestling Glen Kuhn 2016 RECIPIENTS Baseball Phil Taylor Boys Basketball Tony Schoeler Girls Basketball Kevin Walk Softball Bruce Ledbetter Football Ron Anderson Soccer Cy Palmer Track Cathy Sanderson Volleyball Lenny Llanos Wrestling Randy Holberg 2015 RECIPIENTS Baseball Dave Williams Boys Basketball Ed Rounds Girls Basketball Frank Manowski Softball Ken Cheslik Football Dennis Mullens Track and Field Ed Viering Volleyball Walt Gogan Wrestling Daryl Eygabroad

2014 RECIPIENTS Boys Basketball Larry Stevens Girls Basketball Bill Weatherby Softball Greg Farias Football Clarence Leingang Soccer Joe Tompkins Volleyball Paul Jensen Wrestling Hugh Birgenheier 2013 RECIPIENTS Boys Baseball Rob Ruth Boys Basketball Mark Stricherz Girls Basketball Ross Parker Softball John Everett Football Rich Salstrom Lacrosse Keith MacFie Volleyball Tina Preece Wrestling Bruce Osborne 2012 RECIPIENTS Boys Basketball Lee Gregory Girls Basketball Ron Rosi Softball Bill Rudd Football John Dively Swimming/Track Dick Unrue Volleyball Teri Wood Wrestling Eric Davis 2011 RECIPIENTS Boys Basketball Paul Guetle Girls Basketball Mandel Scott Softball Jack Stonestreet Football Ken Wood Volleyball Robyn Buck Wrestling Brian Dunbar 2010 RECIPIENTS Baseball Ron Shaw Boys Basketball Steve Wusterbarth Girls Basketball Wayne Agness Softball Dick Hassan Football Terry Keister Volleyball Earl Powell Wrestling Terry Beckstead

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Connelly Law Offices Excellence In Officiating Award (continued) tended to promote education and support football officiating. They discuss rules, mechanics, philosophy, fitness, and invite guests to contribute to the conversation. Guests have included conference supervisors, camp directors, other officials, and more. Their audience has grown to over 1, 600 listeners per week throughout the US and they have published 59 episodes to date.

Softball— Randy Sears Randy Sears, who passed away this past February, enjoyed an umpiring career that stretched over 25 years. Sears joined the WWUA in 1994 and has served on the board for the last eight years.

As an umpire, he worked 11 district and four state tournaments. Randy also served on the board for the Seattle ASA, for which he umpired numerous regional, state, and national tournaments.

Softball— Amy Wertz Amy Wertz was a multi-sport athlete in both high school and college, and she continues that tradition in her officiating career, working with both basketball and softball since 2003.

Born in June of 1962 in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Wertz graduated from Glenns Ferry High School in Idaho in 1980. She attended Boise State University, graduating in 1984. She competed in volleyball, basketball, and track in high school—earning all-conference honors in volleyball and all-state recognition in basketball—and continued with basketball and track in college.

Since 2003, Wertz has been active in local sports as an official. She’s worked everything from recreation leagues to high school leagues in both basketball (for the Tacoma Basketball Board and Tacoma Basketball Officials Association) and girls fastpitch (for the Western Washington Umpires Association). During that time, she has worked numerous postseason contests in both sports, including several WIAA State Softball Tournament games.

Soccer—Ray Moffatte Jr. For more than 20 years, Ray Moffatte, Jr., has set an exceptionally high standard for himself, approaching every soccer match like it will be the last one he ever gets to referee. As he says, “I want both teams to feel like I was the best referee they’ve ever had.”

Born in April of 1964 in Los Angeles, Moffatte graduated from Tacoma’s Lincoln High School in 1982, where he played football and soccer and was the team manager for the basketball team. He attended Washington State University, graduating in 1986.

Moffatte began his officiating career in the mid-1990s with the USSF and WOA, and he’s still active to this day. He refereed the Washington State 4A boys’ championship match in 2010 and the 3A girls’ championship match in 2008 and was the fourth official at the 2014 NCAA Div. III men’s national championship match. Beyond those title contests, he’s worked numerous high school playoff matches. He has also worked as an administrator with the South Tacoma Soccer Club (1986–2006) and the Tacoma Pierce County Junior Soccer Club (1995–2014).

For High School coverage of sports in Washington Check out www.sblivewa.com

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Connelly Law Offices Excellence In Officiating Award (continued)

Track & Field—Joanne Flom

Wrestling—Darrell Spivey, Jr.

Jo Flom has an appropriate expectation for her work officiating cross country and track and field meets in the Puget Sound region: “There are no records of success except that we don’t drown or get blown away from the weather.” While the weather in this region can always add unexpected elements to outdoor sporting events, Flom has provided a measure of consistency in an officiating career that stretches back 30 years.

Darrell Spivey, Jr., found a lifelong sporting passion on the wrestling mat, and he’s maintained that passion as an athlete, coach and official for more than 40 years.

Born in November of 1948 in Tacoma, Flom graduated from Lincoln High School and attended Tacoma Community College and Pacific Lutheran University, where she graduated in 1971. She coached Ford Middle School’s track and field program for a few years in the late-1980s, but she got her first taste of officiating while assisting with scoring in the booth at a track and field event in 1987. She was recruited and trained on the spot by family.

She’s been working both local junior high and high school cross country and track and field events ever since and has added University of Washington meets to her repertoire. Some of her highlights include the NAIA Championships meet at PLU in 1991, a Masters event in Bozeman, Montana, the Nike Games in Eugene, Oregon, and last fall’s Junior Olympics Regional Cross Country Meet in Seattle.

Born in June of 1964 in Korea, Spivey began his wrestling career as a student at Rogers High School before graduating in 1982. Since then, he’s worked as both an official and a coach. He coached 5-to-12-year-olds in the Franklin Pierce Junior Wrestling program for 25 years.

Spivey has spent more than 20 years as an official with Pierce County Junior Wrestling League, and he’s spent eight years as a full-time member of the Western Washington Wrestling Officials Association. He has served as a board member for each organization and earned WWOA Most Improved Official honors three times and the Association Service Award twice. He was selected as one of the top 12 officials at the 2018–19 WIAA High School State Wrestling Tournament.

Volleyball—Dave Dempski Throughout his life, Dave Dempski has found a way to make athletics a key component of his lifestyle.

Between his own athletic endeavors, officiating, and administration, he’s compiled quite a resume of accomplishments.

Born in October 1939 in Tacoma, Dempski graduated from Lincoln High School in 1957 and spent several years at the University of Puget Sound. He was on the golf and bowling teams in high school and added volleyball to his list of competitive sports as an adult.

Dempski has been a member of the TacomaPierce County Volleyball Officials Board since 1994, giving him more than a quarter-century of officiating on the volleyball court. He works local high school matches as well as NCAA Div. II and III, NAIA, and community college contests. At the high school level, he has officiated six state tournaments. He’s also officiated club volleyball for the Evergreen and Puget Sound regions, along with the Arizona Region whenever he heads south as a snowbird.

Beyond his own playing and officiating, Dempski helped set up the Tacoma Volleyball Club at Tacoma Community College in the mid-1990s and has run numerous tournaments including a series of summer events on grass before beach volleyball emerged.

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206.498.3583 Photos of the Distinguished Achievement Awards event may be viewed and purchased by visiting https://sagephoto.smugmug.com

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OLD SCHOOL SPORTS PROGRAMS NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING FLIP BOOK PROJECT DISPLAYS COMPLETE CONTENT OF PROGRAMS The Shanaman Sports Museum currently has over 1400 sports programs in its collection spanning multiple sports. This includes auto racing, baseball, basketball, boxing, figure skating, figure skating, football, golf, hockey, fastpitch and slowpitch softball, soccer, swimming, track and field, volleyball, wrestling and much more for high school, collegiate, semi-professional and professional sports played throughout Tacoma and Pierce County. The goal of the Old School Sports Program Flipbook Project is to make the contents of every page in each program accessible to the public.

The content in programs often include a history of the event, the location, team rosters, biographical profiles of athletes and coaches, results of past events, awards, photographs and in some instances information about the host institution and the event sponsors. It is not unusual for individuals working on their genealogy to contact the museum staff to find out when a family member might have participated in a certain sport. This project is a valuable research tool for the public to enjoy.

If you have old sports programs hidden in boxes in the attic, garage or scrapbook please consider donating them to Shanaman Sports Museum for the public’s enjoyment. Financial contributions are also appreciated in helping this labor-intensive effort continue to evolve as more programs are donated to the collection. Contact Marc Blau at 253-677-2872 or mhblau@comcast.net

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First Family of Sports Award

First Family Of Sports Award

The First Family of Sports Award recognizes the contributions of parents, foster parents or guardians who instill and help maintain athletes’ successes.

From the “Hi Mom” TV wave at a sports event to more formal acknowledgement of family interest in and encouragement of sports from generation to generation, athletic achievement, whether in team or individual sports, is fostered by and also can foster family life.

The Heinrick Family: L to R: Pat Heinrick Koester, John Patrick Heinrick, Kathleen Heinrick Coleman, John “Jack” Robert Heinrick, Irene Heinrick, Dennis Heinrick and Margaret “Maggie” Heinrick.

The Heinrick Family—John, Irene, Jack, Patricia, Margaret, Dennis and Kathleen

By Todd Milles John Dennis Heinrick prayed he finally had an extraordinary athlete in his immediate family.

And he would brag to anybody who came into his barber shop in downtown Tacoma—one of the city’s true sportstalk hubs at the turn of the 20th century—that his son would end up being a multi-sport marvel.

What John Patrick Heinrick became was Tacoma’s first true all-inclusive sports icon.

Heinrick was a high-school and college three-sport standout. He coached many sports at the city-league, highschool and collegiate level—for the better part of five decades. He was an athletic director. He officiated locally and as prominently in the Pacific Coast Conference (later to become the Pac-12). He even helped design the city’s most visible basketball facility—Memorial Fieldhouse on the University of Puget Sound campus.

Equally important to his lifetime mission, Heinrick was a public servant. He was an educator. He ran for local government positions. And socially, there were few like him.

“Everything just came naturally to him,” said Kathleen (Heinrick) Coleman, Heinrick’s youngest daughter and last living child at 79 years old. “He was just real. He was a great man.”

FIRST FAMILY OF SPORTS AWARD RECIPIENTS 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 14

The Heinrick Family—John, Irene, Jack, Patricia, Margaret, Dennis and Kathleen The McPhee Family—Bill, Georgia, Kathy, Diane, Scott, Colleen, Brad, Mark, Maureen, Bryce and Jim The Barsh Family—Israel, Denise, Joshuael, R-Jay, Isaiah, Caleb, Joseph, Isaac and Josiah The Beauchene Family—Paul, Janice, Angie, Suzanne, Renee and Lisa The Mullen Family—Mike, Rosanne, Pat, Molly and Nick The Carrigan Family—Paul, Jean, Andy, Mike, Casey, Tim and Clancy The Shelton Family—Al, Shari, Aaron, Aubrey, Ben, Austin, Karina and Kaleb The Clark Family—Bob, Pat, Jackie, Denise, Robyn, Lori and Michele The Medved Family—Bob, Shirley, Ron, Judy, John, Susie, Michael, Pat, Tom, Tim, Karen, Kevin, Jim and Jerry The Tingstad Family—Ed, Darlene, David, Mark and Ed The Huard Family—Mike, Peggy, Damon, Brock and Luke The Westering Family—Frosty, Donna, Holly, Sue, Brad, Scott and Stacey The Hannula Family—Dick, Sylvia, Dan, Dave, Dick and Debby The Names Family—Scott, Sis, Tom, Clint, and Paula The Williams Family—Joe, Cleo, Joe, Jerry, Dave, Susan, John, Jordan, and Jennifer

A man headed for a life full of adventures.

Heinrick was born in 1904, the second child to JD and Effie (Bayless) Heinrick.

As a youth, Heinrick would spend countless hours in the backyard of the family’s north-end home swinging a baseball bat, or throwing a football.

His mother told Dick Lyall, of the Tacoma Times in a 1949 article that she used to always ask her son why he constantly did that.

“And always (it was) the same answer—‘I’m just exercising so I can make my arms strong so I will be a good athlete.’” Effie Heinrick recalled.

First Family Of Sports Award (continued) team so badly during his junior year in 1925, then-coach B.A. Leonard took a vote among his players on whether to cancel the final two games or not.

Heinrick not only voted to continue the season, he was appointed a captain—and led the team to victory playing quarterback against his former school, St. Martin’s.

It was after that season when Heinrick wed his college sweetheart, Irene Peterson, who grew up in Auburn.

L. to R.: John P., John R. (Jack), Patricia. Margaret and Dennis with Kathleen in front.

Heinrick often walked up to Tacoma Stadium to shag fly balls during cityleague baseball tryouts. And he and his buddies jogged through the woods from his house to the old YMCA grounds—which later became the site of the UPS campus—to play sandlot football and baseball.

A year after finishing up his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington, he returned to Tacoma with a bur- College of Puget Sound football coach John Heinrick (left) with Pacific Lutheran College coach Marv Harshman (right) with geoning family (first child, John the Tacoma Young Men’s Business Club trophy to be awarded to the winning team in the annual cross-town rivalry.

R., or “Jack” was born in 1926) in tow to become the full-time supervisor of Central Playground.

In 1918, after spending a summer working a job in the shipyards, he entered Stadium High School.

Because of his diminutive size (6–0, 135 pounds), he started out as a center on the school’s midget football team. He also was a guard on the boys basketball squad, and a do-everything utility player on the varsity baseball club.

Every youth team he coached in his short stint won a city championship, which led to high-school football and basketball coaching jobs at St. Leo’s High School (1927–28)/Bellarmine Prep (1929–34) and his alma mater, Stadium (won nine city league football titles, and two state titles from 1935–46).

While all of this was going on, Heinrick embarked on another side career—officiating.

After graduating in 1922, Heinrick went on to play one season of football at St. Martin’s before a serious illness forced him to miss basketball and baseball.

He transferred to Central Washington University (known as “Ellensburg Normal” back in the day) the next fall, and was a starting defensive end in football, a shooting guard in basketball and played shortstop in baseball.

Injuries ravaged the CWU football

Happy Heinrick House—Longtime University of Puget Sound coach John Heinrick and his clan display plaques presented Thursday night proclaiming the group First Family of Sports at the annual Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame banquet.

First row, from left, are daughter Kathleen, father John and daughters Margaret and Pat. In the second row are sons Jack and Dennis.

It happened by accident, he later recalled, as all he really wanted to do was help out by working UPS scrimmages. But one night, when a referee for the Loggers-St. Martin’s game did not show up, Heinrick got a call to fill in and his officiating days in football, basketball, baseball and softball were officially underway.

Heinrick had developed such an 15

First Family Of Sports Award (continued)

The 1937 Johnson Paint team finished 5th at the national championships in Wichita, Kansas. Back row l. to r.: Fred Hutchinson, Earl Johnson, Joe Dailey, Cy Greenlaw, Joe Salatino, Loris Baker and Dutch Scheffler. Middle row l. to r.: Hal Lee, Rick Lewis, John Heinrick (coach), Andy Padovan, Morry Abbott and Erling Tollefson. Front row l. to r.: Frank Ruffo, Jimmy Ennis, batboy Sam Baker, Rudy Tollefson, Doug Hendry and Joe Mlachnik. (Marc Blau collection).

artful reputation as an official, he eventually began working Pacific Coast football (1938) and basketball games (1939–45).

What else did he do during “summer vacations”? Well, one of his unheralded accomplishments was coaching the Johnson Paint semi-pro baseball team to a fifth-place finish at the 1937 National Baseball Congress tournament in Kansas. That team included future big-leaguers Freddie Hutchinson and Earl Johnson.

But Heinrick’s most notable influence in Tacoma sports came when he started his coaching and administrative careers at UPS (then-called the College of Puget Sound) in 1945.

By then, his household was full with all five of his children—Jack, Pat (born in 1929), Maggie (1932), Dennis (1933) and Kathleen (1941).

He started out as the part-time basketball coach in 1945, winning 187 games in 14 seasons while leading the Loggers to a pair of NAIA national tournament appearances in Kansas City.

UPS COACHING STAFF: L. to r.: Dick Lawrence, Ben Hammond, Coach Heinrick and Jim Mancuso

Arguably his most momentous coaching moment came in basketball in 1948 when he led UPS to an upset over the UW, 48–41, at the sold-out Tacoma Armory.

Doug McArthur, one of the city’s all-time greats in sports promotion, was in the stands that night as a Lincoln High School student.

He called that win “one of the greatest moments in Tacoma sports history.”

Heinrick, also the school’s athletic director, had even more success with UPS football, winning 89 games and five Evergreen Conference championships in his 17 seasons from 1948–64.

Coach Heinrick

Former Washington state senator and Pierce County executive Joe Stortini remembers Heinrick taking a chance on an “average player”out of Lincoln High School, and guiding him into becoming a Loggers hall-of-famer in two sports, including as a quarterback from 1951–55.

“He was a players’ coach,” Stortini said. “A lot of the guys knew him on a personal basis. He’d have them come over to his house for chats and talk about everything.”

1939 Stadium High School City League Champions— Back row l. to r.: Coach John Heinrick, John Horst, Matt Kapovich, Bob Schnecker, unknown, unknown, Ray Hagen, Bob Angeline, Lyman Anderson unknown.

Middle row l. to r.: Harold Schweinler, Rod Giske, Bill Turnbull, Jim Philby, Jay Dahl, Gene Walters, Jim Diederich, Bill Demorest, Kergie Omori and Roy Bronzovich.

Front row l. to r: George Gunovich, Al Browne, Vince Gennam, Ray Montbroussous, John Batt, Bob Roley, Dave Molitor, Jim Darling, Jim Martin and Floyd Marcusson (Photo courtesy of Dr. Marv Tommervik Jr., Family) 16

On the field? Well, Stortini chuckled about all the days that were “Heinrick birthdays.”

Jack Heinrick, Stadium High School quarterback

“That’s the thing I remember most,” Stortini said. “We played PLU eight times in my career, and regardless of

First Family Of Sports Award (continued) Jim Mancuso, a standout from Franklin Pierce High School who started out playing football for Jim Owens at the UW, transferred to UPS to play wide receiver and placekicker for the Loggers—and eventually serve as one of Heinrick’s assistant coaches.

“Heinrick did it all. He was a coach. He was an AD. He taught classes. He knew the game,” Mancuso said. “He was kind of that all-around guy. You wouldn’t find somebody doing that now.”

Dennis Heinrick in Korea in the 1950s.

Jack Heinrick intercepts a Lincoln pass in a King’s X game in Stadium Bowl.

(Photo by Rhiny Wilhelm).

when we played them, it was always his ‘birthday’—even though it wasn’t his real birthday. We just wanted to win those games for him. And we did—we were 7–1 against them.”

Mancuso recalls going to a coaches’ clinic with Heinrick at the UW in the mid-1960s, and realizing what made the Tacoma legend

such a tremendous mentor.

“I was exposed to a large group of coaches, so I took out a notebook with me to write everything down,” Mancuso said. “What impressed me the most was when I sat down next to Heinrick, he was doing the same thing.

“He had been around the game a long time, and yet he was still a student of the game.”

As enormously-popular as he was around campus, everybody referred to him as just “Coach”—Heinrick was larger than life at home.

Jack Heinrick leaps trying to tackle Lincoln’s fleet-footed running back, Jess Brooks.

Margaret Heinrick

Shannon Heinrick, the oldest grand-daughter (and Jack’s daughter), remembers going to family dinners on Sunday nights, and wandering up to her grandfather’s office upstairs.

“It was sacred,” she said.

On one of those nights before a Loggers game, John Heinrick invited Shannon, then 6 years old, to go up to his desk, pull out a piece paper and design a play he said he would run against Whitworth.

1959 Stadium HS State Championship Basketball Team—Back Row L. to R.: Dave Elsworth, Herman Washington, Jimmy Ray Johnson, Ken Elsworth, Mike Bitterling and Rich Brines. Front Row L. to R.: Ed Richards, Joe (Ross) Munizza, Gary Maniatis, Luther Williams, Paul Milan, Tony DeRosa, Charlie Williams, Arden Warber and manager Stan Farber. Coach Jack Heinrick in front. (Photo courtesy of Heinrick family).

Maggie Heinrick was one of the key players for the Hollywood Boat & Motor fastpitch softball team from Tacoma in 1956, one of the top teams in the Pacific Northwest. (Marc Blau collection).

“He came upstairs, looked at all the Xs and Os I drew up and told me, ‘That will work,’” Shannon said.

“He said, ‘Come up to the game, and I will tip

my hat to tell you I just ran the play.’”

Shannon stood near the fence anxious waiting. When the Loggers finally 17

First Family Of Sports Award (continued) scored a touchdown, she looked in her grandfather’s direction.

“He tipped his hat,” she said. “I knew then it was my play.”

Of course, he had a heavy sportsrelated influence over future family generations.

Dennis Heinrick taught at Blaine HS and coached the basketball team as well.

1934 Tacoma Tigers—Front row l. to r.: Wes Lees, Hal Lennox, Hoefert, Joe Mlachnik, Cecil Erb and Rudy Tollefson. Back row l. to r.: Vern Votaw, Frank Ruffo, John Heinrick, Forrest Weingard, Joe Spadafore and Vern Champagne.

(Marc Blau collection).

John “Jack” Heinrick was a football standout at Stadium, and came back from Washington State University to play for his dad.

Jack was best known for leading Stadium High School to the 1959 state boys basketball title with

future ABA/NBA guard Charlie Williams leading the way.

He later became the first men’s basketball coach at Tacoma Community College in the mid-1960s. He also officiated high school football and basketball.

“He was tough and fair, and he learned that from John,” said Martha (Heinrick) Konicek, Jack’s youngest daughter. “Whereas Papa liked all the attention, my dad did not. He just loved the game…and he was very humble.”

While Pat (Heinrick) Koester was a diving champion in years at Stadium, it was her younger sister, Maggie Heinrick—who many have deemed as the family’s best athlete.

At 12, Maggie was a starting catcher for a women’s all-state traveling softball team out of Fort Lewis. And while at Stadium, she played on a number of local all-star softball squads, including the Hollywood Boat and Motor team that starred in the Northwest Women’s Major League.

“She could do anything,” said Joyce Jones Wolf, a teammate of Maggie’s. “We’d have her in the outfield.

She pitched. She caught. She was a wonderful athlete. And it was just natural, not learned.”

Maggie bowled, and later played women’s basketball and field hockey at UPS. Former Loggers’ All-American wide receiver Joe Peyton would remark that, after watching Maggie casually catch passes during football practice, that she could be a starter on the football team.

She would then go on to officiate basketball and softball at the collegiate level, and coach girls sports at Curtis High School.

Looking to blaze his own trail, Dennis Heinrick, who was a ballboy for Tacoma’s only professional basketball team, the Mountaineers Back Row L to R.: Jack Heinrick and John Heinrick.

(1947–48), migrated to Front Row L to R.: Jack Heinrick Jr. and sons Jeffrey Blaine after playing tight and Ryan. end at Stadium, UPS and for the U.S. Army team while serving in the Korean War.

1946–47 TACOMA MOUNTAINEEERS—Left to Right: Jon Katica, Tom Cross, Marv Harshman, Bob Graf, Ernie Endress, Jack Voelker, Bob Voelker and Irv Lefier.

Kneeling L. to r.: Ballboys Dennis Heinrick and Dick Wells and coach Tom Werner.

(Marc Blau collection).

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He coached the Blaine High School boys basketball teams for seven seasons.

Ironically enough, he took the Borderites the state tournament held at the UPS Fieldhouse in the mid-1960s.

Dennis also coached girls basketball, and was an assistant football coach at the high school. He also did some local basketball officiating.

First Family Of Sports Award (continued) father, and was a longtime volleyball official in Arizona; Shannon Heinrick played basketball and field hockey at UPS, and was a longtime area high school coach and referee (and represented the USA in the World Dragon Boat Championships); Martha Konicek was a swimmer and tennis player at Stadium High School; and Don and Teri Heinrick played basketball at Blaine High School.

The Heinrick family, indeed, is one of the authentic sports-royalty families of Tacoma, led by the patriarchal Hallof-Famer John Patrick Heinrick, who chose to stay home rather than chase bigger jobs.

Left to Right: Pat, Dennis, Kathleen (in front of her brother), John, Margaret and Jack.

“He wanted to get away from the Tacoma deal,” said Don Heinrick, Dennis’ son. “He was the second son, so he knew he wasn’t the favorite son.”

Kathleen (Heinrick) Coleman dabbled in sports, but was known around the house as the fastest sprinter—and best dancer (like her mother).

“I felt there was a job to be done, whether I was coaching in junior high in Tacoma, or high school or college,” Heinrick said in a 1977 interview—18 years before his death. “And if I gave it everything I had, I was contributing to the welfare of many, many people.”

Some of the grand-children had standout athletic careers as well: John Robert Heinrick (son of Jack) played basketball at Tacoma CC for his

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marybridge.org

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Frosty Westering Excellence In Coaching Award Don Gustafson— Girls Golf Coach, Life Christian Academy

By Arnold Lytle Don Gustafson has been coaching at Life Christian Academy since the mid-1990s, first baseball, then basketball and golf. He started both boys and girls golf teams, then coached those young golfers to a combined eight state championships in nine years.

For that remarkable run from nothing to eight titles between 2003 and 2011, and for embodying the positive qualities of legendary Pacific Lutheran football coach Frosty Westering, Gustafson is receiving the 2020 Frosty Westering Coaching Excellence Award from the Tacoma Athletic Commission.

Frosty Westering Excellence In Coaching Award This award was established to honor a legendary coach, Frosty Westering, and to inspire and recognize those who follow in his footsteps. Frosty emphasized a double-win theme: victory on the scoreboard and the satisfaction of playing to one’s personal potential.

He instilled a love of teamwork and competition, and stressed “service above self.” For 40 years his players responded by portraying excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award is presented to a local coach in recognition of their commitment to excellence and devotion to the personal growth of their players.

Gustafson refined his approach to coaching high school athletes as an 11-year assistant to legendary Life Christian boys basketball coach Mark Lovelady.

“I think I related to kids because I came down to their level,” Gustafson said. “I love kids, love to be around them.”

After a year in charge of the middle school boys, Gustafson became the high school baseball coach. He joined the basketball team with Lovelady, the 2017 Westering Award winner, in 1996. It was a relationship that lasted 11 years.

“I was much older,” Gustafson said of Lovelady. “He was young and aggressive. I offered an older viewpoint.”

The Eagles qualified for the state basketball tournament in Gustafson’s first season. They reached state six years in a row and seven times in 11 seasons.

“I did substitutions for (Lovelady),” Gustafson said. “We had a good bench.”

In 2002, Gustafson was approached by two freshmen golfers—Taylor Ferris and Brandon Hjelseth—who asked him to start and coach a varsity golf team.

Gustafson knew he needed at least five players to compete for a team championship, so he recruited a few boys and the Eagles qualified and won a trophy at the small school state tournament their first season.

The next year, with current PGA Tour player Andrew Putnam on the team, Life Christian won the first of three straight state championships.

They won four titles in five years.

In 2008, some girls asked Gustafson to start a varsity team for them. Kristen Rue led the way with three individual titles in four years, and the Eagles won four consecutive small school state championships (2008–11), giving Gustafson eight titles in nine years.

Rue went on to Washington State University on an athletic scholarship. She played every tournament the Cougars entered in her four years, finishing with the third-best per-round average in program history. She is a club pro assistant in Oregon.

Other standouts for Life Christian those years were Kelly Miller, a frequent state runner-up to Rue and later a four-year player at Portland State; Kendyl Prosser, who played college soccer at Seattle Pacific; and Madisen Bentley, who was twice a state runner-up and played golf for two years at Portland State and two years at Ole Miss.

“I just happened to be coach at the time and had superior talent,” said Gustafson, a recreational golfer. “I think my players would say I wasn’t just a coach but a friend.”

Gustafson, in his 18th season as a golf coach at Life Christian, traces his success to his positive attitude, one of Westering’s prime qualities.

“I liked Frosty,” Gustafson said. “He was a great speaker, so positive. He was an inspiration to me and to his players.”

2008 Life Christian Academy Girls Golf State Champions—Left to Right: Kristen Rue, Kedyl Prosser, Coach Gustafson, Kelly Miller and Bethany Gray.

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As a competitor, Gustafson was twice an all-city basketball guard at Wilson High School. He averaged 17 points a game in the 1966–67 season. He won a trophy with his high school tennis doubles partner Brick Kane. At Seattle Pacific College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1971, he participated in basketball and tennis.

Frosty Westering Excellence In Coaching Award (continued) Joe Waters—Boys Soccer Coach, Bellarmine Prep While his playing career originally brought Ireland-native Joe Waters to Tacoma, his coaching career has left his most significant mark on the South Puget Sound region. Waters receives the Frosty Westering Excellence in Coaching Award based primarily on his nearly-30-year stretch on the sideline for the Bellarmine Prep boys soccer program.

Waters took the reins of the Bellarmine Prep boys soccer team in 1992, and in 27 years since he’s led the Lions to 15 league titles and 19 state tournaments. His teams have advanced to the state semifinals seven times, claiming state championships in 2004 and 2008. The 2004 squad was named national champions by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He’s received Coach of the Year honors at virtually every level: all-league, all-area, all-state, and all-region.

He has elevated the Bellarmine Prep boys soccer program to arguably the top in the state, as the Lions have made more state appearances (29) than any other program that has claimed at least one title. Waters has been on the sideline for 19 of those 29 appearances.

While leading one dominant program would be enough of an achievement on its own, Waters’ resume boasts far more. Since 2003, he has held a monopoly on Bellarmine Prep soccer, as he also coaches the girls team in the fall (the boys play in the spring). In his time at the helm of the girls, program, he’s led the Lions to eight league titles, 10 state tournament appearances, three semifinals, and the 2004 state title.

Born June 20, 1953, Waters grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and began playing professional soccer at age 15. He was named Rookie MVP with Leicester City and played for the Irish national team before coming to Tacoma to play for the Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1984. His stellar play continued as he set records for blocked shots and was named MISL Man of the Year.

Waters’ coaching career began in 1988 when he became the Calgary Kickers player-coach.

He also served as an assistant with the Tacoma Stars from 1989–92 and served as head coach of the Pacific Lutheran University men’s soccer team from 1998–2002 and led the Tacoma Stars of the Major Arena Soccer League in 2013.

The Bellarmine boy’s soccer team huddles around Coach Waters for last minute instructions.

EXCELLENCE IN COACHING RECIPIENTS 2020 Don Gustafson Girls Golf Life Christian, Joe Waters Boys Soccer Bellarmine Prep 2019 Paul Souza Softball & Volleyball Washington Patty Ley X-Country Gig Harbor 2018 Sam Ring Boys Track & Field and Girls X-Country Wilson Chris Gibson Girls Basketball White River 2017 Mark Bender Girls Golf Bellarmine Prep Mark Lovelady Boys Basketball Life Christian 2016 Kevin Aoki Volleyball Pacific Lutheran 2015 Randy Davis Football Cascade Christian 2014 Gary Wusterbarth Boys Basketball Steilacoom

Waters has often served in multiple coaching roles at once. Since beginning his dominant reign with the Bellarmine Prep boys in 1992, he’s simultaneously coached the Tacoma Stars (1992, 2013), Gig Harbor High School girls (1992–98, including six league titles, six state tournaments, and six semifinals), PLU men’s soccer (1998–2002) and Bellarmine Prep girls (2003–present). Through it all, he’s maintained a consistently high level for the Lions and left a permanent legacy on the soccer history of the Tacoma area.

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Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award — Brian Kamens, Tacoma Library, Northwest Room

Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award The Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who captures the true passion for athletics. This passion can be demonstrated through participation, promotion and organization.

Athletics brings out the best of us as individuals as well as collectively as a team. It challenges us both physically and mentally. It brings out our best in moments when our best is required. This competitive spirit shows itself in a variety of ways over the course of a lifetime. It is not about winning but about competing. It is about sustainability and perseverance.

It is about bringing out the best in yourself and others, through ability, effort and attitude. When one does that, it leaves a legacy, a road map of courage, for others to follow.

This award recognizes all of the above and the Tacoma Athletic Commission is proud to honor this year’s recipient of the Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brian Kamens’ contributions to the South Puget Sound sports scene have been some of the most immeasurable—yet easiest to overlook—of anyone. The recipient of the Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award was not a coach, athlete, or official, but in a twist of irony, his forgotten contributions have helped ensure so many of the greatest coaches, athletes, and officials in the history of the region will be remembered.

Kamens retired last fall from his position as supervisor and lead historian at Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room, a role he held for 15 years. He spent more than 40 years working for the Tacoma Public Library and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pierce County Heritage League and a Career Achievement Award from Tacoma’s Landmarks Preservation Committee in 2019 prior to retiring. His unparalleled knowledge of Tacoma history has long made him an invaluable resource for local reporters, residents looking for a seemingly random tidbit of knowledge, or curators of a local sports museum trying to track down historical details and contact information.

“Brian has been a phenomenal resource and life saver for the Tacoma Athletic Commission, the Shanaman Sports Museum and the Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Association of Tacoma-Pierce County,” Marc Blau, cofounder and president of the Shanaman Sports Museum said. “The amount of time and quality of information he’s provided over the years has been nothing short of remarkable and amazing.”

Kamens, who came to Tacoma from Connecticut in 1976 at age 23 and began his career with the library by delivering books between branches, co-founded the Tacoma Historical Society and co-authored the book, “Showtime in Tacoma” with Blaine Johnson.

He has provided information for virtually every Banquet of Champions, Tribute to Champions, Touchdown Time and TPC Baseball Oldtimers events, while also helping research bios, identify images, and provide contact information for honorees.

“Brian was always ready and willing to track down information that filled in the missing blanks about a team, player, coach or umpire,” Blau said. “So, indirectly, Brian Kamens has been a valuable ‘player’ Brian Kamens in the rotunda of the Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room.(Photo courtesy of Tony Overman/ in the process of recognizing so many individuals The News Tribune) that have contributed to our sports heritage.”

Along with his awards last year and the Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement recognition, Kamens was profiled for The News Tribune shortly before his retirement in November. In that story, Kamens shared a brief summation of his love for history: “I believe you don’t really know entirely where you’re going unless you know what’s happened before you and where you come from.”

PAST RECIPIENTS 2020 Brian Kamens & Aaron Pointer 2019 Willie Stewart & Dan Watson 2018 Tom Mustin 2017 Angie Eichholtz 2016 Dick Hannula 2015 Stan Naccarato & Ken Still 2014 Bob Robertson 2013 Joe Stortini 2012 Ruggles Larson 24

Those honors and the newspaper profile finally shone a light on Kamens’ contributions, even if they can never be fully recognized for their sheer scope. His legacy is present in every historical organization in Tacoma, his permanent imprint is on the Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room, and his tireless efforts will be absolutely missed by everyone seeking to capture the region’s history moving forward.

“Until the article in The News Tribune this past November came out announcing his retirement, who all knew Brian Kamens? Not enough!” Blau said. “Brian’s knowledge of Tacoma’s overall history is amazing, and given that he has had a ‘behind-the-scenes’ hand in allowing us to prepare stories to honor our community’s sports heritage, it is fitting that he be honored with the Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award. After more than 40 years of service, it’s high time Brian be properly recognized!”

Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award (continued) Aaron Pointer, Pierce County Parks & RecreationMetro Parks Tacoma

By Arnold Lytle Aaron Pointer came to Tacoma by accident. He stayed by design.

Now, more than 50 years after Aaron and Leona Pointer first called our community home, the TAC is honoring Aaron for his decades of distinguished service in sports and recreation with its Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award.

Aaron Pointer, 1969 Tacoma Cubs outfielder.

Pointer’s life reads like a human highlight reel, from his childhood in Oakland, California, to his professional baseball career, to his 29 years as activities director for Pierce County Parks and Recreation. Then came 20-plus years and counting in an elected position at Metro Parks Tacoma, while he simultaneously distinguished himself with a 17-year career as an NFL official.

Along with a glittering resume, Aaron Pointer has a reputation as a respected, humble man. “His professionalism is unquestioned. He’s top drawer,” said fellow Pierce County sports official Jack Stonestreet. ”I’ve never heard a bad word about him.”

Pointer’s journey to Tacoma started in the late 1950s when he was an outstanding athlete and senior class president at McClymonds High School, which also produced Major League Baseball stars Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Curt Flood that decade. Pointer’s cousin and schoolmate, Paul Silas, finished his NBA career with the Seattle SuperSonics and was part of the 1978–79 NBA champions. His younger sisters formed the Grammy Awardwinning vocal group the Pointer Sisters.

The University of San Francisco Dons, a national power in the ‘50s, offered Pointer a basketball scholarship.

Though he didn’t play much basketball at USF, he was a baseball star who was scouted and signed in 1961 by the expansion Houston Colt .45s. Pointer was sent to their Class D affiliate in Salisbury, N.C. There, despite enduring the South’s Jim Crow laws mandating racial segregation in public facilities, he excelled on the field, batting .402 to lead his team to a league title. His feat was the last time a professional in a North American league batted .400 in a full Aaron Pointer, NFL Head Linesman season (93 games, 418 plate appearances), which was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine on July 29, 2019.

His major league debut came as a pinch runner Sept. 22, 1963. Five days later, Pointer started in right field as part of the only all-rookie starting nine in major league history, a lineup that included Joe Morgan at second, Jim Wynn in center, Rusty Staub on first and Jerry Grote catching.

After more time in the minors, Pointer’s next big league game came in September 1966 when he was called up by the Houston Astros (the name was changed with the opening of the Astrodome). In 11 games and 26 at-bats, Aaron hit .346 and had his first major league homer. On April 11, 1967, he opened the season in left field for the Astros and stroked an RBI double in a victory. Three days later, his 3-run homer in the second inning ignited another victory for the Astros.

In early May, he was sent to Class Triple-A Oklahoma City to work on his hitting. The next season, on May 4, 1968, Pointer was traded to the Chicago Cubs, who assigned him to their Triple-A team in Tacoma. Though the Cubs never called him to Chicago, Pointer kept his mind on baseball.

“When I was playing, all I was thinking about was baseball,” he said.

Still, he couldn’t help but notice the beautiful place where he was living. His rental was near Waughop Lake in Lakewood. “I had never been an outdoorsman before, but I found out I liked the fishing and the beauty of the place,” he said.

Aaron Pointer and sisters June, Anita and Ruth with the game crew.

At Cheney Stadium, he batted in the .260s and became a fan favorite, though Tacoma struggled to a 65–83 record.

25

Doug McArthur Lifetime Achievement Award (continued) In 1969, the Tacoma Cubs took off. With Pointer batting .265 with 120 hits, 60 RBI and six home runs, the Cubs won the Pacific Coast League north by 14 games. In September they played host to the Eugene Emeralds for the first two games of the best-of-five PCL championship series.

Pennant fever was high in Tacoma because the Cubs were the first Class Triple-A team to represent the city in a playoff series. The Emeralds nearly spoiled the party by taking a 2–0 lead back to Oregon. “Very few people experience being so close to elimination, then come back to win,” Pointer said. But the Cubs didn’t give up. “Ken Still deserves a lot of credit,” Pointer said of the late Tacoma PGA Tour golfer. An avid baseball fan, Still thought the Cubs could rally in Eugene, and he said so. Emphatically. Tacoma swept three games in Oregon and spoiled the Emeralds’ plan for a champagne party.

After the 1969 season, Pointer continued his baseball career in Japan. In three seasons with Nishitetsu, he batted .230 with 40 homers, 125 home runs and 30 steals in 302 games.

Returning to the States, Aaron and Leona wondered what they would do next. First stop was Tacoma, where their possessions were stored. Then an offer came from Pierce County Commissioner Clay Huntington, long-time broadcaster and South Sound booster, to become a Pierce County Parks recreation supervisor.

In the ensuing decades Pointer was active in officiating, working baseball, basketball and football at levels from youth recreation to NCAA Division I college, including becoming the first African-American to lead a Pac-10 football crew. “He was the guy in the white hat,” said fellow official Jay Strickerz.

“The referee. The man in charge.”

Pointer wanted to work NFL games. It took three years from the time he applied to become an NFL official. “They watch your abilities,” Pointer said of the NFL. “They want professionalism. Good character off the field counts.” For a part-time job, Pointer said, the NFL had something close to full-time demands. “You get reviewed, take tests,” he said. “You spend four to five hours a week on football aside from travel and stuff. You have to recognize what needs to be called and what doesn’t.”

He worked on the field through 2004, then he became an observer evaluating the performances of the seven officials assigned to each NFL game. “I would chart every play…,” Pointer said, rotating through the positions so ever official got attention. That lasted until September 2012, when the NFL and its referees got in a dispute that led to a lockout. When it was settled, the NFL asked Pointer to return. He declined, and that was the end of his 17-year stay in the NFL. “I told them when you locked out the officials, you locked me out, too,” he said.

Pointer has fond memories of his work in the NFL. There was the preseason game in which his son Deron Pointer, a former Washington State player, made his first NFL catch for the Indianapolis Colts and gave his dad the ball. The Pointer Sisters sang the national anthem before a game he worked.

Their older brother needed clearance from the NFL for a brief visit with them.

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From high school standout, to pro baseball player, to recreation supervisor, to Pac-10 and NFL official, Pointer’s career has spanned every level. He has distinguished himself as an icon of Tacoma-Pierce County sports for decades.

Congratulations to Aaron on this well-deserved honor.

Dick Hannula Amateur Athlete of the Year Award Morgan Weaver, Girls Soccer, Curtis HS/Washington State University

By Craig Hill, Former Sports Staff member—The News Tribune As Washington State University’s historic run came to a heartbreaking end with a 2–1 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA women’s soccer national semifinals, Morgan Weaver called her teammates together and delivered a message: “We can’t be sad right now.”

Dick Hannula Amateur Athlete of the Year Award The Dick Hannula Award is given to the top male and female amateur athletes in or from Tacoma-Pierce County for the past year.

Hannula, an internationally-known coach and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, also led his Wilson boys swim teams to 24 straight state titles, and coached numerous world-class swimmers such as Kaye Hall-Greff, Janet Buchan Elway, Barbara Mitchell, Chuck Richards, Dick, David and Dan Hannula, Miriam Smith, and Sarah Rudolph.

For four years, the University Place native led the Cougs in scoring, set the tone with an intense work ethic, deflected credit for her success to the team and helped WSU reach new heights.

“We’ve done stuff that people haven’t done before in Coug history,” the forward told reporters when asked what she told the team after her final game.

It’s this unparalleled success that makes Weaver the clear choice for her second Dick Hannula Female Amateur Athlete of the Year award. Weaver won the award in 2015 for her exploits at Curtis High.

“She’s a winner,” WSU coach Todd Shulenberger told Cougfan.com in December. “…She’s got a big heart …She’s a fun player to be around. She’s easily coachable, she’s an awesome athletic performer here.”

At WSU, Weaver was the star of the best teams in school history. She made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2016, earned all-conference honors her final three seasons. She was first-team All-Pacific Region as a junior and senior and a thirdteam All-American in 2019.

Her speed, strength and knowledge of the game were valuable assets as the Cougs made the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons. In 10 tournament games, Weaver scored six goals and WSU won seven games.

The Cougs advanced to the Round of 16 in 2017 and the second round in 2018, but it was Weaver’s senior season that saw WSU set a new standard for success.

In 2019, Weaver had 15 of the Cougar’s 44 goals and five assists. In a Nov. 3 game against Colorado she tied the school record with four goals.

But the real magic came as the Cougars made their first ever appearance in the College Cup, NCAA soccer’s Final Four. WSU beat No. 14 Memphis in Pullman; No. 3 Virginia and unranked West Virginia in Virginia; and then won at No. 5 South Carolina to advance to the College Cup. “I dreamed of this since I was a little kid and being able to live the dream is pretty cool,” Weaver told the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

In San Jose, Weaver and the Cougs pushed No. 2 North Carolina to the brink. Weaver scored a goal 6 minutes, 39 seconds into the game to give WSU a 1–0 lead. However, UNC rallied and survived a barrage of WSU shots to advance to the title game where it lost on penalty kicks to Stanford.

Morgan Weaver drives past a North Carolina defender. (Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletic Dept.)

The loss was hard to swallow, but, as Weaver told her teammates in the moments afterward, this season changed the way WSU soccer is perceived. No longer underdogs, the Weaver era established WSU as a powerful force with which to be reckoned.

After the College Cup, Weaver told her teammates she’d be back next season—in the stands this time—to watch the Cougs take another shot at the title.

Weaver came by her love for soccer naturally. Her father, Mike Weaver, was a youth soccer coach who sometimes worked 27

Dick Hannula Amateur Athlete Of The Year Award (continued) the sidelines with his infant daughter in a baby carrier strapped to his chest.

Growing up around soccer led to a passion for the game that fueled her work ethic.

“She’s got a certain drive that differs from everyone else,” Mike Weaver told Cougfan.com in December. “Her drive for the game, working out, getting up at 5:30 a.m. every morning to practice in Wazzu, you know how freaking cold that is? That’s dedication right there.”

Before WSU, hard work made her a star on her club teams and at Curtis, where she had one of the best prep careers the South Sound region has ever seen. In four years with the Vikings, she scored 93 goals, had 40 assists and helped the Vikings advance to the state tournament each season.

DICK HANNULA AMATEUR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS 2020

2005

Morgan Weaver Malachi Flynn Jamie Lange Kaleb McGary Margaux Arnston Michael Gretler Kate Landau Sefo Liufau Jenna Mullen Morgan Weaver Josh Garnett DaVonte Lacy Whitney Conder Scott Crichton Courtney Schwan Andrea Geubelle Taylor Meeks Andrea Geubelle Austin Seferian-Jenkins Kaleb Shelton-Johnson Alex Montgomery Andrew Putnam Brie Felnagle Isaiah Thomas Melanie Roach Johnny Spevak Christal Morrison Brandon Gibson Megan Quann Jendrick Kellen Harkness Christal Morrison Joe Rubin Ryan Moore

2004 2003

Reggie Williams Ryan Moore

2002 2001 2000 1999 1996 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987

Dana Boyle Chad Johnson Megan Quann Kirk White Karl Lerum Shannon Forslund Dusty Brett Brock Huard Marc Weekly Kate Starbird Sonya Olejar Damon Huard Andy Maris Sonya Brandt Mike Oliphant Jim Martinson

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

She earned South Puget Sound League MVP, The News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year and all-state honors each of her final three years while leading the Vikings to three consecutive league titles.

2014

As team captain her senior season she had three 4-goal games on her way to 36 goals, 11 assists and All-America honors. Curtis advanced to the state tournament each of her four years.

2012

She had more success on her club team, Washington Premier, with which she won two national titles.

Until late in her high school career, Weaver planned on going to the University of Washington. “It’s funny, I was always a Husky fan. My dad, too,” Weaver said as a high school senior. But once she visited WSU, she says she felt like she was home.

Morgan Weaver celebrates another team victory. (Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletic Dept.)

Now, as Weaver completes her humanities degree, she prepares to leave her new home to pursue the next chapter of her career. She is a member of the U.S. National Team and, in January, the Portland Thorns made her the No. 2 overall pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft. Her future is bright, but she wouldn’t trade her time in

2013

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

Curtis HS/Washington State University Bellarmie Prep/WSU/San Diego State University Sumner HS/ University of Puget Sound Fife HS/University of Washington Annie Wright HS/Claremont McKenna Bonney Lake HS/Oregon State Tri-Valley HS (NY)/Georgetown University Bellarmine Prep/University of Colorado Emerald Ridge HS/Portland State University Curtis HS/Washington State University Puyallup HS/Stanford University Curtis HS/Washington State University Puyallup HS/Northern Michigan University Foss HS/Oregon State University Bellarmine Prep HS/University of Washington Curtis HS/University of Kansas Orting HS/Oregon State University Curtis HS/University of Kansas Gig Harbor HS/University of Washington Lincoln HS/University of Puget Sound Lincoln HS/George Tech University Life Christian Academy HS/Pepperdine University Bellarmine Prep HS/University of North Carolina Curtis HS/ University of Washington 2008 Summer Olympic Games Puyallup HS/Central Washington University Puyallup HS/University of Washington Rogers HS/ Washington State University Emerald Ridge HS/Pacific Lutheran University Cascade Christian HS/Ohio State University Puyallup HS/University of Washington Foss HS/Portland State University Cascade Christian HS/University of Nevada at Las Vegas Lakes HS/University of Washington Cascade Christian HS/University of Nevada at Las Vegas University of Puget Sound Rogers HS/Pacific Lutheran University Emerald Ridge HS/Pacific Lutheran University Curtis HS/Boise State Pacific Lutheran University Mt. Tahoma HS Bellarmine Prep HS Puyallup HS/University of Washington Rogers HS/Pacific Lutheran University Lakes HS/Stanford University Bellarmine Prep HS/Stanford University Puyallup HS/University of Washington White River HS Pacific Lutheran University University of Puget Sound Puyallup HS

Pullman for anything.

“It’s been great here, the last four years,” Weaver said in a late season press briefing. “I’ve loved it, every second of it.”

For High School coverage of sports in Washington check out www.sblivewa.com 28

Dick Hannula Amateur Athlete Of The Year Award (continued) Malachi Flynn, Boys Basketball, Bellarmie Prep/WSU/San Diego State University

By Kelsie Abram Before the NCAA basketball season came to an abrupt halt in early March due to the global virus pandemic, San Diego State senior Malachi Flynn was experiencing a national emergence.

Flynn was on the final candidate lists for both the John R. Wooden Award, which honors the best performer within NCAA Division I, and the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year. Flynn has also positioned himself well for the NBA Draft.

Flynn averaged 17.6 points, 5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 32 games. He shot 86% from the free throw line and 37% from 3-point range for the Aztecs, who finished 30–2 and ranked No. 6 in the nation in the final Associated Press poll for the incomplete 2019–20 season.

Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Flynn first made waves in his basketball career while attending Bellarmine Preparatory School. There, Flynn graduated with three varsity letters, broke countless school records, and was honored with multiple awards, such as Washington State Player of the Year by the Associated Press, Tacoma News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year and Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches’ Association 4A Player of the Year.

His collegiate basketball journey started when Flynn signed with Washington State University, playing Malachi Flynn shoots over a Nevada-Reno Wolfpack defender. as a Cougar for both the 2016–17 and (Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletic Dept.)

2017–18 seasons. During this time, Flynn made a name for himself within the Pac-12, becoming only the third true freshman at WSU to start in every basketball game they played in. Flynn also ranked first in on the team in 3-point attempts, 3-pointers made and assists.

During the 2018–19 basketball season, Flynn sat out in order to transfer to San Diego State University.

Once the 2019–20 basketball season began, Flynn and his fellow Aztecs took the Mountain West Conference by storm, proving that their lack of preseason votes in either the Associated Press Malchi Flynn eyes his shot over Univ. of New Mexico Lobos guard or the Coaches Poll would not define them. SDSU started 26–0 and won the regular season JaQuan Lyle. (Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Mountain West Conference title.

Athletic Dept.)

When speaking about SDSU’s effectiveness with NCAA’s March Madness 365 podcast, Flynn made it clear they are a cohesive team.

“We have great chemistry as a group,” Flynn said. “We all want to win. There’s no individual egos…everybody comes together and trusts each other.”

Unfortunately, due to the effects of COVID-19, Flynn’s season came to an abrupt end when the NCAA announced that the March Madness basketball tournament would be cancelled. Before the announcement, Flynn and his SDSU teammates were on track for a remarkable season, with sports journalist Zach Pelake predicting that “this March, the college basketball world will have its eyes on Flynn and the Aztecs as they chase championships and, potentially, a spot in history.”

While this never came to fruition, Flynn has been awarded an additional seven accolades for his hard work during the 2019–20 basketball season: All-American by the Associated Press; first-team All-American honors by both Sports Illustrated and STADIUM; secondteam honors from The Sporting News, CBS Sports and NBC Sports; and second-team All-American by The Athletic.

Malachi Flynn drives against Utah State. (Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletic Dept.)

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STATE OF WASHINGTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME In recognition of the many fine individual contributions to athletics, the Tacoma Athletic Commission established the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 1960. Commissioned by then-governor Albert D. Rosellini and originated by Clay Huntington, longtime Northwest sportscaster and radio station owner, the State Hall of Fame inductions are held annually.

These Hall of Fame members are recognized for their outstanding sports accomplishments and contributions that have brought significant national recognition to themselves and to the state of Washington. A committee of sportswriters and sportscasters from throughout the state cast ballots to determine the new inductees who are selected from an impressive list of candidates.

Guest speakers over the years read like a who’s who of celebrities and have included the likes of Arnold Palmer, Sandy Koufax, Joe Namath, Tom Harmon, Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, Joe E. Brown, Joe Namath, Pat Boone, Lenny Wilkens, John Hadl, Hugh O’Brien, Leo Durocher, Andy Devine, Frank Leahy, Buddy Rogers, and Willie Mays.

A list of inductees from 1960 thru 2019 can be found at www.washingtonsportshof.org.

Nominations for future considerations may be submitted by clicking on Nomination Process on the home page and then scrolling down and clicking on the Nomination Form link.

For more information contact Marc Blau, Executive Director at 253-677-2872 or mhblau@comcast.net.

DON ZECH Don Zech became the most successful basketball coach in Puget Sound history during his 21 years in the Fieldhouse. Zech amassed an impressive record of 405 wins and 196 losses (.674 winning percentage) with 11 seasons of 20 wins or more, 11 post-season appearances and two Great Northwest Conference titles.

Ten of his players were drafted by NBA teams and he was four-time West Coast Coach of the Year. He also was a two-time GNC Coach of the Year. When his Loggers won the 1976 NCAA Division II Championship he was named National Coach of the Year. His very first UPS team had a 24–3 record in 1969, and he just missed winning it all in 1970 when the Loggers lost by one-point in the nationals, playing without their leading scorer due to injury. Zech was a three-sport star at Sumner high, graduated from Notre Dame, and coached Blanchet to an unbeaten season and the state championship prior to a coaching opportunity at the University of Washington. After coaching the Husky frosh, UPS beckoned and the Z-man fashioned a nationally-recognized program. He was inducted into the UPS Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Other 2020 State Sports HOF inductees include: Dick Cartmell

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33

2020 Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

ADMINISTRATORS Robin Hamilton, Softball In 1985, Robin Hamilton began working at the University of Puget Sound as the head softball coach and was the sports media relations director. In 2001, she became the assistant athletic director and retired in 2017.

Born in Paola, Kansas, on Sept. 12, 1960, during Robin’s 32 years at UPS, 22 were spent coaching softball as she amassed a school-record 455 wins.

The Loggers reached the NAIA national championship game twice, finishing second in 1991 and 1995 and Hamilton received district coach of the year honors six times and was named regional coach of the year on three occasions.

Robin also oversaw game operations for UPS athletic events on campus and worked nearly 4,500 games including all but two Logger football games since 1985. She was also the NCAA compliance director for the athletic department, oversaw the Little Loggers summer camp programs, the Logger Open Golf Tournament, and the new Athletics & Aquatics Center which opened in 2016.

In 22 years as the softball coach at UPS, the Loggers amassed 455 wins.

Hamilton was also the chairman of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball committee for three years. Additionally, she worked for the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic organizing committees, three NCAA Division I women’s Final Four championships and two men’s NCAA Division I basketball championships.

In 1990 at the Goodwill Games, she worked as the venue operations chief.

While attending Idaho State University Robin was a four-year starter in softball and volleyball and at Arvada West High School she played on the state champion volleyball team in 1977 and the state champion basketball team in 1978.

“For over 30 years, Robin has dedicated her energy to ensure Logger student-athletes have the best opportunities for success and personal growth,” said Amy Hackett, UPS athletic director.

She was inducted into UPS’s hall of fame in 2018.

“I will forever be grateful for being part of the Puget Sound community,” Hamilton said.

John Bodenhamer, Golf John Bodenhamer has grown from a superb local amateur golfer at Lakes High School in the 1970s to a major championship-level golf administrator who now oversees the USGA’s open and amateur championships.

Along the way, Bodenhamer played schoolboy golf for coach Len Nelson on the same Lakes team with Brian Mogg, now a celebrated golf teacher. Bodenhamer won the 1978 Washington State Junior Championship, the 1981 state Amateur championship, twice won the Tacoma City Amateur (1982 and 1984), won the 1982 Puget Sound Amateur and twice won the Alaska Open title (1987–88). In 1981 he helped the BYU Cougars win the NCAA team championship and became the Cougars’ team captain as a senior.

After a two-year stint as a key staff member for U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Bodenhamer became director of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association in 1990. He added to his responsibilities the Washington State Golf Association in 1992 and the Pacific Coast Golf Championship in 1998. He became CEO of The Home Course when it opened in 2007, and it was the companion course for the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay.

John Bodenhamer was a two-time Tacoma City Amateur champion.

Bodenhamer became an executive with the USGA in 2011 and from that base has built a body of work that includes oversight of the USGA’s four Open championships and its dozen amateur championships. He has been an official for 10 U.S. Opens, nine Masters Tournaments, eight British Opens and hundreds of other elite golf championships.

34

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Frank Colarusso, Baseball and Hockey Frank Colarusso grew up in The Bronx, wanting to play center field for the New York Yankees. That didn’t work out, but he eventually ended up in Tacoma and lived his “boyhood dream of running a baseball team.”

Colarusso had significant roles with the Tacoma Stars, Tacoma Tigers and Tacoma Sabercats, and though casual fans might never have heard his name, the quality and breadth of his work was undeniable, from starting “Turn Back the Clock Night” and implementing nowpopular day games at Cheney Stadium, he was a two-time winner of the Pacific Coast League’s Larry McPhail Promotional Award, including in 1994, the year in which he was not retained as GM of the Tigers.

Colarusso credits his successful approach to the mentorship of John Carbray, the Fresno Left to Right: Betty Howes. Frank Colarusso and Ron Zollo.

Grizzlies founder he worked with as a young professional, and the iconic Stan Naccarato, whose fan-first philosophy informed Colarusso’s approach to his profession during his first years with the Tacoma Tigers.

“I did my work every day for the betterment of the community and the fans,” Colarusso said. “For a long time I was always one of the youngest guys, and then I became one of the oldest guys.”

For the Tacoma Sabercats West Coast Hockey League franchise, Colarusso was, at first, the only guy. He was hired by owner Bruce Taylor to start the franchise from scratch and turned the Tacoma Dome—hardly an ideal venue for the sport—into a rollicking good time. The team averaged nearly 5,000 fans per game for the first three years, appearing in the league finals during each and capturing the league title in 1999. The team once drew 18,000 to a game.

“It’s the only championship I have in my career,” he said. “We had a great ownership group…Bruce Taylor the owner, and John Olver the coach. The whole atmosphere was just awesome. That was a great time for all of us.”

Beyond all this, Colarusso was and continues to be a community builder through his fundraising work for various entities over the years, helping fund the Cheney Stadium renovation/expansion, among other projects. Colarusso says he is “a Tacoman by choice” and is now the Gift Planning Manager for Multicare Health System.

Karl Benson, College Athletics For Karl Benson, it’s always been about hard work, about doing the best with what you’ve got.

When Benson became the fifth commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference in February 2012, he worked at changing the attitude and perception of the Sun Belt. The overhaul was immediate. After just a few weeks on the job, Benson added Georgia State, Utah Arlington and Texas State to the league. A year later, Benson added four more schools— Karl Benson presents award to the Troy University women’s basketball team as the 2016 Sun Belt Appalachian State, George Southern, Idaho and New Mexico Conference champions.

State—to the conference.

Benson also helped reshape the image of the conference by announcing a new logo and league motto—“Together We Rise.”

Benson came to the Sun Belt Conference with a proven record of being a doer. Prior to joining the Sun Belt Conference, he was the commissioner of the Mid-American Conference from 1990 to 1994 and then the Western Athletic Conference from 1994 to 2012.

Another boost Benson made for the Sun Belt Conference was that it became part of the College Football Playoff. As a result, the Sun Belt Conference is among the top 10 premier college football conferences.

Benson, who was born in 1951 and graduated from Pullman High School in 1970, played baseball at Spokane Falls Community College and then at Boise State University.

When his playing days ended, Benson coached baseball at Fort Steilacoom Community College for six years and was the school’s first full-time athletic director there from 1979 to 1984. For the next two years he was an assistant baseball coach at the University of Utah and an administrative assistant in the school’s athletic department.

Benson, who retired in 2019, has been inducted into the Spokane Falls and the Fort Steilacoom (Pierce College) halls of fame.

35

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

COACHES Rick Barnhart, Baseball Born in Seattle in 1956, Rick Barnhart has gone from a three-sport star in high school to an all-conference pitcher in college to a minor league professional career and a nearly-40-year coaching career at the high school level.

Barnhart starred on the diamond, gridiron, and hardwood at Highline High School in Burien in the early-1970s before slowly whittling his focus to his exploits on the diamond. He played basketball and baseball for two years at Green River College before taking to the mound as ace of the University of Puget Sound baseball team from 1976–78. Highlights from his early playing career included playing in the Shriner High School Football All-Star Game in 1974 and earning first place in the NWACC as a baseball player at Green River.

Barnhart caught the eye of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who drafted him in 1976, Rick with Jason Galindo (left) and Jon Lester (right). but he declined to sign and instead joined the UPS baseball program, where he earned All-Nor-Pac honors and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians. He finished his collegiate career with a 41–2 pitching record.

Barnhart pitched in the Cleveland Indians minor league system from 1979–81, finishing his competitive playing career with the Lakewood Royals.

Following his retirement from playing, he moved into the coaching ranks. He coached briefly at both of his collegiate alma maters and also spent time coaching both basketball and baseball at Fort Steilacoom College before taking over as basketball and baseball coach at Bellarmine Prep in 1984.

Barnhart coached basketball for more than 10 years, finishing his time on the bench in 1996. However, he continues to coach the Bellarmine baseball program and has compiled nearly 400 wins over a 35-year coaching career. He also teaches in the science department at the school.

Dave Harshman, Basketball After playing basketball at Washington State University and graduating in 1970, Dave Harshman coached college basketball and then became a color commentator for Fox Sports Northwest for 22 years, beginning in 1990.

Harshman, whose father is longtime coach Marv Harshman, was the head basketball coach at Spokane Falls College from 1974–1976 and was then an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1978–81, a team that was led by Magic Johnson and won the NCAA title in 1979.

For three seasons in the early 1980s, Harshman was as an assistant coach for the Seattle SuperSonics, working for head coach Lenny Wilkens. Harshman became the head coach at Pacific Lutheran University from 2003 to 2006 and was an assistant baseball coach for the Lutes for two years during that time.

While attending WSU, Dave Dave and Magic Johnson. earned three varsity letters in baseball and two in basketball. In 2006, he was an assistant coach for the New Century Leopards, a pro basketball team in Dongguan, China. Since 1990, Harshman, a 1995 Pullman High School graduate, has provided instruction and player development at his Hoops With Harsh camps.

Lenny Wilkens, head coach of the Seattle Sonics with assistant coaches Les Habegger (left) and Dave Harshman (right).

36

After working as an undergrad assistant at WSU, Dave became the head freshman baseball coach there in 1970. In 1971–72, he was the head basketball and head baseball coach and assistant football coach at Waitsburg High School. After coaching at PLU while he got his masters, Dave then coached Spokane Falls College from 1976–77. He also spent time at Iowa State, the University of Nebraska, Lamar University, and Washington State University and was the head coach for the Wisconsin Flyers of the CBA and then back to PLU. Dave was also a two-time President of the TAC, serving in 2015 and 2016.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Jerry Williams, Basketball For two stretches of time, Jerry Williams loomed large on the Pierce County basketball scene.

The first was as a player, from 1978–1984, when he first dominated the South Puget Sound League as a star for Puyallup, before moving on to the University of Puget Sound, where he was a standout for the Loggers from the day he arrived on campus.

The second was as a coach, where for 19 years—from 1999–2018—he built a smallschool powerhouse at Cascade Christian, where he led the girls team for two years and two state appearances, before coaching the boys for 17 years, qualifying for state 12 times and picking up two state titles along the way. He retired with a tidy 299 wins.

In between those runs, he experienced what might have been the best of both worlds, serving as a player-coach for a professional team near Brisbane, Australia. There, he was selected Coach of the Year once, first-team All-League and team MVP all three years. He also held multiple other positions with the organization: Junior Director of Coaching, Stadium Manager, Fund Raising Manager, Media Director and Promotions Manager.

As a player, he perhaps shone brightest while at UPS while playing for Hall-of-Famer Don Zech. He led the Loggers in scoring as a sophomore, junior and senior and finished scoring more than 1,000 points in his career, well before the NCAA put the 3-point line in play in 1986.

As a high school player, Williams played was an honorable mention McDonald’s All-American and was a perfect 14 of 14 from the floor in a state basketball game and played in the state all-star game on both basketball and baseball.

Jerry Williams earned honorable mention McDonald’s All-American honors as a Puyallup Viking hoopster.

Don Clegg, Football Following his passion to help shape lives, Don Clegg coached football at Wilson High School for 29 years (1988–2017). “I have lived a dream,” said Clegg, of his longevity and outstanding athletes.

It was a successful run for the Wilson Rams under Clegg as they reached the state quarterfinals in the playoffs four times and made it to the divisional playoffs six times. The Rams were runner-up for the state 4A championship in 1998.

While playing football at Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, during the 1960s, Clegg, inspired by his high school football coach, Ed Troxel, decided he wanted to teach and coach.

“My hope and desire was to have an impact on someone’s life as much as Coach Troxel had on mine,” said Clegg, a 1966 graduate from Borah High School.

In 1998, Clegg, who was born in Nampa, Idaho, in 1948, was named the Tacoma-Pierce County Coach of The Year for the state of Washington. In 2015, he was inducted into the Washington State Coaches Football Hall of Fame. The Seattle Seahawks also named him Coach of the Week twice.

There were 32 players on Clegg’s football teams over the years that went on to play college football. Five who played for Clegg at Wilson went on to play in the NFL including the Trufant brothers (Marcus, Isaiah, and Desmond), as well as Xavier Cooper and Larry Stevens.

Coach Clegg fires up the Rams at halftime.

“The great men I have had the opportunity to meet and coach with has been very fulfilling and brought me great joy and happiness,” Clegg said.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) John Rudy, Golf John Rudy’s roots in Pierce County golf ran deep and wide, culminating in 30 years as head professional at Fircrest Golf Club (1953–1983).

As a teen, Rudy caddied at Fircrest and Tacoma Country and Golf Club (TC&GC). He worked in the pro shop at Fircrest while a student at Lincoln high school and rose to No. 1 player on the school’s golf team.

Rudy became an assistant at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle in 1937. In 1941, he opened the Tacoma Golf Range (later Lakewood Golf Range) in partnership with Charles Congdon, longtime pro at TC&GC. That same year, Rudy was elected to the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, of which he was a member for more than 50 years.

Rudy took the helm at Fircrest in January 1953. During his tenure, the club hosted the professional tour’s 1960 Carling Open and the 1960 National Association of Left-Handed Golfers tournament.

Rudy won the Pacific Northwest PGA assistant professionals’ championship while still at Broadmoor. He played in more than a dozen PGA Tour events, including the 1946 PGA Championship, three Bing Crosby Pro-Ams, and two Canadian Opens. John also participated in two Hudson Cups.

His duties at Fircrest were varied: managing club events, merchandising, staffing the pro shop and teaching golf.

Local golf legend Ken Still, once an assistant to Rudy, said of him: “He was a very big influence on my career. He’s the one who started the fire.” *

John Rudy competed I the 1946 PGA championship and participated in two Hudson Cups.

Still explained what made Rudy successful: “Any pro who can last 30 years, you know one thing. He must be honest. He needs to be caring, and he has got to know his members and his members know him. There was something about John, he was a lovable and likable guy. …He was a professional’s professional.” * *Quotes from Our Story, The first 75 years of Fircrest Golf Club, by Paul E. Ramsdell

Brad Loan, Gymnastics Brad Loan never met a sport in which he couldn’t excel, and he has devoted his life to passing on his knowledge and skills to a list of gymnasts whose accomplishments could rival anyone.

Born in Auburn in 1950, Loan starred in five sports at Auburn High School: football, basketball, track, golf, and gymnastics, while also participating (and winning) in waterski competitions. After graduating in 1968, he moved on to Washington State University, where he starred on the men’s gymnastics team.

While his own athletic exploits are numerous, Loan’s most significant legacy comes in his coaching. Following his college graduation, he spent time coaching women’s gymnastics at WSU and Federal Way High School before spending nearly 40 years as the owner and head coach of Puget Sound School of Gymnastics. Most recently, he has coached at Roach Gymnastics in Sumner, Mid-Columbia Gymnastics in Richland, and Mountain Brook Gymnastics in Birmingham, Alabama. He’s also directed state, regional, and national competitions as a certified meet director for USA Gymnastics from 1976–2010.

Loan’s coaching resume includes national and international champions and could run on for several pages. Among the local area gymnasts that he coached that are in the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame are Roni (Barrios) Mejia, Yumi Mordre, Onnie (Willis) Rogers, Catherine (Williams) Kadera and Elli (Maulding) McDaniel.

Brad Loan competed on the gymnastics team at WSU from 1968–1972.

Here are just a handful of the highlights from Brad’s stellar career: Puget Sound Gymnastics teams won 210 invitational, state, regional, and national competitions. Loan has coached seven national all-around champions in Junior Olympics, International Elite Levels, and NCAA. He coached the Pan American Games Gold and Silver medalist in Venezuela in 1983, a 1983 World Championship team member, and a 1984 Olympic Team alternate. His gymnasts have won medals in Argentina, Japan, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, France, and China, and more than 30 gymnasts received NCAA scholarships from their careers at Puget Sound Gymnastics. He also hosted the Pacific Northwest Open, one of the top national-level invitationals in the country, from 1978–2006.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Tara Bilanski, Soccer Tara Bilanski’s soccer career started in earnest as a member of the nationally regarded FC Royals (now Washington Premier) Soccer Club, for whom the New York native played from 1986–92. Combined with her record-setting play at Puyallup High School, Tara captured the interest of the University of Washington women’s soccer program.

She was a four-year Huskies starter, a two-time team captain and established herself as one of the all-time Husky greats. Tara’s best scoring campaign came in 1995 when as a senior she tallied 12 goals and six assists for 30 points.

More than 20 years removed from her Husky playing days, Tara still ranks in numerous single-season and career Top 10 lists for goals, assists and total points, including third with 27 career goals and fourth with 72 total points.

Her athletic and academic awards were numerous. Tara garnered NSCAA first team all-region honors in 1994 and 1995, the same two years that she was a NSCAA All-Region and All-America Scholar-Athlete.

She earned first team All-Pac 12 recognition in 1995 and was a two-time conference all-academic selection, in addition to three times being selected as the UW Women’s Soccer Player of the Year. Tara’s inspirational play led the Huskies to their initial two NCAA tournament berths in each of her final two seasons.

“Tara Bilanski, to this day, remains one of the grittiest, toughest, most skillful and talented midfielders our program has ever seen,” University of Washington coach Lesle Gallimore said.

While mixing in several seasons of play with FSV Frankfurt in Germany (1999–2000) and Seattle Sounders Women Select (2001–02), Tara’s coaching career took off. She served as a UW assistant from 1996–98, the head coach at Portland State University (2001–04) and the University of Oregon (2005–12), and since 2013 she has been with the Bend (Oregon) FC Timbers Soccer Club. Additionally, Tara was an assistant coach for the USA U-18 team in 2008–09 and the Region IV Olympic Development Head Coach from 2005–09.

Tara Bilanski ranks as one of the all-time Husky soccer greats and was a four-year starter and two-time captain.

Tara was Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2002, NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year and Pac 10 Coach of the Year in 2006, and she is the all-time leader in coaching wins at Oregon.

Gretchen (Gegg) Zigante, Soccer Originally from Ohio, Gretchen Zigante moved to the Brown’s Point area of Tacoma at age 8 in 1972 and became a pioneer in women’s soccer. Before graduating from Bellarmine in 1981, she played for the Dash Point Dashers and Team Adidas. She then joined the club team at the University of Washington. Women’s soccer was not yet considered a varsity sport at UW. Zigante was ready for a bigger stage, however. She advanced to the Women’s National Team in the second year of the program and started at goalkeeper against Canada. She was on the roster for the first ever Women’s National Team victory. In 1986, she transferred from UW to the University of North Carolina where soccer was an NCAA-level varsity sport. The Tar Heels were undefeated national champions (27–0–1) in 1986. After UNC, she played for the Seattle-area Cozars, one of the best women’s teams in the country. At one time, the Cozars featured 11 then-current Women’s National Team members. Gretchen continued in the national team training pool and earned another international cap in 1990. She was the first American to play in the first professional women’s league, the Japan Ladies Professional League, for the Fujita Tendai Mercury. In 1994, Zigante began a coaching career. She has coached collegiality at CSU-San Bernardino, San Diego State, Colorado College and Cornell. She has also worked extensively with state, regional and national premier clubs, the Olympic Development Program and a professional team, Shiroki FC in Japan.

Gretchen Zigante played on the North Carolina Tar Heels undefeated national championship team in 1986.

SUPPORT THE TACOMA ATHLETIC COMMISSON AND CALL THE TAC AT 253-759-4621 OR THE SPORTS MUSEUM AT 253-677-2872 FOR MORE INFORMATION. 39

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Brian vanBlommestein, Soccer A native of Durban, South Africa, Brian vanBlommestein built a youth soccer coaching resume that few if any in the Pacific Northwest have matched.

Born in Durban in 1953, vanBlommestein grew up playing rugby, soccer and baseball throughout his youth. He was good enough to play for the province of Natal in rugby, and for both Natal and South Africa as a shortstop and third baseman in baseball.

After moving to the Puget Sound region, vanBlommestein joined the F.C. Royals coaching staff, kicking off a youth soccer coaching career that would culminate in 32 state championships, four regional titles and two national crowns with a variety of age-group teams. On top of that, he coached more than 300 players who would go on to play soccer at the collegiate level.

While he coached for the Royals—one of the nation’s premier girls soccer clubs—from 1988 to 2014, the F.C. Royals 77 club, formed in 1988, was arguably his best. That team won the 1989 state championship, the first of eight consecutive such crowns, and in 1998 added regional and national championships, the latter in Indianapolis, Ind. In all, 16 of those athletes would play NCAA Division I women’s soccer. During his eight seasons with F.C. Royals 77, vanBlommestein compiled a 310–25–10 record.

Concurrently, vanBlommestein was one of three local coaches to start the F.C. United boys program in 1996, coaching with that club from its inception until 2000. His second of two national championships came as a F.C. United head coach. Eventually, F.C. Royals and F.C. United combined to become the very successful Washington Premier Soccer Club.

In just eight seasons as coach of the FC Royals girls soccer teams, Brian vanBloomestein’s teams won 32 state championships and two national crowns.

Steve Shackett, Slowpitch Softball Steve played for and managed one of the most recognized church slowpitch softball teams in the country for many years. From 1968–1997, he led the Peoples Church / Worth team to 1,368 wins and two Church USSSA World “A” Championships.

Steve was born September 8, 1949 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

He graduated from Puyallup High in 1967 and the University of Puget Sound in 1971. When asked what he enjoyed most about his years with the People’s Church team, Steve responded, “The primary joy that I had in playing with the Peoples Church / Worth Softball Team for 29 seasons was first of all playing with my brother Owen (Onie) Shackett. He was not only my brother but my best friend and we enjoyed many years together playing the game which we both loved.”

PEOPLE’S CHURCH-circa 1978—Back row l. to r.: Chuck Hagstrom, Ivy Iverson, Levi Edgcombe, Pat Donahue, Mike Moore, Doug Cowan, Bob Spellmeyer, and Scott Hohensinner. Front row l to r.: Owen Shackett, Greg Garnett, Chuck Marsh, Steve Shackett, Wayne Hammer, Bill Heckert, Dave Rastovski, and Jim Ellis.

In 1993, Steve was the first manager inducted into the Washington state USSSA Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was included in the National USSSA Hall of Fame. Steve was selected the USSSA Church “A” All-World Tournament team manager three times—the same years the team won National titles which were in 1991, 1993 and 1995. He was selected the National 2nd Team manager another four times.

Steve, whose quickness earned him the nickname “Scooter,” was a player/manager for the first decade of Peoples’ existence. He mostly played left-center field. As more and more quality players joined Peoples over the years, Steve determined the team was better off with him managing full time.

Started by brothers Steve and Owen (Onie) Shackett in 1968, the Peoples Church Team won every conceivable award possible during its historic run including three World Church Tournaments, 17 Church “A” State Championships, 2 Men’s Open “A-AA” State Championships, and over 160 USSSA Tournaments throughout the country including 14 N.I.T. National Tournaments. Over a 29-year time frame, Peoples established a winning percentage of .769 pct. (1,368 wins–411 losses) playing against some of the best competition in the United States. Currently, the Peoples Church Team has eight members represented in the USSSA Washington State Softball Hall of Fame with Steve leading the way.

The Peoples Church Softball team became one of the most prominent softball programs of its kind ever to play the game in the United States. The longevity of the team is so unusual considering the movement of athlete’s in today’s society. Peoples always didn’t have the best players but as manager Steve Shackett professed, we generally were the best “TEAM.” That camaraderie and close bond of the individuals involved year in and year out became the glue that made this program so successful. It’s all about the “Team” became their motto!

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Chris Myhre, Swimming After a productive high school career as a swimmer when he won a state title and earned all-state honors, Chris Myhre went on to become a successful swim coach, leading his alma mater Wilson High School to state championships in 1989 and 1990.

Myhre, who was born Sept. 2, 1956 and graduated from Wilson in 1975, went on to coach swimming at the University of Puget Sound in 1990 and turned the men’s and women’s programs into national champions. Under Myhre, UPS won the men’s NAIA national championship three consecutive years from 1995 to 1997.

With Myhre coaching, the UPS women’s swim team also put together an impressive string—winning three national NAIA championships in four years—1996, 1998 and 1999.

Myhre’s combined dual meet record at UPS is an impressive 350–176–1.

During his tenure at UPS, Myhre has coached 71 NAIA AllAmericans, 21 NCAA All-Americans and 11 individual NAIA national champions.

After earning all-state honors in swimming at Wilson, Myhre went on to swim and play baseball at the University of Hawaii and graduated in 1978. Myhre then became the head swim coach at Yelm High School for five years. From 1984 to 1990, he served as head coach of the Tacoma Swim Club and Wilson High School.

At Wilson, Myhre swam under the tutelage of legendary Words of wisdom from Coach Chris: Hey! You’re going the wrong way! coach Dick Hannula, one of the most successful coaches in the country by virtue of winning 24 consecutive state championships.. Myhre also played baseball for Dick Palmadessi.

“Good times. Great memories and both coaches helped shape me into who I am,” Myhre said. “Blessed indeed.”

Vernon Ball, Tennis The aptly-named Vernon Ball has established a lengthy resume of both success on the tennis court and generous service to the community off it.

A star on the court for Wenatchee High School from 1949–52, Ball won the Inland Empire Tournament three consecutive years. He earned conference crowns in 1958 and 1959 at Central Washington University and was a quarter finalist in the NAIA National Tournament both years.

Ball has continued his tennis career as a player, coach, and club owner ever since.

He has ranked in the top five in the Pacific Northwest Tennis Association since age 12, including top rankings in every age group from 35 (in 1970) through age 75. He won the Canadian National 35 doubles in 1975 and twice was a member of the United States Gordon Trophy Team in international competition. He’s won two gold medals at the Nike Master World Games in 1998: in Men’s 55 Doubles and Men’s 60 Doubles.

Ball’s National Tournament resume includes championships in the USTA 4.5 Senior Division (1999), the USTA 9.0 Super Senior Division (2004), and the USTA 8.0 Super Senior Division (2012), along with finalist finishes in 1992, 2006, and 2010.

Outside of his playing career, Ball has coached at numerous schools, including University of Oregon (1966–67), Tacoma Community College (2000), and Foss High School (1996–present). He has been manager and pro at multiple swim and tennis clubs, Director of Tennis at Portland Metropolitan Parks (1970–75), and owner of Fircrest Tennis Club from 1998–2005, where he provided free court time for local high school teams to play in rainy weather.

Vern Ball contributed significantly to the sport of tennis in Pierce County for over 50 years as a player, coach and club owner.

Ball’s community service includes Rotary and Chamber of Commerce memberships and years of free lessons to low-income students, many of whom went on to college on tennis scholarships. He also served eight years on the PNW Tennis Association Board of Directors.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Terry Rice, Track & Field Terry Rice tried the football thing, but was demolished by a fullback on the Mount Tahoma High School junior varsity squad. He went out for basketball, but just wasn’t big or coordinated enough to keep up. And he would have tried out for baseball, except…he remembered what his basketball fate was. What the pint-sized Rice did find was track and field—and he certainly has given back more to the sport as a coach/promoter/meet organizer than he took as an athlete.

Even though he ended up developing into one of the better distance runners from Tacoma in the late 1960s—Rice went on to the NAIA national cross country meet (placed 77th in 1970) and track and field championships (made steeplechase semifinals) at Central Washington University—much of his legacy revolves around what he’s provided for high school athletes. “Cross country and track were so good to me that I have to give back so other kids have the same opportunities—and those sports have the same effect on their lives,” Rice said.

Rice started as the first girls track coach at Mount Tahoma(1974), Coach Terry Rice (left) with distance runners from the 1998 Stadium girls track team. then went on to coach cross country at Foss (1976, 1978); track Top Row: Akilah Davis. Row 2 Left to Right: Crystlyn Tust and Lissa Merrill.

(1984–2000) and cross country (1985–2006) at Stadium; and finally Row 3 Left to Right: Renee Pelletier, Beth Lewis and Sarah Reagan. Front: Shelby Johnson. track at Curtis (2002–10). But one of the accomplishments he’s most Coaches: Terry Rice, Kim Muenz and Russ Smith. proud of was resurrecting the track meet that had the most profound impact on him as a teenager—the Daffodil Relays. The all-relay city event started in 1962, but went under in the early 1980s. Rice brought it back for a four-year stretch (1997–2000) while at Stadium. And while at Curtis, he reincarnated the event in 2010 as the Viking Relays, which is one of the oldest and largest all-relay meets in the country. Rice also revived the old Lincoln Invitational and renamed it the Tacoma Invitational, which still goes strong today. And he is one of the founding fathers of the Fort Steilacoom Cross Country camp.

Mike Sowards, Wrestling Mike Sowards was a formidable wrestler at Puyallup High School and Highline Community College.

But his legacy will be the juggernaut he built and coached at Orting High School from 2001 to 2012. The head coach for 11 years, Sowards guided the Cardinals to four team state championships and three runner-up finishes.

Starting with Rick Shattuck in 2004, he coached 13 individuals to a combined 28 state wrestling championships. Nine of his wrestlers placed at state all four years they were in high school, including Drew Templeman, who achieved the rare feat of winning state all four years. In Sowards’ final season, Fred Green won the first of his four consecutive state championships.

Sowards coached 31 wrestlers to 74 state placings, and he was named the Class 1A state coach of the year in 2009.

Personally, Sowards was a varsity wrestler three years at Puyallup, during which the Vikings won the South Puget Sound League title each time, including while he was team captain as a senior. He built a career record of 85–8, and he finished sixth, fourth and second in the state while competing between 108 pounds and 115 pounds. He was the 114.5-pound wrestler for Washington’s Junior National team in a cultural exchange match in China in 1985.

At Highline, wrestling at 118 pounds, Sowards reached nationals twice, and with Sowards as captain the 1987–88 team was ranked No. 2 in the nation.

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Coach Sowards was either shouting words of encouragement to his wrestler or offering assistance to the official.

Mike Sowards congratulates another state champion.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

OFFICIALS Terry Beckstead, Wrestling Terry Beckstead has devoted most of his life to education both in his work as a school administrator and his dedication to wrestling officiating for more than 40 years. Born in 1948 in Tacoma, Beckstead wrestled in the 142-pound weight class for Franklin Pierce High School from 1964–67. He went on to compete collegiality at Western Washington State College, where he qualified and participated in the NAIA National Wrestling Championships in 1971.

After earning his college degree, Beckstead returned to the South Sound and worked in the Sumner School District before retiring as a school principal. While he’s retired from that job, he’s still going strong on the mat as an official since 1973, working with youth, middle school, and high school wrestling.

Beckstead has been a member of the Western Washington Wrestling Officials Association for nearly 50 years and has served as an Executive Board officer for 30 consecutive years.

Since 2008, he’s served as the wrestling representative on the Washington Officials Association Executive Board. He has officiated more than 35 state high school tournaments and 40 regional qualifying tournaments. Beckstead continues to train and mentor new officials with the local association, challenging all officials to constantly improve. He was also one of the first officials to step up and officiate girls’ tournaments and emphasize the importance of Beckstead tacks on another three points. equality in officiating.

For his many contributions to wrestling officiating, Beckstead has received countless honors. He was named the Tacoma/Pierce County Official of the Year in 1983 and has received the WWOA Meritorious Service Award (1995), Inspirational Award (2006), President’s Award (2007 and 2019), and Service Award (2009), and the Connelly Law Offices Excellence in Officiating Award (2009). He was inducted into the Washington Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2011 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013. He was named the Wrestling USA Magazine National Wrestling Official of the Year in 2015.

Buddy Horton, Football After an outstanding high school and college career as a running back, Buddy Horton went from refereeing high school football and basketball to the refereeing in the NFL for 20 years from 1997–2017.

Born October 6, 1955, Horton graduated from Mount Tahoma High School in 1974 and went on to play football at Grays Harbor Community College and Oregon State University. Younger brother Ray played collegiality at the University of Washington, won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys and was a Defensive Coordinator and Backs coach in the NFL for over 25 years.

Even before his college days as a running back ended, Buddy began officiating high school basketball in Grays Harbor from 1974 to 1976 while he played football and baseball for the Chokers. From 1980 to 1993, he also refereed high school football and basketball.

Horton refereed bowl games in the Pac-10 and numerous NFL playoff games in his 20 years of officiating in the NFL. He was an alternate field judge at the Super Bowl in 2007. He also worked NCAA women’s basketball from 1989 to 2001 including three NCAA tournaments.

Buddy Horton refereed 20 years in the NFL.

Buddy officiated Pac-10 football from 1989 to 1999 and in his final college football game he officiated the first collegiate BCS national championship game. From 1997 to 2000, he officiated NFL Europe football, preparing him for a long career in the NFL. “Thank you to the late Tom Cross and Jack Johnson for being great mentors and role models and for encouraging me to pursue officiating,” said Horton, acknowledging the two long-time referees for the role they played in jump starting his career.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Dan Spriestersbach, Football Dan Spriestersbach initially came to the Puget Sound region in the late-1960s to play for the University of Washington football team. As it turned out, it was his time spent on the gridiron as an official that left his greatest legacy.

Spriestersbach spent 30 years as a Pac-10 football official, working more than 20 bowl games and postseason assignments. He began his officiating career in the WWFOA in 1973 and worked high school games for the next 12 years. While attending a Rotary meeting in Lakewood, he met thenPac-8 officials Tom Cross and Ray Highsmith, who invited him to officiate games. At the high school level, he worked league championships, state quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games in the Kingdome.

Dan joined the NIFOA in 1978 and worked as a side judge, field judge, and back judge, working at the NCAA Division III level for several postseason contests. He was appointed to the Pac-10 in 1981 and spent the next 30 years with the conference, mostly as a field judge and occasionally as a back judge. Some of his bowl game highlights include the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and the 1990 All-American Bowl featuring Southern Mississippi quarterback Brett Favre.

Originally from Pasadena, California, Spriestersbach played baseball and football at St. Francis High School and helped his team win the AAA Southern California Football Championship in 1963. He earned all-league honors in both sports and went on to earn All-America honors as a safety in his lone year at Pasadena City College. From there, he joined the UW squad and spent three years as a starting safety.

While at the UW, Spriestersbach connected with one of the football boosters who worked in the forest products business. While the young athlete still had one more year of college and three years in the Air Force to go, the two stayed in contact and he moved to Tacoma following his service to embark on his career in the forest products industry.

Dan Spreistersbach is NOT discussing lunch plans for after the game with Oregon State head coach Mike Riley.

Since retiring from on-field officiating, Dan has worked as a football game observer and this past year he was inducted into the Pac-12 Football Officials Hall of Fame.

TRAINER Bruce Snell, Athletic Trainer Bruce Snell was eager to play football as a freshman at Aberdeen High School in 1972. But a knee injury kept him off the gridiron, and opened the door to a Hall of Fame career as an athletic trainer.

Taping ankles for coach Al Eklund’s Bobcats led to a career that took Snell to the Rose Bowl, the NFL, the World Cup and the Olympics. Along the way he started a thriving Tacoma-based business, Northwest Sports Physical Therapy, because he wanted to give all patients the kind of care lavished on elite athletes.

Snell’s interest in sports training led him to take a summer class from University of Washington head athletic trainer Gary Derscheid, who became Snell’s mentor. Snell was on the sideline for the Huskies’ 1978 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan.

After he was certified as an athletic trainer at UW, Snell earned a degree in physical therapy at Indianapolis University, followed by an internship with the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals. From 1983 to 1990, Snell was trainer for the Tacoma Stars. That role in indoor soccer led to other soccer opportunities, including stints with the men’s Olympic team in 2000 in Sydney, the men’s World Cup teams in 2002 in Korea and 2006 in Germany and the women’s World Cup team in 2011, also in Germany.

Bruce Snell was the trainer for the Tacoma Stars from 1983–90.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

The Three B’s—Baseball, Basketball and Boxing BASEBALL Bill Murphy, Baseball Following graduation from Clover Park High School in 1962, Murphy signed with the New York Yankees as free agent. This was before the Major League Baseball draft started in 1965. A 6-foot-1, 190-pound outfielder who showed a mix of power (18 home runs) and speed (12 steals) at Class A Binghamton in 1965, Murphy was selected by the Mets in the minor league Rule 5 draft. The next season, the Mets brought Murphy to the majors even though he had no experience above Class A ball. He debuted on April 15, 1966. In 135 at bats over 84 games, Murphy hit three home runs and drove in 13 while batting .230. In 1967, he moved to the California Angels organization and spent the year at Triple-A in Seattle. He spent the next two seasons in the Texas League before returning to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, never returning to the majors. He finished his professional career with the Tacoma Cubs in 1970 at age 26. In 2,167 minor-league at bats, Murphy hit 43 home runs, had 262 RBI and 52 steals. Primarily an outfielder, Murphy played some at first base, third base and catcher while trying to work his way back to the majors. Born in Pineville, Louisiana, in 1944, Murphy played under Holly Gee at Clover Park.

Scott Nielsen, Baseball

These four enjoyed their high school baseball careers in Tacoma and went on to play professionally. Photo taken in 1969 while on reserve duty at Ft. Lewis.

Clockwise from lower left: Steve Whitaker (Lincoln HS-NY Yankees-Seattle Pilots-SF Giants), Rick Austin (Lakes HS-Cleveland Indians-Milwaukee Brewers), Bill Murphy (Clover Park HS-NY Mets) and Ron Cey (Mt. Tahoma-LA Dodgers-Chicago Cubs-Oakland A’s).

Scott Nielsen was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball) at Franklin Pierce High School, graduating in 1976. Ten years later, he started nine games for the 1986 New York Yankees, going 4–4 with a 4.02 earned-run average in 56 innings. The 6-foot-1 right-hander, born Dec. 18, 1958 in Salt Lake City, played portions of the next three seasons in the major leagues. He compiled a 9–11 career record over 18 starts and 20 relief appearances, mostly for the Yankees but also one season with the Chicago White Sox. Nielsen was a 6th-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 1983 out of Brigham Young University. In his first season of Class A ball at Bellingham, he was teammates with eventual Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez. Nielsen started 102 games in the minor leagues, going 55–34. He pitched in the AAA All-Star Game in 1988, a season in which he went 13–6 with a 2.40 ERA for the Columbus Clippers.

At BYU, after returning from a two-year mission in Argentina, Nielsen set the NCAA record for consecutive wins with 26, breaking the previous mark of 23. He was an NCAA All-America selection in 1982 and 1983. The 1983 BYU Cougars team reached a No. 1 national ranking and featured six future major leaguers (Wally Joyner, Cory Snyder, Rick Aguilera, Gary Cooper and Colby Ward joined Nielsen). Nielsen was inducted in the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

Scott Nielsen donned the Yankee pinstripes for parts of three seasons.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

BOXING Mylon Watkins, Boxing Two boxers left Lake Placid, New York, in 1984 with back-to-back U.S. Junior boxing titles, both seemingly on a fast track to stardom. One was Tacoma’s Mylon Watkins, the other was Mike Tyson.

Watkins compiled the most successful amateur boxing career in Tacoma’s star-studded history until his career came to a startling halt in 1987 when he was shot twice in the chest in downtown Tacoma. He was 21 years old and had just recently began his professional career.

He survived the shooting, but never returned to boxing after an amateur career that saw him go 259–17 with the 1985 and 1986 National Golden Gloves light-middleweight titles. He competed in the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow and was considered a likely candidate for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team before the shooting.

“Kid USA” as Watkins was called won the 1983 World amateur junior welterweight championship before heading to the most anticipated amateur match of the year in 1984 at the Olympic Boxing Trials when he matched Mylon Watkins scores with a hard left to his opponent. up against Brooklyn’s Mark Breland in the first round of the 147-pound class. Watkins relished the opportunity of an early draw against the early favorite to win a gold medal in Los Angeles, but Watkins took a knockout blow in the first round.

Watkins was the only boxer in more than 70 years of Tacoma’s Golden Gloves to record six tournament championships until 2015 when Jerrell Barbour matched it.

BASKETBALL David Adams, Basketball David Adams says the best decision of his basketball career came at Gray Middle School.

It was there he decided to follow his older cousin to Lincoln High and play for coach Tim Kelly, a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee. Not only did Kelly help Adams realize his potential, but he prepared him to deal with impending adversity.

Adams helped the Abes win Narrows League titles in 1997 and ’99. He was league MVP in ’98 and ’99. As a senior in ’99, he was the News Tribune All-Area and 4A State player of the year.

Major colleges recruited Adams, but most balked when he broke his foot before his senior season.

Washington State University coach Kevin Eastman was undeterred.

In two seasons at WSU, Adams was the Cougars’ first freshman off-guard starter in 14 years. He averaged 7.9 ppg and earned Pac-10 All-Academic honors. But Eastman had resigned before Adams’ arrival, and Adams was one of many who didn’t enjoy playing for his replacement, Paul Graham.

Adams transferred to Wyoming. In his redshirt season, the Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament and upset Gonzaga. As a junior in 2003, he was a key reserve as the Cowboys finished third in the Mountain West Conference and advanced to the second round of the NIT. Starting as a senior, Adams made 43.9 percent of his 3-pointers and was Wyoming’s second-leading scorer with 9.0 ppg.

Adams had opportunities to play professionally overseas but chose to put his business degree to work rather than, as he says, “play in Turkestan for peanuts.” Today, he lives in Tacoma and works as a fund expense manager for Russell Investments.

46

David Adams defend against Creighton shooter.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Brendon Merritt, Basketball It was more than skill that made Brendon Merritt a successful basketball player at Bellarmine Prep, Tacoma Community College, Eastern Washington University and as a professional.

“A million people are good at basketball, but I had an intense will to win,” Merritt said. “If people remember one thing about me, I hope it’s how competitive I am.”

At Bellarmine, Merritt earned honorable mention all-Narrows League honors as a junior while helping the Lions advance to the state tournament. As a senior in ’99, he averaged 18 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game and was team MVP. Merritt made The News Tribune’s All-Area Team and he was co-MVP of the Tacoma Athletic Commission Pierce County All-Star Team.

Bellarmine won the 1999 West Central District Tournament and advanced to state.

At TCC, he earned all-NWAC West Region honors twice while leading his team to fourth- and secondplace finishes at the NWAC Tournament. Merritt set TCC records with 14 assists in a game and by scoring 31 points in a half. He averaged 19.7 ppg for the Titans and, in 2013, was inducted into the school and conference halls of fame.

Merritt moved on to EWU, where he was an All-Big Sky Conference player. He helped the Eagles advance to the NIT Tournament in 2003. In ’04, EWU won the conference tournament (Merritt was MVP) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

Brendon Merritt drives hard to the hoop.

From 2004 to ‘07, Merritt played professionally in Sweden and Switzerland. Five back surgeries cut his career short.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but the thing I’m most proud of is the relationships,” Merritt said. “They are lifelong relationships. We worked out together, we studied together, we practiced together, we won together, and we lost together.”

Merritt lives in Tacoma and works as a CDL truck driver for Seadrunar Recycling. He coaches at Seattle’s Ingraham High.

Annual Spring Tournament— Tacoma Lawn Bowling Club at Wright Park, May 30th to June 2nd, 1946.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Tatum (Brown) Morris, Basketball

MaryAnn (Stoican) O’Dell, Basketball

When Tatum (Brown) Morris arrived at Foss High School as a transfer from California, she had no plans to play basketball, figuring she would have a hard time competing with the other athletes who had been playing together for some time.

Mary Ann O’Dell came along at just the right time.

Had she been so dominant a few years earlier, her work on the court for Peninsula High and the University of Oregon might have amounted to little more than a hobby. She would have been terrific in all ways at that hobby—and her other chief athletic pursuit of track and field—but she wouldn’t have been able to roll that into a college education.

Her cousin and Foss coach Jim Black had different ideas for Brown, who would eventually sprout to 6–5 but was already clearly naturally inclined to contribute to the Falcons: “I looked at one of my assistants and said, ‘She’s going to make me a great coach,’” Black said with a laugh.

Brown’s cousin Onitia was on the team and convinced her to come out for the team and she would go on to become a power at every level she played: High school, junior college, the Pac-10 and even professionally.

But her start was leading the Falcons deep into the Class AAA state tournament in both of her years, with Black coaching them to the brink of a state title game berth both years, ending with semifinal losses to Eastern Washington foes: Kamiakin of Kennewick and Central Valley of Spokane.

Still early in her development, Brown led Central Arizona Community College to a junior college national championship Tatum (Brown) Morris was Arizona’s leading scorer and rebounder during the before staying in the desert 1999–00 season. and playing for coach Joan Bonvicini. Her career in Tucson got off to a slow start because of a severe knee injury suffered late in her time at Central Arizona, but she had a terrific senior year. She recorded 10 double-doubles, averaged 7.4 rebounds per game and was named firstteam all-conference.

Brown went on to play professionally for 12 years in places like France, Turkey, Korea, Spain, Israel, Poland and Germany among others and received numerous All-Star accolades.

48

As it was, she came of age just as the equity mandated by Title IX started to do for female athletes what it had long done for males, and O’Dell was one of first girls high school superstars of Pierce County.

Then known as Mary Ann Stoican, she was a force of nature for the Seahawks, scoring in double digits every year and going for 30 points and 32 rebounds in one game as a junior. As a senior, this 1979 graduate led the Seahawks to a perfect 27–0 record and a state title whole being named Seamount League MVP. Still, she might have been even better in track, where she never won a state championship, but never lost a league meet and won the West Central District title three years, jumping 5 feet, 8 inches, a mark that still stands more Mary Ann (Stoican) O’Dell’s jersey #32 was retired in January of 2019 as the team celebrated the 40th than 40 years later. anniversary of Peninsula’s state championship.

O’Dell continued her basketball playing career at Oregon, helping the Ducks to Nor-Pac titles in 1980, 1981 and 1982. She won the school’s Harry Ritchie Award twice, designated to the best student athlete. She then returned to Peninsula where she spent ten years as the varsity girls basketball coach and assisted in volleyball and track. She then moved to Bellarmine and during her stint as a co-head coach, the girls basketball teams competed all three years at the state tournament.

In January of 2019, Mary Ann’s number “32” was retired by the school following the advocacy of her longtime coach Paul Berg.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Kate Rue, Basketball Kate Rue grew up playing with the boys on the playgrounds of Tacoma and found her way on the college court faster than most.

“I had a friend who had a car and he would drive around and pick us all up and (we) had a key to the (University of Puget Sound) gym and we’d go there and just play for hours,” Rue recalled. “It was just basketball. We just played hours of basketball.

Those hours on the court—inside or out, didn’t matter—led to a life in the sport, which saw Rue become a three-time All-Narrows League selection at Mount Tahoma and, when she graduated in 1981, go on to the University of Washington on a full-ride scholarship. Rue was among the first generation of full-ride women after Title IX mandated equity.

Rue was part of building a golden era of basketball for the Huskies, was twice named the team’s mostimproved player and captained a team that went 26–2, made the NCAA Tournament and was ranked as high as 11th nationally in the 1984–85 season. Rue went on to play professionally in Switzerland, Denmark and England, winning titles in the latter two. In 1991 her Danish professional team went 40–6 and won the league title on a Rue 3-pointer.

She returned to the states as an assistant coach at multiple colleges—Whitworth, Idaho, UPS—and remained an international coach and clinician while settling in to lead the girls team at Charles Wright Academy since 2011. She notes that, while Title IX is long since law, its guarantees are only as good as those willing to advocate for them. But mostly she appreciates all the game has given to her and enjoys providing those opportunities to the young women following in her footsteps.

Two for Rue!

“Basketball, for me, made the world smaller,” Rue said. “The people in basketball have taken me everywhere and yet it is a small community. But now I have a collection of great people who will never leave my life. The most awesome thing for me is when my former players come back to our program and hang out. I just feel blessed that I could stay with basketball all these years.”

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

1972 PLYWOOD TACOMA—Front Row L. to R.: Lee Sinnes, Ted Werner, Steve Hawes, Keith Swagerty and Jim Van Beek. Back Row L. to R.: Clint Names, Gary Wortman, Mike Dahl, Dave Wortman and George Grant.

PLYWOOD TACOMA—A national powerhouse basketball team from 1968–74 From 1968 through 1974, Plywood Tacoma was a power on the national amateur basketball stage, winning two championships and twice placing second and third during six consecutive appearances in the National Amateur Basketball Association (NABA) tournament.

Plywood Tacoma was birthed in 1968 out of the Cheney Studs, an AAU power the year before. Dick Burrows of Tacoma Plywood agreed to sponsor the team in order to give former collegiate players—many who Tom Names had become high school and college coaches—the opportunity to keep playing. Among the early stars 50

was player-coach Lynn Nance, a two-year starter at the University of Washington. Nance would go on to an 11-year career as a NCAA Division I head coach, the last four (1989–93) at his alma mater.

That 1968–69 Plywood Tacoma team lacked a home court and practiced at the Western State Hospital gymnasium. Still, it finished the regular season with a 22–1 record and a trip to the NABA tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts Plywood went all the way to the championship before losing to the Brittany Zips of Milwaukee, 74–73. The George Grant

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) following year, 1970, Plywood advanced to the semifinal round before falling to the eventual national champion.

from Houston in the title game, this time by a 105–95 score.

Finally, in 1971, playing inside the Albright College Fieldhouse in Reading, Pennsylvania, the Tacoma team won its first of two NABA championships, defeating White Gloves Maintenance from Houston, 94–86. Former University of Washington guard George Grant was named the tournament most valuable player.

That led to the eight-team 1974 NABA championships coming to Tacoma and Pacific Lutheran University’s Olson Gymnasium, ending a fiveyear run on the east coast.

The 1974 Plywood Tacoma team, led by the scoring prowess of Names and the rebounding tenacity of 6–8, 245-pound center Ted Werner, formerly from Washington State, was an even more veteran squad with an average age of 33. In a pre-tournament article written by News Tribune sportswriter Dick Kunkle, Van Beek is quoted about the age

Guards Clint Names and Grant, both former standouts and teammates at Stadium High School and the University of Washington, along with former Pacific Lutheran College star forward Jim Van Beek, were all over 30 years of age. Throughout their brief NABA run, Plywood Tacoma teams were usually several years older on average than their opponents.

Mike Dahl

Writing in his “Sports Log” column on April 6, 1971, The Tacoma News Tribune sports editor Earl Luebker quotes Names: “Most of us have lots of experience.

We had been in title games before, and the game with Houston was pretty close most of the way.

The experience helped us.”

After a secondplace finish to Julie’s Pawnshop from Flint, Michigan, at the 1972 event Clint Names in Springfield, Massachusetts, Plywood Tacoma won the 1973 national championship.

Led by tournament MVP Names, Plywood again defeated White Gloves

Steve Anstett

advantage: “There are few teams competing on our level with an average age any older, but this also is why we’ve been so stable and successful. We are a unique group.”

That same article quotes Van Beek about other qualities that made Plywood Tacoma so competitive.

“Just pull out all the old clichés on winning…basic fundamentals have been the key to our success.

We have a certain group unselfishness, a concern for each other on and off the court which has proved vital in the important games. We seem to pull together better in the tough games.”

That Plywood Tacoma lost to the

Jim Van Beek

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Minneapolis Kings in the championship, 94–88, is only secondary to the marvelous run of national tournament success enjoyed by a veteran group of former college basketball players, many of whom learned the game on Puget Sound playgrounds.

Members of the 1969–74 Plywood Tacoma teams and the colleges or universities: Mark Anderson (Pacific Lutheran University); Steve Anstett (University of Portland); Jay Bond (University of Washington); Mike Dahl (Western Washington College); Curt Gammell (Pacific Lutheran University); George Grant (University of Washington); Jim Harney (Seattle University); Steve Hawes (University of Washington); George Irvine (University of Washington); Mike Jordan (University of Puget Sound); Charles Lowery (University of Puget Sound); Clint Names (University of Washington); Tom Names (College of Puget Sound); Lynn Jim Harney Nance (University of Washington); Darron Nelson (Grays Harbor Junior College); Leroy Sinnes (Pacific

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Lutheran University); Keith Swagerty (University of the Pacific); Tom Tommervik (Washington State University); Ted Werner (Washington State University); Dave Wortman (Seattle Pacific College); Gary Wortman (Seattle Pacific College); Jim Van Beek (Pacific Lutheran University).

Player-coaches included Nance, Names and Nelson and Dick Burrows was the sponsor.

Those playing professionally included Steve Hawes (10 seasons with the Houston Rockets, Portland Trailblazers, Atlanta Hawks and Seattle Supersonics); Irvine (five seasons with the Virginia Squires and one season with the Denver Nuggets); Charles Lowery (one season with the Milwaukee Bucks), and Swagerty Tom Tommervik for one season with the Houston Mavericks and one season with the Kentucky Colonels). In addition, Nance was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks but did not play because of a career-ending knee injury.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

THE NEWS TRIBUNE SPORTS STAFF—1987: This photo was taken in 1987 and appeared in “house” ads for The News Tribune, winning Top 10 awards for daily and weekly sports sections in the national Associated Press Sports Editors contest. The TNT won at least one APSE award annually for over 10 consecutive years. This is the crew that an ESPN sportscaster referred to as “the best sports staff nobody’s ever heard of”—as they scooped the heck out of both Seattle papers time and again.

Bottom row l. to r.: Jim Trotter (in sweater), Patricia Greenleaf, John Clayton, Mike Kahn and Paul Ramsdell. Second row l. to r.: John Lawrence (hands on knees), Bart Wright, sports editor Pete Wevurski, Kirk Gormley and John (“I’ll get the pizza”) Piekarski. Top row l. to r.: Bill Schey, Don Borst, Scott Oberstaller, Steve Buckley and Bob Payne.

TNT Sports staff was a national leader, trailblazer for local coverage

By Bill Schey, News Tribune reporter/editor (1976–2011) Already a force for strong local high school and small college sports coverage, The News Tribune’s transition to a morning newspaper in 1987 ushered in major changes and a golden era for the TNT sports staff.

Reporters Bart Wright, John Clayton, Mike Kahn and a solid support staff of reporters and editors were put in place by sports editor Ted Pearson in the early and mid-1980s, with substantial help from Bart’s contacts around the country. However, the hiring of Pete Wevurski as sports editor proved to be the launch point for a 13-year period (1987–2000) of award-winning quality that became the envy of newspaper bosses all across the country.

As Wevurski put it, “Kahn (on the Sonics) and Clayton (Seahawks) taught the whole Puget Sound market how to cover a Ted Pearson sports beat and, along with Bart and later Don Borst (Huskies), Larry LaRue (Mariners) and others, grew into what ESPN’s Chris Mortensen once told me was ‘the greatest sports staff the rest of the country never heard of.’ “

The chief mission was to be the go-to source for all of the best sports reporting in the Seattle-Tacoma market. The result, over the years to come, was a string of Associated Press Sports Editors national awards for inclusion in the top 10 for best content for daily, Sunday and special sections. Multiple times in that time frame Team TNT claimed the APSE “triple crown” for placing in the top 10 in all three categories.

The faces changed over the years—some reporters leaving, others arriving and department leadership passing from Wevurski to Greg Gibson, to Glen Crevier, to Dale Phelps—but the awards kept rolling in.

Kahn eventually left the paper and became an online journalism pioneer with the startup of CBS Sportsline. His death, in 2008 at age 54, prompted Wevurski to write a moving tribute that portrayed the tenacity and teamwork that made this group so special. It is reprinted here, in part:

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Mike Kahn

By Pete Wevurski (Written December 18, 2008) Mike Kahn was one of the very best sports journalists I’ve had the pleasure of knowing or working with. He was one of the reporters I inherited when I became sports editor of the Morning News Tribune in Tacoma in ‘87.

A week or so later, he was in Irving interviewing the family.

Turns out, he sat on the front porch for hours until somebody, anybody, answered the doorbell. It was Brian’s dad, Foster. Mike persuaded the family to let him in and share with him some delightful stories of Brian’s upbringing. Brian had older siblings but none was as much of a handful as the kid who’d become The Boz. I’ll never forget the quote Kathy Bosworth gave Kahn: “It’s a good thing Brian wasn’t our first child. If he had been our first child, he’d have been an only child.”

then welcomed him back inside and confirmed what we thought we knew.

We had it. Our story stripped cross A1 the next morning said Bosworth was coming to Seattle today to sign with the Seahawks. Meanwhile, Clayton had written a sidebar with all the details on the multiyear contract, down to the penny.

But, wait, the story gets even better.

Based on our report, every sportswriter or broadcaster

Columnist Bart Wright was the Heart & Soul of our department, but Mike quickly established himself as its MVP. Nothing proved that so much as the morning George Argyros announced his intention to put the Mariners up for sale.

Mike Kahn

Our Mariners beat writer, Steve Buckley, was with the club at spring training in Peoria, and Bart was on vacation, so I turned to Mike and to our other columnist, J. Michael Kenyon, to flesh out details. In retrospect, what I had actually done was sicced Mike on the Mariners.

Mike’s background was solid in the NFL and NBA, not nearly as much in baseball, but that didn’t matter. Mike was the consummate reporter. By the time we J Michael Kenyon went to press that night, I swear, Mike Kahn knew more about the Mariners than anyone in the M’s front office! Our readers received a comprehensive report, equal to or better than those in the P-I or Times.

But that was just a sample of Mike’s versatility.

A year or so later, the Seahawks won supplemental draft rights to Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth. You might recall that Bosworth told the Seahawks to trade those rights because there was no way he’d ever sign with Seattle. That still was Boz’s stance long after the Hawks went ahead and drafted him anyway. You may have drafted me, Boz told the Hawks, but you’ll never sign me.

I’ll never play for Seattle.

The NFL preseason was already under way when our staff sniffed out the fact that Boz and his agent, Gary Wichard were, in The Boz fact, negotiating with Seattle. We had nailed it down that they were in Dallas one day to meet with Hawks GM Mike McCormack and Coach Chuck Knox.

Once we broke that story, the Boz-to-Seattle story took on a life of its own. A day or so later, Mike told me he had closed his books on the Sonics off-season and volunteered to fly down to Oklahoma and to the Bosworth home in Irving, Texas, to work up a full-depth profile on the Boz. 54

COVERING THE SEATTLE SONICS BASETBALL TEAM —This photo is from the 1991–92 season and the media was relegated to the upper “cubbyhole” press area in the old Seattle Center Coliseum. There were three tiers in the upper press area and the Seattle radio/TV (Kevin Calabro, et al) were in the bottom row, the visiting team’s media in the middle row and the Seattle beat writers in the upper row. Top row l. to r.: Mike Kahn (Tacoma News Tribune), John Peoples (Seattle Times), Jim Moore (Seattle P-I), Rich Myhre (Everett Herald) and Mike Moore (Bellevue JournalAmerican/Eastside Journal).

Later that day, Mike called me from his hotel room, where he was busily transcribing his notes, and he related that story to me.

“That’s great, Mike,” I said. “Do you think you can get a baby picture?”

“Not to worry,” he said, and I could feel his spreading grin through the phone. “I’ve already got the family album!”

Mike went back to his transcriptions. Later that same night, while the Seahawks were playing a preseason game with the Rams in Anaheim, we followed up on a tip and learned that Boz was coming to Seattle the next day.

Naturally, we thought we knew why, so I called John Clayton in the pressbox at the game and told him what we thought we knew, then I called Mike at his hotel and told him, too.

Mike immediately dashed back to the Bosworth abode, rang the doorbell and, again, Foster answered.

“Somehow, I knew we’d see you again,” he told Mike,

around Puget Sound with a pen, pad, microphone or camera was there at Sea-Tac the next morning waiting to pounce on the Boz as soon as he emerged from the plane. But Boz wasn’t the first person they saw bound up the jetway that bright morning.

That would have been Mike Kahn, who we had fly back to Seattle on the same flight and booked him the first-class seat next to Boz. I believe his story in the paper the next morning carried the dateline: SOMEWHERE OVER UTAH. If there were any doubts about Mike Kahn’s ability to produce the goods, they all evaporated over the next day or so when Mike’s profile of The Boz ran in the TNT. By now, you can imagine that Mike’s beat coverage of the Sonics was second to none.

And now Mike Kahn is the first of our family to leave us. We’re shocked and heartbroken. He leaves a huge hole that even tons of great Mike Kahn memories won’t ever fill up.

I’ll never forget Mike’s work ethic, his curiosity, industry,

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

THE NEWS TRIBUNE PHOTO STAFF–2008—The 2008 News Tribune photo staff and former staffers dating back to the 1960’s included: From left: Drew Perine, Casey Madison, Louie Balukoff, Craig Sailor, Janet Jensen, Mike Bainter, Dean Koepfler, Bill Hunter, Peter Haley, Lui Kit Wong, Jeremy Harrison and Russ Carmack.

In the prints from left: Teri Harris, Bob Rudsit, Steve Qualline, Jerry Buck, Duncan Livingston, Geff Hinds, Fred Joe, Sherry Bockwinkel, Bruce Larson, Greg Anderson, Karen Stallwood, Warren Anderson, Bruce Kellman, Wayne Zimmerman and Joe Barrentine. Photo by Peter Haley.

loyalty, friendship and above all, his devotion to JoAnn and his pride in Sarah and Andy.

your success in contacting me.”

He’s left us far too soon, but I know I’m not alone when I say I’m awfully glad to have had the time we had together. ***

Journalists from competing news outlets also took notice.

When news spread that 50 individuals from Team TNT (1987–2000) were being honored by the Tacoma/Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame one of the first to respond was Wevurski, who currently oversees the copy desk at the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s an overused word but I think it fits here: Awesome!” he said. “I was blessed to be a part of the start.

I will do my very best to be there!” Others weighed in as well.

“This is a great honor for so many people who were on those sports staffs,” said Glen Crevier, sports editor from 1995–98 before taking over as boss of an award-winning staff at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Greg Harris, an award-winning graphic artist for The News Tribune in the early 1990s, summed it up this way: “Reading this makes me long for ‘the good old days.’ What a great team. …What a great era.”

After reading off the list of honorees, longtime Seattle Times baseball writer Bob Finnigan quipped, “A heck of a batting order.”

Kirby Arnold, former sports editor of The Herald in Everett, offered: “Congratulations Pete!

This is so well deserved. You and the News Tribune staff did it the right way. Because of that, it made working in sports journalism in this region during that era such a joy, even for those of us who were at other newspapers.”

Radio personality “New York Vinnie” Richichi observed, “We used to steal more from your sports section than any other in town! Congrats.”

And finally, former radio and television personality Keith Shipman summed it up this way: “When we launched SportsRadio 950 KJR in the Fall of 1991 my first rant was that I couldn’t get a game story/box score from Seattle’s morning paper (which was printed right down the street) but the Tacoma News Tribune had everything—later deadlines, great writers and editors, depth and accuracy.

Theresa Smith, the first female to cover a major sports beat for the paper, “If I remember correctly it didn’t take long for the PI to back up its deadlines so Keith Shipman reported on Washington Huskies football and basketball and later tracked the that late game stories (Mariners, Sonics) could be included. We were the 13th Sonics on their run through the NBA Finals against Michael Jordan and the largest media market in America at the time …and couldn’t get the Mariners Chicago Bulls in 1996. “What a wonderful honor,” she said. “I am humbled to be a part of score from Seattle’s AM paper …but the paper 30 miles to the south had it figured out. such an amazing group of talented, hard working people. Thanks for your consideration and

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) MIKE BAINTER—Mike Bainter spent most of his more than 25 years in journalism at The News Tribune, where he contributed to sports coverage as a photographer and digital photo editor. Bainter came to the TNT after 11 years at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

After five years in the Tribune photo department he became the newsroom systems analyst. He lives in Seattle and works for Earth Resources Technology.

DAVE BOLING—Dave Boling was already an accomplished sports columnist when he came to The News Tribune in the mid-1990s. Boling delighted and enlightened readers with commentary on the Seahawks and other sports. The former Louisville football player was equally adept at providing analysis and telling gripping stories. Among his many honors during his 21 years with the TNT, Boling was named state sportswriter of the year. Today, Boling is a bestselling author whose work includes internationally acclaimed historical fiction and the story of former Seahawks running back Curt Warner and his family.

DON BORST—Not only did Don Borst lead the way with his coverage of UW’s 1991 national championship run, but he added valuable assets to the TNT. Borst launched the Northwest Nuggets and Western 100 college football recruiting packages, making the Trib one of the nation’s premiere sources for recruiting coverage. Earning a spot on one of these lists is still concerned a top honor for West Coast recruits. Borst continued to lend his football insight to local radio stations after leaving the TNT. Don taught in the Federal Way and University Place school districts prior to his retirement.

JOE BREEZE—The Pacific Lutheran University graduate joined The News Tribune in the late 1990s after six years as publisher and editor of Inside Track Magazine. Breeze designed pages and edited copy for the sports section before accepting a job at ESPN. Breeze has worked for ESPN for more than 17 years in various positions including stints as motorsports and Major League Baseball editor. He currently lives in Puyallup and works as a digital media editor.

COREY BROCK—Corey Brock played a key role in the TNT’s award-winning prep coverage as a writer and editor. The PLU grad covered college and pro sports including the Mariners’ historic 116-win season in 2001.

He worked at The News Tribune 1990–96 and 1999–2006 before going on to cover the San Diego Padres for mlb.com. He currently covers the Mariners for The Athletic.

GARY BROOKS—A former UPS pitcher, Gary Brooks coordinated the TNT’s award-winning prep coverage and wrote a popular column—“Ask Brooksie”—about the finer points of baseball. His baseball knowledge led CBS to hire him to launch their online coverage of MLB in the late 1990s. Brooks, still involved in Tacoma sports, is a certified financial planner and founder of Brooks, Hughes & Jones Wealth Advisors.

RUSS CARMACK—For 36 years, Russ Carmack used his camera to share stories with residents of Tacoma and Pierce County. Carmack started at The News Tribune in 1972 and was a cheerful presence on a gifted photo team.

Carmack won numerous awards for his work shooting sports, features and news. He retired from the TNT in 2008 and lives in Tacoma.

JOHN CLAYTON—John Clayton’s tireless work ethic and exhaustive list of sources established the TNT as the leader in Seahawks news and one of the nation’s best daily sources for NFL coverage. He regularly lent his insight to local and national radio programs and his encyclopedic knowledge led to position at ESPN. Clayton won the Dick McCann Memorial Award in 2007 which put him in the writer’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Duquesne University, Clayton’s alma mater, inducted him into its sports hall of fame in 2001. Clayton lives in Renton and covers the NFL as a multimedia journalist.

PATRICIA (GREENLEAF) CLAYTON—Patricia (Greenleaf) Clayton joined the TNT as an agate clerk, helping compile, design and edit the TNT’s Scoreboard page. Recognizing a need for bowling coverage, she took on the challenge and started writing regularly about the sport. The notebook and regularly published league results became a popular feature. She is retired and living in Renton.

BOB CONDOTTA—A prolific writer, Bob Condotta covered an NBA Finals and an array of other sports for The News Tribune before settling into the UW football and basketball beats. His award-winning work maintained the paper’s reputation as the best source for UW football and basketball news. The WSU grad took the UW beat writer job at the Seattle Times in 2002. Condotta still works for the Times covering the Seahawks.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) GLENN CREVIER—Glen Crevier led the TNT’s sports department from 1994 to 1998 when the team earned national recognition for coverage of events like the Mariners’ first playoff run, Seattle’s last Final Four and the Sonics NBA Finals appearance. Crevier attended Hiram College in Ohio and worked as a reporter, copy editor and columnist at various publications before arriving in Tacoma.

He lives in Minneapolis, where he spent more than two decades as assistant managing editor at the Star Tribune.

DOUG DROWLEY—Doug Drowley, a PLU graduate, was honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors for his work while at the TNT. Drowley covered high school and college sports, including two PLU appearances in the NAIA national championship game. Drowley went on to earn his law degree from Willamette University. He currently lives in Las Vegas where he is the legal team supervisor for Nevada Corporate Headquarters.

URSULA (MUECKE) FAGERSTROM—Ursula (Muecke) Fagerstrom (née Muecke) helped guide the TNT’s success from behind the scenes as a sports copy editor and page designer, 1993–2002. One of her favorite memories was coverage of the Sonics run to the NBA Finals in 1996. “We all went without days off for weeks just to make the section be the best it could be,” she said. “It was exhausting, but we all knew we were experiencing something special. We were willing to sacrifice personal comfort to produce the best product we could.”

Fagerstrom is an English teacher at Heritage Leadership Academy in Apex, North Carolina.

ROY GALLOP JR.—Roy Gallop Jr. was a talented graphic artist who started working at The News Tribune in 1996. His many awards included an international honor for an information graphic created about Mount Rainier National Park. The Georgetown University graduate came to the TNT after stints at the Washington Post and The Congressional Quarterly. Gallop died in 2006 GREG GIBSON—Greg Gibson led the TNT’s sports section from 1990–94 when it was consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best by the Associated Press Sports Editors. Gibson, a Long Beach State University graduate, went on to lead the sports staff at the Orange County Register before working as managing editor at Rivals.com.

Gibson lives in California and works for Yahoo! Sports.

PETER HALEY—Peter Haley spent more than 32 years as a photojournalist and videographer at the TNT covering major sporting events such as Super Bowl XL. His award-winning work illustrated many of the biggest stories of his tenure. In addition to his coverage of sports and local news, Haley took several assignments as an embedded journalist during the war in the Middle East. The Charles Wright Academy and University of California graduate lives in Seattle and works at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center.

GREG HARRIS—Greg Harris was a talented page designed and art director for the TNT sports section, 1989–95. Among his work was an iconic poster of Don James holding a rose after the Huskies beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl to win a share of the 1991 national Championship. Harris’s post-TNT career saw stops at MSNBC, the National Geographic Society. He lives in the Seattle area where he is the creative director for MediaStorm.

CRAIG HILL—Craig Hill grew up aspiring to be a TNT sportswriter. “Even as a kid, I knew this was a special collection of talent,” Hill said. “Joining that team was a dream come true.” The TNT hired Hill in ’96 while he was still attending WSU. He found his niche covering the Cougars’ 1997 Rose Bowl run. His coverage of college, pro and local sports earned five national writing awards, including first place for sports news reporting from the Associated Press Sports Editors. He covered Olympics, Super Bowls, Final Fours, Rose Bowls and, in 2004, he helped launch the TNT’s first standalone outdoor section.

CHUCK HUFFORD—A graduate of Wilson High and the University of Puget Sound, Chuck Hufford spent decades maintaining the TNT’s Scoreboard page. Hufford pulled box scores from the wire, manually entered scores from local colleges and high schools and pieced them all together like a jigsaw puzzle under the pressure of deadline. He is retired and living in Tacoma.

FRANK HUGHES—The George Mason University graduate arrived at the TNT in 1997 and stayed longer than the team he covered, the Seattle Sonics. Hughes consistently broke NBA news and lent his expertise to ESPN where he also wrote a column in the late ‘90s and 2000s. When the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City, Hughes briefly covered the Seattle Seahawks. He went on to work for NBA.com. He lives in California where he owns an insurance agency.

MIKE KAHN—One of the TNT’s brightest stars, Mike Kahn covered the Sonics and the NBA, 1986–95. The Ohio State University graduate arrived in Tacoma after nearly a decade at Midwest publications and helped the Trib establish its immense reputation. He also contributed to coverage of other pro and college sports. When CBS launched its sports website in 1995, Kahn was its first hire. “Mike should also be remembered as an absolute pioneer in sports journalism,” Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel said in a 2008 foxsports.com article. Khan worked for CBS Sportsline until 2004 then moved to the Seahawks.com. He died in 2008.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) DEAN KOEPFLER—Dean Koepfler was one of several gifted TNT visual storytellers, but the only one who made an image that inspired a Tacoma statue. In more than 30 years at the Tribune, Koepfler won numerous awards for his coverage of sports and news.

His pictures of the construction of the new Tacoma Narrows bridge were made into a book. But it was an image he shot of Tacoma’s famous Ivan the gorilla that inspired a 6-foot-tall statue that stands outside the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Koepfler lives on Fox Island.

ROBERT KUWADA—A talented reporter with the ability to craft entertaining stories, Kuwada covered an array of sports at the TNT in the early 1990s. “He could write anything,” said former editor Scott Oberstaller, “but he was a great baseball writer.” Kuwada went on to cover the Oakland A’s, college sports and more for Bay Area newspapers. He currently covers Fresno State University for the Fresno Bee. LARRY LARUE—Larry LaRue came to The News Tribune in 1988 from the Long Beach Press-Telegram and quickly carved out a niche as the leading source of finely crafted Mariners features and game coverage. Lash, as friends called him, cultivated relationships with superstars and role players alike leading to tales few others could tell. “(LaRue) gave me a deeper appreciation for the sport of baseball,” copy editor Arnold Lytle said. LaRue won numerous writing awards including first place in the nation for game coverage by the Associated Press Sport Editors. LaRue, who left the TNT in 2015 after a stint as a feature columnist, passed away in 2017.

JOHN LAWRENCE—Joining The News Tribune in the ‘70s, John Lawrence covered the Seattle Sonics during the Bill Russell era and was the paper’s first Mariners beat reporter. In the 1980s and ‘90s Lawrence was as much a Tacoma Dome fixture as the neon art. He covered Tacoma Stars soccer and Rockets and Sabercats hockey. He won several regional awards for his work.

ARNOLD LYTLE—For more than 33 years Arnold Lytle was a fixture at The News Tribune, where he spent all but eight of those years helping produce the sports section. “It was my dream job, where I got paid to work on sports, a subject I loved, with the brightest, most likable people imaginable,” Lytle said. Lytle studied journalism at the University of Kansas. He is retired and lives in Tacoma.

CASEY MADISON—Casey Madison came to the TNT in 1995 from the Vancouver Columbian and spent 13 years as a photographer and editor. He oversaw the photography team as they covered thousands of local sporting events and major events like the Final Four, Rose Bowl, Super Bowl, NBA Finals and MLB playoffs. The Western Washington University grad lives in Eatonville and works as a visual content creator for the Tacoma School District.

JOHN MCGRATH—A beloved wordsmith, John McGrath entertained and informed South Sound readers for nearly three decades. McGrath, winner of numerous writing awards, came to Tacoma after stops in Mississippi, Georgia, Colorado and Illinois. The Chicago native and University of Missouri grad shared his wit and analysis with readers in the pages of the TNT and with regular local radio appearances. His gift of storytelling gave Tacoma unique perspectives on Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, pro and local sports and much more. McGrath retired from The News Tribune in 2017. He lives in Tacoma.

RODNEY MCKISSIC—Rodney McKissic covered college and professional sports for the TNT from 1992–98.

He also worked as a copy editor. During this time, he wrote a book to help black athletes succeed, “How to Play the Sports Recruiting Game and Get an Athletic Scholarship.” He went on to work for the Buffalo News. McKissic passed away in 2017.

PAUL MILLER—Paul Miller’s compelling design direction made the Trib an inviting daily presence for decades. “He is one of the biggest reasons the paper won so many awards for so many years,” said former TNT editor Scott Oberstaller. “He was a design genius…he was my idol.” Miller worked as a sportswriter covering UW football and other sports before moving to the desk. “He was the whole package,” Oberstaller said. Miller is retired and now lives in Camas.

TODD MILLES—A master of getting athletes and coaches to share their stories, Milles spent nearly 25 years making sure Tacoma sports were properly covered. While he covered every major sport and made a name for himself as one of the Northwest’s best golf writers during the lead up to the 2015 U.S. Open, Milles also made sure PLU, UPS, wrestling, auto racing and other sports were not overlooked. “If there was something that needed to be covered, he’d figure out a way to get it covered,” said former page designer Scott Oberstaller. Milles lives in Tacoma and is a senior writer for Scorebook Live Washington.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) BOB MOTTRAM—From 1979–2003, Bob Mottram was a beloved South Sound figure and one of the nation’s best outdoor writers.

“I always thought it was something of value,” Mottram said. “I felt like my job was to help protect our resources by helping people understand how they work and what they needed to flourish. I felt like I had a mission more important than myself.” Mottram is retired and living in Anacortes.

RON NEWBERRY—Ron Newberry spent six years coordinating The News Tribune’s coverage of more than 50 high schools and establishing the paper as the state’s top source for prep sports. The Pacific Lutheran University alumnus went on to cover the 1995 WSU football team and work as a general assignment sports reporter before becoming a copy editor and page designer. Ron served as the Sports Editor of The Olympian from 2005–2009.

Newberry lives in Coupeville where he is the Communications Manager for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.

SCOTT OBERSTALLER—A utility player with a reputation of doing well wherever he was needed, Scott Oberstaller started at the TNT as the prep editor. He helped Don Borst develop the first Northwest Nuggets and Western 100 recruiting packages. He moved to the desk in the early 1990s where he worked as a copy editor and page designer. He is retired and spends most of his time traveling.

BOB PAYNE—Bob Payne’s passion for track made The News Tribune the paper of record for the sport. “He knew everything about everything and made sure we covered track the way other papers covered basketball,” said former colleague Scott Oberstaller. “He was very respected and helped established how we covered Star Track.”

Payne is retired and living in Colorado.

DALE PHELPS—Dale Phelps was named the TNT’s sports editor in 1998 after nearly two decades at the Kansas City Star. A graduate of William Jewell College in Missouri, Phelps shepherded the TNT into the 21st century. The sports department continued its award-winning ways under Phelps. He supervised coverage of numerous major events including the Seahawks first Super Bowl. “Dale’s unique combination of leadership, news judgment, an analytical mind and sly humor has been a critical element in many of our brightest moments over nearly two decades,” former TNT publisher Dave Zeeck said in a 2017 article announcing Phelps’ promotion to his current position, editor and vice president of news.

JOHN PIEKARSKI—From 1987–94, John Piekarski was a TNT assistant sports editor and helped plan coverage and edit content. The Evergreen State College grad led the paper’s initial efforts to provide online reporting and expanded the way TNT covered sports. He went on to create a website home page design that many publications still use. Piekarski lives in New York and is owner of Capital Region Microsites LLC. PAUL RAMSDELL—As a TNT writer and editor, Paul Ramsdell coordinated coverage, coached young writers and was one of the Northwest’s most respected golf writers. In 1998, he led the TNT’s award-winning coverage of the PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club. “He set the standard for golf coverage for the entire region,” said former colleague Scott Oberstaller. The University of Oregon grad went on to work at ESPN.com and the Seattle Times. He lives in Gig Harbor and is executive director of the Pacific Northwest Sports Turf Managers Association and the Northwest Turfgrass Association.

BILL READER—Bill Reader planned the TNT’s sports coverage in the 1990s as the paper’s assistant sports editor. He managed reporting of major events like WSU’s historic 1997 Rose Bowl run, a Sonics appearance in the NBA Finals and the opening of Safeco Field. Reader moved to the Seattle Times as an assistant sports editor in 1999. He lives in Seattle and is editor of the Times’ Pacific NW Magazine.

MIKE SANDO—Mike Sando bolstered the TNT’s reputation for breaking NFL news with the launch of a blog covering the Seattle Seahawks. Not only did the blog remain a vital piece of the Trib’s online content long after he moved on to ESPN, but under Sando’s watch it was twice named best media-affiliated sports blog by Editor & Publisher Magazine. The Whitworth graduated lives in the Tacoma area and covers the NFL for The Athletic.

BILL SCHEY—Bill Schey spent most of his 45 years in journalism at The News Tribune, where he capped his career. After stints at The Bremerton sun (1968–74) and the Rockford (Ill.) Register-Star, Schey arrived at the TNT in 1976. Schey, who grew up in Orofino, Idaho, covered the Sonics for five season and spent three years as a business reporter before working as a copy editor on the sports desk. Schey is retired and living in Tacoma.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) JOHN SCOTT—John Scott’s accomplished career as a designer included a 7-year stretch in Tacoma with what he calls “the greatest sports department to grace the Puget Sound. Together we set the bar for outstanding sports coverage.” Scott grew up in Indiana and, in 1995, he returned home to spend more than 15 years as a designer at the Indianapolis Star. He lives in Westfield, Indiana, and works as principal user experience designer for Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher.

GORDIE SHOLTYS—Gordie Sholtys worked on the TNT’s talented sports desk in the early 1990s as a copy editor who helped polish coverage of major events such as the Goodwill Games. Sholtys, a USC graduate, went on to work for several publications after his time in Tacoma.

THERESA SMITH—Theresa Smith covered University of Washington basketball and football and was the national college basketball writer in 1995 when Seattle hosted the Final Four. She also covered the Sonics, including their loss to the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals. Smith is an English teacher at Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, Arizona.

Gordie Sholtys Photo not available

SHELDON SPENCER—Sheldon Spencer was a talented sports journalist with The News Tribune before continuing a successful career with stops at The National Sports Daily, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the San Jose Mercury News and ESPN. In 2010, he won a Sports Emmy as a producer in the category of Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming for the ESPN.com video feature “Super Bowl MVPs.” For the past nine years, he’s been the editor of ESPN Front Row, the company’s award-winning corporate blog.

JIM TROTTER—Before he wrote for NBC, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and—his current gig—the NFL Network, Jim Trotter got his start at the TNT. In 1987, shortly after graduating from Howard University, Trotter bolstered coverage of high school sports with the writing and reporting talent that led to a successful career covering the NFL. After his time at the TNT, Trotter spent 18 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune.

ROB TUCKER—Rob Tucker was an all-star basketball player at Ellensburg High before studying journalism at Central Washington University. He was the assistant sports editor at The News Tribune in the late 1980s as it started building its reputation for sports coverage. Tucker later moved to the TNT’s news department and spent many years as a reporter and editor. He is retired and living in Gig Harbor.

PETE WEVURSKI—It was during Pete Wevurski’s time as sports editor (1987–90), the TNT sports section emerged as one of the best in the nation. “He was a fountain of dazzling ideas for improving journalism in general and sports journalism in particular,” TNT copy editor Arnold Lytle said. “He was the best sports editor I ever worked for,” said former TNT columnist Bart Wright. Wevurski, a graduate of St. Peter’s University, brought in top-flight journalists as the paper changed the way media outlets around the region covered sports. Wevurski went on to work at an array of publications. He lives in the Bay Area where he is the quality control editor and copy desk chief at the San Francisco Chronicle.

ERIC WILLIAMS—While attending UPS, Eric Williams launched a successful journalism career while moonlighting as a call taker for the TNT sports department in the early 1990s. Williams tracked down box scores for high school and college games before earning writing assignments. After finishing his master’s degree at the University of Memphis, Williams worked as a sportswriter eventually returning to the TNT to cover the Seahawks. Williams currently covers the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN. LUI KIT WONG—Lui Kit Wong’s work as a sports photographer won a record number of awards and was honored as the best in the world. In the late 1990s, a photo from Star Track won the Sasakawa (Tokyo) World Sports Photo Contest. He was also runner-up for the Robert F Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism. His work was displayed in the Smithsonian Museum and nobody has won more National Press Photographers Association Regional Photographer of the Year Awards. Wong lives in Normandy Park.

BART WRIGHT—Bart Wright came to the TNT in 1981 and covered the Sonics and the Seahawks before becoming a columnist. “He was the heart and soul” of the department in the late 1980s, former sports editor Pete Wevurski once said. He helped recruit John Clayton and Mike Kahn to Tacoma as the TNT built its immense reputation. He left the TNT in 1996. Wright went on to work for CBS and several East Coast newspapers. He is the author of several books and lives in Hawaii.

VICTOR YOSHIDA —Known for his friendly demeanor, keen eye and wearing shorts to work more often than NBA players, Victor Yoshida spent more than 16 years on the TNT sports desk. The UW grad arrived at the Trib after stints with the Seattle Times and ESPN. After serving as TNT’s sports copy desk chief, Yoshida left in 2015 and now works for the Athletic.

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THE NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF—Holding some of the many Associated Press Sports Editors plaques for best sports section won 1987–2000 are members of The News Tribune sports staff. L. to R.: Arnold Lytle. Dale Phelps, Todd Milles, Doug Drowley, Victor Yoshida , Craig Hill and Bill Schey. Photo by Joshua Bessex, The News Tribune

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Favorite Photographic Photos The News Tribune photo department helped bring the paper’s nationally-recognized sports journalism to life with award-winning images. Among the team of visual artists, stalwarts Russ Carmack, Peter Haley, Dean Koepfler and Lui Kit Wong combined to serve more than 100 years. They covered pro, college and local sports and were there to document the great Sonics teams of the ‘90s, UW and WSU Rose Bowl runs, the Mariners 1995 playoff run, the highs and lows of the Seahawks and every high school state championship played in Tacoma. In addition, to make daily appearances on South Sound front doorsteps, their images have appeared in Sports Illustrated and the Smithsonian.

TNT PHOTOS —Bottom row l. to r.: Lui Kit Wong, Dean Koepfler, Peter Haley, Duncan Livingston and Mike Bainter. Middle row l. to r.: Casey Madison, Bruce Kellman, Fred Joe, Teri Harris and Geff Hinds. Top row l. to r.: Russ Carmack and Bill Hunter. Photo by The News Tribune photo staff.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) From the dark room of The News Tribune Hall of Fame photographer Lui Kit Wong

Lui Kit Wong

NFL referee Jerry Markbreit and San Francisco 49ers teammates protecting Joe Montana from an angry Cortez Kennedy of the Seattle Seahawks.

This photo of a high jump champion from Tacoma won the Sasakawa World Sports Photo Contest in Tokyo as the best sports photo in the world.

Max Thomas played tennis well into his 80’s.

Teammates gasp as the last shot is taken to win the game 63

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

From the dark room of The News Tribune Hall of Fame photographer Peter Haley

Peter Haley

John Olerud swung and missed the ball, but got a few fans. It was strike three as the Twins went on to beat the M’s 3–2 at Safeco Field in September of 2002.

Ten-year-old Rhiannan Martin-Jones gets a strong launch for her race in the Fircrest Derby Day races on July 14, 2012.

Mariners celebrate another great play by outfielder Jay Buhner.

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Richard Sherman and other defensive backs of the Legion of Boom ride past thousands of cheering fans in the Seattle Seahawks parade in downtown Seattle celebrating their recent Super Bowl championship in 2014.

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

ON THE DOCK—Front l. to r.: Bill Hunter and Peter Haley. Back row l. to r.: Steve Qualline, Geff Hinds, Fred Joe, Dean Koepfler, Lui Kit Wong, Teri Harris, Bruce Kellman and Russ Carmack. Photo by The News Tribune photo staff.

The TNT photo staff makes a photograhic get-well card for Bruce Larson, who was out with a back injury. Standing on Desk L. to R.: Mike Siegel and Peter Haley. Middle Row L. to R.: Geff Hinds, Jeff Larson, Randee Fox (graphic artist) and Russ Carmack.

Front Row L. to R.: Sherry Bockwinkel, Joe Giron and Bruce Kellman.

The TNT photo staff makes a photographic get-well card for Director of Photography Sherry Bockwinkel. On Desk: Peter Haley. Administering First Aid (pouring fixer): Susie Post. Back Row L. to R.: Geff Hinds, Bruce Kellman, Joe Giron, Mike Siegel, Bruce Larson and Russ Carmack.

The TNT photo staff makes a photographic fare-well card for Sherry Bockwinkel who was hired by the Denver Post. Back Row L. to R.: Geff Hinds, Russ Carmack, Bruce Larson, Bill Hunter and Bruce Kellman. Front: Peter Haley.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

Athletes Derrike Cope, NASCAR Racer When Derrike Cope grew up in Spanaway and attended Bethel High in the mid-1970s, he was known as a baseball player. A catcher, he went to Whitman College in Walla Walla to play baseball with a professional career in mind. A knee injury shifted his focus to racing. In 1985, he had three wins in 15 starts in the NASCAR Northwest Series. Five years later, he burst to the front of the NASCAR national scene by winning the 1990 Daytona 500. It was one of 427 NASCAR Cup Series starts which earned his teams $9.8 million. At Daytona in 1990, Cope started 12th. It was one of 14 career Daytona starts. Starting the final 2.5-mile lap, Cope was in second place behind Dale Earnhardt Sr., who died on the same track in 2001. A piece of debris cut Earnhardt’s tire on turn three allowing Cope to pass for Derrike Cope the victory in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. Cope became an instant celebrity in NASCAR, even appearing on Late Night with David Letterman.

Later in 1990, Cope won at Dover, his second and final trip to the Cup Series winner’s circle. He finished 18th in the Cup Series standings in 1990. Cope, born Nov. 3, 1958, stayed active in NASCAR as a driver, owner and team manager through 2018. He now lives in Mooresville, North Carolina. He completed 105,930 NASCAR Cup Series laps and had another 350 starts in various racing series (Xfinity, Outdoor Trucks, Grand Am Sports Car, etc.).

Gary Ellis, BMX Racing Gary Ellis was 11 in 1977 when he saw a BMX promotional display and asked his father if he could try the sport. He finished fourth in his first local race, he landed his first sponsor (Pedal Pushers Bike Shop) in ’79 and, in 1981, he won his first race against a national field. At the age of 17 he turned pro. By the time he retired he was a BMX legend.

Ellis, a 1984 Puyallup High graduate, was inducted into the American Bicycle Association Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2010, he was voted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. He was particularly proud of the USBHOF honor, Ellis later told The News Tribune, because the hall of fame enshrines athletes in all disciplines of cycling, not just BMX. Ellis was known as “The Lumberjack,” because he was 6-foot-2, grew up in the Northwest and sported a full beard by the time he was 16. In the 1980s and ‘90s, Ellis was one of BMX’s top pros. He won ABA titles in 1989, ’90, ’94 and ’95 and was the first racer from outside California to do so. His resume includes 16 national championships and four world titles.

The face of his sport, he was featured on the cover of BMX magazines 48 times. He won the NORA (Number One Rider Award) Cup twice. Readers of PULL Magazine twice voted him their favorite pro rider. He was named BMX Plus! magazine’s “Rider of the Year” four times in the 1990s. He won the same honor twice from BMXer magazine. Ellis, who rode most of his career for California-based GT bicycles, retired in 1998. He lives in the Tacoma area.

Gary Ellis

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Harald Hillemann, Fencing Harald Hillemann lay brick near his home in Gifhorn, Germany, so he could make a few extra bucks on the weekends to support his family and eventually move to Tacoma in 1952.

His passionate life ended peacefully when he was 87 years old after years of collecting stamps, building canoes and building a reputation as a history buff, political activist, voracious reader and connoisseur of many adventure movies. But one of his lasting legacies is as a pillar of the South Sound’s fencing community.

Hillemann, who was born in Poland, kept fencing active in the Tacoma area from the moment he immigrated to the U.S. until the day he passed, when he was the president emeritus of the Metro Tacoma Fencing Club.

Fencing was about as foreign to Tacoma as pierogis when Hillemann said he took up a fencing in Lakewood that he discovered from a newspaper advertisement when he was 36. He took his first fencing course as a teenager through an ROTC program in Poland, but he didn’t take is seriously until he met Maestro Leon Auriol at the Tacoma YMCA, taking instruction in foil. Auriol eventually started giving him private lessons in foil and sabre at Charles Wright Academy before Hillemann began his own illustrious foray into fencing demonstrations and instructions.

Hillemann founded the Blue Steel Fencing Club in Tacoma after leading instruction at Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, the YWCA, Pierce College, First Covenant Church and the University of Puget Sound. He attended the United States Fencing Association Coaches College for Sabre in 1994, became proficient in all three weapons and was known as a fierce, spry and crafty competitor.

Harald HIllemann

Hillemann credited 1924 U.S. Olympic coach Junior Martinez Castella of Sala de Armas Carbonell in Spain and his book “The Theory and Practice of Fencing” for propelling him into advanced instruction. He died in 2007.

Dane Looker, Football Puyallup High grad Dane Looker was talented enough to play two sports in college and bold enough to walk away from one and reach the pinnacle of another.

In two seasons at Puyallup (1993–94), Looker was the favorite target of future NFL quarterback Brock Huard. He caught 83 passes for 1,450 yards and 26 touchdowns. As a senior, he set school records with 50 catches and 18 touchdowns, earned all-state and all-league honors and made The News Tribune All-Area team.

He played basketball at Western Washington University for two years before Huard talked him into transferring to the University of Washington to give football another try.

Looker found instant success, tying a school record with 11 catches against Arizona State in his first game. Later that year, he broke the record with 12 catches against USC. He earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors in ’98. Looker graduated with 84 catches, 949 yards and five touchdowns.

After two failed attempts to make the St. Louis Rams roster and a short (but inactive) stint with New England, Looker finally found NFL success. From 2002 to ’08, he played 91 games and caught 112 passes for 1,224 yard and five touchdowns. In 2003, the Rams won the NFC West.

In 2002, playing for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, he caught 54 passes for 661 yards and five touchdowns. In World Bowl X, his 11 receptions, 111 yards and two touchdowns earned him MVP honors as Berlin beat the Rhein Fire. 26–20.

Looker works for Looker Asphalt Inc. and is an assistant football coach at Rogers High. He Dane Looker is also a past member of the Puyallup School Board.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Fay Fuller, Mountaineer In the summer of 1887, Fay Fuller was hiking high above Paradise when she set the goal to one day climb Mount Rainier. Little did she know that her endeavor would make history and help spur what is now Pierce County’s world-renowned mountaineering community.

P.B Van Trump and his friend, Gen. Hazard Stevens, are believed to be the first to climb Rainier in 1870. In 1890, Van Trump invited Fuller on a family trip to Paradise. Here, Fuller got her chance at the summit. She coated her face with charcoal to protect it from the sun and joined a party that reached the summit at 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 1890.

Fuller was the first woman to reach Rainier’s summit. The accomplishment would soon make her Tacoma’s first adventure columnist. Her father, Edward Fuller, was editor for The Tacoma Ledger and Fay was a city reporter. But her historic climb earned a column called “Mountain Murmurs.”

She used the column to cover mountaineering and Rainier social events. Her work is credited with helping spark interest in mountaineering and laying the foundation for the Northwest climbing community. She helped form the Washington Alpine Club in 1891, the Tacoma Alpine Club in 1893 and the Portland-based Mazamas.

She left Tacoma in 1900 to continue her journalism career in Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York. Another piece of her legacy: The Ledger (now The News Tribune) continued to employ columnists covering Rainier until 2017.

Fuller died in 1958 at the age of 89.

Bronka Sundstrom, Mountaineer Bronka Sundstrom is synonymous with Mount Rainier.

For decades she was a fixture on the Muir Snowfield, making the climb to 10,188-foot Camp Muir 20–40 times each summer. And, in 2002, at the age of 77, she became the oldest known woman to reach the 14,411’ summit. Her record still stands. Sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Rainier” or the “Lady of the Mountain,” Sundstrom overcame more than most before she ever laid her eyes on Rainier.

Sundstrom is a holocaust survivor. The Nazis invaded Sundstrom’s home country, Poland, when she was a seventh grader. She and her family were forced into a Polish ghetto where they struggled to survive without heat and power and very little food and water. Her family was moved to the BergenBelsen concentration camp and then Auschwitz, where her parents, brothers and sisters were murdered by the Nazis.

Sundstrom survived and when the camp was liberated in 1945, she was moved to Sweden to recover. There, she met Åke Sundstrom, her future husband. They migrated to Tacoma in 1949 then built a cabin in Ashford, where they moved in 1980. In the 1970s, Bronka and Åke started making the challenging climb from Paradise to Camp Muir 20–40 times per year. One year, she made the Bronka Sundstrom ascent to Muir more than 50 times.

While no records are kept of such accomplishments many believe Bronka has traveled to Camp Muir more than anybody who is not a professional guide or park climbing ranger. In 2002, she climbed to Muir 32 times to train for her record-setting summit ascent with Jason Edwards, one of Rainier’s accomplished guides. Sundstrom finished the round-trip climb from Paradise to the summit in 18 hours. Most people need 2–3 days to make the climb. Sundstrom, 94, still hikes on and around Rainier.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Morgan (Hicks) Wallizer, Shooting-Rifle As a 22-year-old in 2004, Morgan Hicks finished a standout college career as an NCAA champion rifle shooter, placed seventh at the world championships in Milan, Italy and went straight to the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Hicks, who grew up in Roy, after being born in Tacoma, March 22, 1982, competed in the 50-meter small-bore rifle competition in Athens. Each shooter fires 60 shots (20 shots each from standing, kneeling, and prone positions) with a .22 caliber long rifle. A 2000 Bethel High graduate, Hicks placed 12th out of 32 competitors and was the best of two Americans. She continued international competition and in 2008 won a gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federal World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Hicks, who began competitive shooting as a 12-year-old in 1994, won her first national title at the junior level at the 2001 Championship of the Americas tournaMorgan Hicks Wallizer ment. She went on to compete at Murray State University (Kentucky) earning eight All-American honors and the 2004 NCAA Air Rifle title. Hicks competed in several international events including World Cups in Milan, Italy (2004, 2006) and Munich, Germany (2006) and the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia (2006). She was an assistant coach at Murray State and then the Racers’ head coach for men’s and women’s rifle in 2007. From 2007–12 she was the rifle coach at the University of Nebraska where she lead the Husker to a fourth place in the NCAAs in her first season.

In her shooting career, Hicks also served as secretary and treasurer of the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association and has been a member of the USA Shooting Board of Directors. In November of 2019 Morgan was inducted in the MSU Hall of Fame. She is married to Bryant Wallizer who is also an international rifle competitor

Rich Nelson, Skiing Richie Nelson’s immersion in skiing came at Paradise on Mount Rainier in 1946 with the Lincoln High School Ski Club. Ski boots were untreated leather and got soaked. Bindings were unique to their makers, meaning nothing was standard. And rope tows were the way to the top of the hill, but they got you only so far. From there you walked on your skis with the use of sleeves made from skins (rich folks) or canvas (most people) for traction. But the way down was just like today—skiing as fast as possible.

Nelson—who played on the 1948 Lincoln High School state champion football team, took part in amateur hockey for four years, ran track and wrestled—worked through high school (1946–1950) on the Milwaukee ski train to Hyak, then known as Milwaukee Ski Bowl. He would ride the train from Tacoma to Renton, operate the concession stand until the train entered Snoqualmie Tunnel, then he would close the stand and get Rich Nelson gives lesson on the slospes. ready to ski.

The job didn’t include money, but…“What a deal,” Nelson recalled of his weekend routine from January to March. “Free transportation, free ski tow, noon meal and instruction if I wanted it.”

He learned from experts such as Martin Fopp, Ken Syverson and Joe La Porte. He was soon involved in ski instruction himself, after being examined by officials from the Sun Valley Ski School. His certification led to 50 years in ski instruction, including the spring 1964 season at the prestigious Davos, Switzerland, Ski School.

Rich once partnered with La Porte and Stan Olson to open a ski school at Paradise, where earnings were meager but fun was abundant. He also taught at Dollar Mountain in Idaho, Cascade Ski School, Crystal Mountain and Snoqualmie Summit, and he worked at Jack Allen’s in downtown Tacoma, Washington Sports Shop and Olympic Sporting Goods.

In 1950s and 1960s winters, he would ski race. He won a Pendleton sweater in his first attempt at giant slalom, his best event.

Rich majored in biology at the University of Puget Sound and taught life sciences for 30 years in the Tacoma School District. He also served more than 30 years in U.S. military reserve roles, with specialties in intelligence and submarine warfare.

He married Carole Preuss in 1949, and they raised two children before her death. He then married Harriet Olsen Shull, gaining three more children.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Todd Cooley, Softball Todd Cooley was born and raised in Tacoma and played baseball at both Franklin Pierce High School and Pacific Lutheran University. As a senior, he helped lead the FPHS team to league and regional titles and a runner-up finish in the 3A state championship game played inside the Kingdome.

It was during his high school years that Cooley was first introduced to softball as a member of the Bethany Open Bible team from 1977–81. From 1982–84 he played for Spanaway Assembly of God, and for the next nine years—through 1992—he was one of the best slowpitch players in the region and in the country while a member of the powerful Peoples Church squad. He also played a season with Slow Pitch News before making a comeback more than 25 years later as a member of the DeMarini team from 2016–17.

His softball accomplishments are of the legendary kind. His lifetime batting average exceeded .700 and he clubbed more than 1,000 home runs throughout his career.

He earned multiple all-state, state MVP, World Championships all-star and All-World recognition, in addition to earning Best of the West—Major Level designation.

From 1984–92, he was on the Washington State National Player and National Major Player lists.

Todd Cooley

As a member of the Slow Pitch News team in 1992, which he helped to a fifth-place finish at the Men’s Major World Series held in Florida, he was honored as a AA/Major Best of the West outfielder.

Cooley served as athletic director at New Hope Christian College in Eugene, Oregon, from 2011–14 and is now a hotel developer and consultant.

Cleon Tungsvik, Fastpitch Like many of his contemporaries, Cleon Tungsvik, born on Jan. 25, 1941, in Esterville, Iowa, started playing fastpitch softball immediately after graduating from high school. His softball career as a player and coach started after his graduation from Orting High in 1958 and continues to this day as a sponsor and coach.

Tungsvik was a catcher and pitcher during his playing days, the first five years spent with Armstrong Homes. In 1963, he moved over the Auburn Elks team, for whom he played four years. Following that were two years with Auburn Merchants, four years with Manitou Fuel and four more with Puget Sound Bank.

Tungsvik had an outstanding playing career, competing in as many as a dozen national tournaments. Among the most memorable were third-place finishes in Hutchinson, Kansas, and Fargo, North Dakota, and a fifth place in Medford, Oregon. He was a member of the Puget Sound Bank team that placed second in Cleon Tungsvik regionals in 1974 in Spokane. The team qualified for nationals but did not have enough players to attend.

In addition to a lengthy playing career, Tungsvik also served as a coach and sponsor. He coached Cloverleaf Tavern for eight seasons and was coach and sponsor four years with Cleon’s Unocal and 14 years with Cleon’s Auto.

He also invested his time in youth baseball as a Boys Club coach in the 1960s and 1970s. And, at age 78, Cleon still plays in a six-team Spring Oldtimers League King County against teams from Everett and Seattle.

When asked what the key was to his success as a pitcher, Cleon responded, “I didn’t try to analyze anything like they do today. I toed the mound and just did it. Worked out pretty well over the years!”

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Bert Thomas, Swimming On Ediz Hook, the 3-mile sand spit extending from Port Angeles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a brass plaque marks the spot where Bert Thomas started his journey into history. On the evening of July 7, 1955, Thomas, swimming without the assistance of a wetsuit, set out to become the first person to make the 18mile swim across the strait.

The next morning (11 hours and 10 minutes later) the mayor of Victoria and 2,000 cheering spectators welcomed the Tacoma longshoreman to Vancouver Island. Thomas’ accomplishment earned him $3,500 in prize money and a reputation as the best long-distance, open-water swimmer in state history.

Thomas was born in Colorado in 1925 and learned to swim as a child before moving to Tacoma and attending Lincoln High. He served in the Marines during World War II and it was during this time he discovered his gift for swimming long distances. He was recruited as a combat swimmer.

After the war, Thomas worked in Tacoma as a logger and longshoreman. According to a historylink. org article written by Daryl C. McClary, Thomas watched on TV as Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in each direction in 1950 and ’51. In 1954, Chadwick failed in her attempt to become the first to swim across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Thomas was Bert Thomas was the first person to swim across the Strait inspired to accomplish what Chadwick could not and claim the $3,500 prize ($33,450 adjusted for of Juan de Fuca. inflation) offered by the Victoria newspaper, the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce and others.

A massive “THOMAS CONQUERS STRAIT” headline above the masthead bellowed the news in the July 8 afternoon edition of The News Tribune. By 2015, only seven more people had accomplished the feat.

Crossing the strait was just one of his historic open-water swimming accomplishments. In 1956, he became the first person to swim from Seattle to Tacoma (about 18.5 miles). And in 1958, he tried to become the first to make a round-trip crossing of the English Channel, however a leg cramp ended the endeavor during the return trip.

Thomas died in 1972. He was 46.

Roxanne (Carlton) Raubacher, Swimming Roxanne Carlton Raubacher, the fastest female distance swimmer to come out of Tacoma, was ranked in the top 25 in the world in the 1,500-meter freestyle her senior year at Wilson High School in 1982.

When Raubacher was inducted into the Southern Illinois University’s sports hall of fame, she remembers her college coach saying she was a “tenacious competitor with a fighting attitude.”

That she was.

From 1981 to 1986 at the Northwest Regional swim meets, which includes five states across the Northwest, Raubacher was a 12-time champ and a record holder in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle.

At the 1984 Olympic Trials, Raubacher placed 13th in the 800 freestyle and 16th in the 400 freestyle.

BRINGING THEM HOME—Mignon Schreck, left, Roxanne Carlton and Rene Royal cheer on team members at a recent swim meet.

At Southern Illinois University, she remains the school’s record holder in the 200-meter freestyle (1:49.6), the 500 freestyle (4:46.3) and the 500 freestyle (4:46.3). Her records have stood for over 23 years. She also remains on the school’s record books for having the third fastest time in the 500 freestyle (4:46.7), and third fastest in the 1,000 freestyle (10:00.66. She was the conference MVP in 1986.

Raubacher, who is now a forensics and emergency room nurse living in Redmond, was a 10-time NCAA Division I All-American.

While swimming for the Tacoma Swim Club, Raubacher set the 800-meter freestyle record for Region 12 and the record stood for over 20 years. The region includes five states—Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska. At Wilson in 1982, she was state champ her senior year in the 200 and 500 freestyle.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Steve Van Wart, Swimming

By Gail Wood

Steve Van Wart hasn’t been a one-time winner as a swimmer, winning and then quitting.

From his days as a swimmer at Puyallup High School back in the early 1970s when he set state r ecords and held all but two individual swim records at his school, to when he swam at the University of Washington and placed high at nationals and to now while swimming in the masters competition, he continues to do well.

“Gerry Hartley was my coach at Puyallup,” Van Wart said. “Spectacular person and one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. Hard to compete with coach Dick Hannula though.”

Van Wart’s accomplishments are many. In 1972, he was the state champ his senior year in the 100-yard breaststroke when he broke the state Steve Van Wart record and then placed fifth at the US Open Championship in Hershey, Pennsylvania. While swimming with the Tacoma Swim Club, he placed seventh at the 1973 US National Championships in Louisville and was on the 400-meter medley relay that broke the America record in 1974.

At the UW, he swam a leg on the 400-yard medley relay that won the Pac-8 title in 1974.

At the 2015 United States Masters National Championships in San Antonio, Texas, he placed seventh in both the 50 and 100 breast stroke.

In August of 2019, Van Wart placed seventh for his age at the Internatio nal Triathlon Union World Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland and then won the USA Triathlon National Championship in Tempe, Arizona in November.

Van Wart, who was born in 1954, also holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. He won his age group at California’s state championship for martial arts in 2006 and 2007. Then in 2008, he won his age group at the World Tae Kwon Do Federation World Championship in Anaheim, California.

Brie Felnagle, Track & Field Whether she knew it or not, Brianna (Brie) Felnagle was born to be a world-class competitive distance runner.

It just took her a while to realize it. Felnagle has told the story countless times about how she grew up wanting to be a soccer player. She had run at a few track meets in middle schools, but racing seemed like such work.

“It wasn’t exactly my idea of fun,” she told The News Tribune in 2005. Well, not only did she find racing long distances at Bellarmine Prep enjoyable, with her athletically-slender build, natural speed and high endurance level, she proved to be a natural—winning at all levels.

In her four seasons at Bellarmine Prep, Felnagle captured eight state championships—two in cross country (Class 4A titles in 2003 and 2004) and six in track and field (the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters). She also led the Lions to 4A team championships in cross country and track and field her senior year (2004–05). It wasn’t just the victories that made Felnagle one of the most accomplished track athletes in state history, she had the elite times as well in the 800 (2 minutes, 7.9 seconds), 1,600 (4:38.01) and 3,200 (10.27.4). And at the 2005 Nike Outdoor Nationals, Felnagle posted the fifth-fastest time by a high school girl (at the time) in the mile at 4:39.71.

Felnagle went on to become a 12-time All-American runner at the University of North Carolina, winning three NCAA Division I women’s championships—a pair of indoor medley relay titles (2006, 2007) and the outdoor 1,500 run (2007). Twice, she has competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials—in 2008 (1,500) and 2012 (5,000). A year after turning professional with Adidas Running Club, Felnagle won the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Seattle—and represented Team USA at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in China, placing 45th overall.

Brie Felnagle

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Tom Sinclair, Track & Field In 1979 as a senior at the University of Washington, Tom Sinclair was the NCAA Division I national champion in the javelin with a throw of 261 feet, 3 inches.

Sinclair, who was born in 1957, was a two-time NCAA All-American.

As a senior at Peninsula High School in 1975, Sinclair broke the state javelin record in a dual meet against Curtis High School with a throw of 239 feet, 1 inch. The record still stands due to a rule change that altered the quality of the javelin’s flight. It is still the second longest throw in state history. And, it remains one of the nation’s oldest high school records in track.

While in high school, Sinclair showed steady progress in the javelin as he placed fifth in state as a sophomore with a throw of 181-feet, 7 inches. He was second as a junior with a throw of 208-feet, 9 inches, and as a senior he was the state champ with a throw of 217 feet, 3 inches.

As a junior at the University of Washington, Sinclair placed second in the Pac-10 championships and was fourth at the NCAA championship meet. Tom tore his rotator cuff at the NCAA championships in 1979. While he competed that summer at the World University Games, his injured rotator cuff compromised his ability to throw and he retired from competition in August 1979.

Tom Sinclair

As of 2019, Tom is currently coaching the javelin at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington.

Christal (Morrison) Engle, Volleyball Christal Morrison was a record-setting outside hitter for the University of Washington volleyball team from 2004–07, and she remains the only Husky player to be named a four-time All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Two of the career records that Morrison established at Washington remain on the books—most attacks (4,726) and points (2,188). Additionally, she is now second for most kills (1,859) and third for kills per set (4.35).

Before making national headlines as a collegiate volleyball star, the Puyallup native earned 2003 Gatorade Player of the Year recognition while at Puyallup High School. A three-time first team All-South Puget Sound League selection, Morrison led the Vikings to runner-up and thirdplace state tournament finishes in back-to-back seasons.

Morrison got off to a stellar start at UW in 2004, earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and AVCA second team All-America honors after helping the team to the conference championship and a NCAA tournament semifinal appearance.

Morrison’s sophomore season was one for the record books. She garnered Pac-10 Player of the Year accolades while helping the Huskies win their second consecutive conference title and another national tournament berth. Morrison was the standout in a magical playoff run that saw the team garner six straight three-set victories to win the NCAA crown. She was the regional tournament Most Outstanding Player in leading the Huskies to the NCAA Championship (final four) round, and she repeated that honor as Washington topped No. 15 Tennessee in the semifinals before defeating No. 1-ranked Nebraska for the national championship. Morrison and her teammates finished the campaign with a 32–1 record.

Christal Morrison Engle

With Morrison continuing to lead the way, the Huskies had another deep 2006 playoff run before being eliminated in the semifinal round, while the 2007 squad also advanced to NCAA postseason play.

During Morrison’s four seasons on Montlake, Washington volleyball finished with a 116–13 record, one national crown and two other semifinal round showings in four national tournament appearances.

Following her record-setting UW career, Morrison played two years in the Puerto Rico Professional League and on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour from 2009–15.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

The 1979 & 1980 Mt. Tahoma High School State Football Champions

1979 Mt. Tahoma Football Team

1980 Mt. Tahoma Football Team 76

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) 1979 & 1980 MT. TAHOMA FOOTBALL TEAM (Players for both teams combined are listed in alpha order)—George Nordi (Head Coach), Morrie Boughton (Coach), Don Leebrick (Coach), Dan Gurash (Coach), Mike Deutsch (Coach), Ken Baker, Brian Barabe, Ron Bate, Fred Baxter, Quinn Baxter, Garland Bearden, Steve Blomgren, Mike Bolte, Anthony Broughton, David Cabrera, Robert Callaghan, Mike Carrington, Ted Carter, Ivan Castillo, Curt Chojnowski, John Cole, Fred Cooper, Charles Dalton, Jeff Daschofsky, Earl Davis, Todd DeCarteret, Ron Eckert, Dan Flannery, John Fuhrman, Bob Gibson, Brad Gobel, Ralph Gomez, Todd Goodson, Ken Gosteli, Louis Green, Ken Hanks, Maurice Hanks, Darell Harper, Joel Harper, Kevin Harper, Dan Hart, John Hayward, Dave Helzes, Frank Hobbs, Chris Horn, Steve Hoye, Brian Humphrey, Todd Hunter, Rod Jackson, Jody Jacobsen, Alonzo Jennings, John Johnson, Rich Lamonica, Rob Leonard, Todd Lundey, Vic Melton, Craig Meyer, Don Moore, John Moore, Ramon Moore, Larry Murphy, Robert Murphy, Dan Nelson, Scott Nordi, Alain Patton, Doug Parish, Dirk Pettitt, Todd Pressey, Arnie Richard, Robert Ross, Brian Rychner, Curtis Sanders, Dave Seago, Mike Sonnier, Ken Spencer, Angelo Suarez, Malcom Sorrell, Mike Vindivich, Lacy Walker, David White, James Whitford, Mike Young and Ray Richards (Trainer).

No one soared higher than the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds Article by Rob Rang, Mt. Tahoma ‘94

as well.

Whether it be via the classroom or the football field, Tacoma’s Rob Rang has been evaluating talent since the turn of the century.

The Central Washington alum returned to Tacoma - where he graduated from Mount Tahoma in 1994—to serve as an English and History teacher at Gray Middle School from 2000–2004. He joined the Thunderbirds again as they opened the new school in 2004 and has been there ever since, finishing the 2019–2020 year as the school’s only AP Human Geography instructor and part of the announcing team during football games. Rang’s passion for Mount Tahoma is matched by his love for football, especially the evaluation of college prospects for the annual NFL draft. He currently serves as the lead analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, a channel of Sports Illustrated. His work has previously been featured by national outlets such as CBS, FOX, USA TODAY, NFL.com, The Pro Football Hall of Fame and ESPN, among others, as well as locally at 950 Sports Radio KJR and Q13Fox.

The pop charts were topped by household names like Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers. Dallas, MASH and The Dukes of Hazzard were That was reinforced the most popular at the 37th annual programs on the Grid-Go-Round, few television a tournament of channels offered Tacoma Public at that time and School teams prior the only ones to the start of the dreaming of the regular season internet were that, sadly, is no young geniuses longer played.

Coaches left to right: Morrie Boughton, George Nordi and Bill Gates and Behind inspiraDon Leebrick.

Paul Allen, who tional play from a during Mount senior-heavy startTahoma’s two-year title run moved a small ing unit which ultimately would have seven company called Microsoft from Albuquerque, players earn First Team All-Narrows League New Mexico to Bellevue. honors, Mount Tahoma beat Foss, Lincoln and Times and trends change.

Wilson at a muddy Lincoln Bowl. It was the round-robin nature of the now Grid-Go-Round Teamwork, dedication and commitment, that perhaps conspired to trip up the T-Birds. however, remain the same regardless of the era.

Despite beating Foss in their first mini game, The same run-heavy, defense-dominated strateMount Tahoma fell to the Falcons in the sogy that later led to the University of Washington called championship round. and Seattle Seahawks celebrating championThe sting off that ships at their respective loss stuck with levels was first impleNordi and his Tmented by head coach Birds. They would George Nordi, defensive not lose again for coordinator Morrie another two years, Boughton, offensive cotaking not only the ordinator Don Leebrick Grid-Go-Round and assistant coaches title a year later but Dan Gurash and Mike a 24-game winning Deutsch at Mount streak and back to Tahoma, sparking the back state titles.

Thunderbirds to what is still the greatest Foss, appropritwo-year conquest in ately enough, was Assistant coaches Morrie Boughton (left) and Don Leebrick the history of Tacoma’s (right) join head coach George Nordi in showing off the Mount Tahoma’s high school football. trophy Mt. Tahoma collected following its 21–3 triumph over first opponent once Issaquah to win the KINGBOWL IV Class AAA prep championServing as an assistant ship football game in the Kingdome on December 6, 1980. the real season began. Junior coach, himself, for a

On the field and off, much has changed over the years since Mount Tahoma High School’s football team captured back to back 3A titles in 1979–1980, becoming the first program in Washington state history to repeat as champions.

Classic football principles like the Wishbone offense and 44 Stack defense have evolved into shotgun-based Air-Raid passing attacks, complete with Run-Pass-Options audibled for at the line of scrimmage by quarterbacks tutored year ‘round and exotic blitz packages engineered out of desperation to corral offenses making a mockery of defenses and the record books.

Away from the field, it was a simpler time,

Mount Tahoma squad which made it to the state playoffs under the leadership of Joe Stortini just a few years earlier, Nordi knew his 1979 team had talent.

Photo by Bruce Kellman, the Tacoma News Tribune.

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Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) les. Some T-Birds will tell you the ferry ride as part of the travel there and back was as memorable as the game, itself.

As is often the case, this dominant defense was led by the penetrators up front, including First Team All-Narrows rushers Todd DeCarteret and Malcum Sorrell.

Ken Baker earned First Team honors at defensive tackle, as well, with underclassman Ramon Moore blossoming into a star of his own at nose guard.

T-Birds celebrate their first state football crown with a 37–3 victory over the Rogers Rams. Coach Nordi prepares to hoist the trophy with coach Morrie Boughton looking on.

running back Mike Vindivich took his first steps toward earning all-state recognition with 112 rushing yards that evening against the Falcons.

Vindivich’s rare combination of size and speed was beautifully complemented by the steady running of fullback Don Moore and the gutty play of quarterback Brad Gobel, two seniors who joined Vindivich as First Team All-Narrows selections.

It is perhaps the nature of the game that the offense typically earns most of the attention and certainly Leebrick’s innovative play designs and knack for play-calling helped in this regard.

This was not the proverbial “three yards and a cloud of dust” style of offense. Leebrick’s team averaged nearly 26 points per game.

But with all due respect to those playmakers, it was Boughton’s speedy, hard-hitting defense that was perhaps even more impressive for the T-Birds. In 12 games that year—including four in the postseason against the best competition in the state—Boughton’s boys gave up just 71 combined points, holding opponents out of the end zone entirely in half of their games.

Only one time all year long did Mount Tahoma surrender more than two scores in a single game—and that was all the way in Port Ange78

The T-Birds coasted into the state playoffs in 1979, shutting out Wilson (12–0) and blowing out Central Kitsap (48–0) before taking on Puyallup. The Vikings gave Mount Tahoma its closest scare of the year but some timely makes by kicker Craig Meyer helped the Thunderbirds pull through with a 16–13 victory.

That certainly was not the case once the two teams clashed in the Kingdome, the old cinder block in Seattle that Seahawks wideout Steve Largent would use as his personal canvas for a Hall of Fame career.

Like Largent—characterized as too slow and too small when he left the University of

Mount Tahoma High School football coach George Nordi, center, is flanked by star players Mike Vindivich, left, and Lacy Walker. The trio helped the Thunderbirds win back-to-back state championships in 1979–80 and Vindivich and Walker went on to suit up for the Washington Huskies.

Vindivich ran for 3,232 yards and 50 touchdowns for the Thunderbirds. He went on to play running back for the University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University, helping the Lutes win the NAIA Division II national championship in 1985, rushing for 934 yards and 17 touchdowns. Walker was named a Class AAA-AA all-state offensive and defensive lineman, and was a linebacker for the Huskies.

That led to a rematch with Foss but at this point it was clear which team owned Tacoma and the Thunderbirds soared to a dominating 28–0 win. Evergreen wasn’t much tougher a week later, falling 21–7 and setting up a showdown with the Rogers Rams, a team some in the media felt was better than Mount Tahoma.

Tulsa—Mount Tahoma entered the title game with a sizeable chip on their shoulder. It was a chip reinforced by the inspirational cancer fight from MaryAnne Dickerson, Leebrick’s nine year-old niece who attended the game, cheering on her team.

Sweet little MaryAnne had plenty to cheer about that day. Mount Tahoma won 37–3—the most dominating win in the 3A title in Washington State history to that point—and folks, the game wasn’t that close.

Running behind an offensive line consisting of John Hayward, Mike Young, Frank Hobbs, Brian Humphrey and Victor Melton, Vindivich became a high school legend that day, scoring four touchdowns and literally running away with post-game Most Valuable Player honors.

Mount Tahoma racked up an eye-popping 323 yards of total offense in this game, including 230 on the ground. Vindivich was the catalyst, rushing for 125 yards a touchdown on 20 carries. Proving the perfect all-purpose back, Vindivich also caught a touchdown, returned the opening second half kickoff 92 yards for

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Hoonan told the press following the game. “We got whipped and we’re embarrassed about that.

We certainly didn’t play as well as we can. We played flat. But George had his kids ready to play and we didn’t. They took the battle to us.”

Mobbed by his team and lugging the massive state championship trophy around on the field, Nordi was asked, for probably the first of hundreds of times, the obvious question.

Can the T-Birds repeat?

“Vindivich is back and that’s a nice start,” Nordi said later.

And Nordi was right.

Repeating as champions is difficult even if a team is able to keep its same players, as the Seahawks have proven since.

We’re #1!!

another score and then, with Rogers crowding the line of scrimmage late, Vindivich tossed a 33-yard touchdown to Darrell Harper in the 4th quarter to add some red, white and gold frosting as a finishing touch on this pound cake.

In perhaps the best indication of just how fortuitously things bounced Mount Tahoma’s way in Kingbowl III, it is worth remembering that Harper’s TD was originally intended for teammate Ron Eckert.

A Rogers’ defender tipped the ball, however, and it was Harper who snagged it and scampered away for the score. Perhaps this was poetic justice for a spectacular leaping, one-handed touchdown reception by Harper earlier in the game being nullified by a Mount Tahoma penalty.

In today’s era of fantasy football, everyone gets excited about the statistics for the offensive players but the thumping Boughton’s defense did on Rogers on this day deserves extra attention.

Mount Tahoma only allowed 74 yards of total offense to the Rams and that included just seven on the ground. It isn’t like the Rams didn’t try to butt heads with the T-Birds, Moore and his teammates just weren’t having it.

Moore collected five tackles, himself, with DeCarteret, linebackers Curtis Sanders and Kevin Harper and defensive back Fred Baxter all chipping in three stops of their own. For as good as Darrell Harper was on offense, he was

even better at safety in the title game, intercepting two passes. To put that into perspective, Rogers’ quarterback only completed four passes all game long…

“We had a lot to prove,” Nordi said in triumph following the game. “The kids read how great Rogers was and wanted to go out there and stuff them. We were ready and we didn’t make any mistakes.”

The coach added “I thought it would be a close game, but we really took control.

There were some super catches out there.

It was by far our best offensive game all year”— Boughton agreed. “We were really psyched. Offensively and defensively we couldn’t have played a better game.”

Getting pummeled can make anyone humble and Rogers’ head coach Pat Hoonan was among them.

“Mount Tahoma is a heck of a football team,”

And Mount Tahoma lost a lot to graduation that spring, including First Team All-Narrows picks Brad Gobel at quarterback, Don Moore at fullback and linebacker and a terrific trio along the defensive line in Malcum Sorrell, Todd DeCarteret and Ken Baker.

In fact, only two First Team All-Narrows picks from Mount Tahoma’s 1979 championship returned to the TBirds and they—star tailback Mike Vindivich and stud guard Mike Young—were incoming seniors, themselves—so, the transition Mount Tahoma’s coaches were facing had to have been daunting.

The innovative one- back passing attack Leebrick had designed around Gobel was put on the shelf in favor of a triple-option offense featuring the greater running skills of new quarterback Fred Baxter, along with Vindivich, of course.

Whatever extra toll the T-Birds carried now as state champions certainly did not slow them down any. In fact, this Mount Tahoma squad proved even more statistically dominant than 79

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Quinn Baxter, Maurice Hanks, Joel Harper, Craig Meyer, Mike Young) were honored as First Team AllNarrows selections with Vindivich and Walker earning subsequent scholarship offers to the University of Washington.

And thus, before the kiddies were contemplating Halloween costumes, Nordi and his beloved Mount Tahoma were already looking ahead to the postseason and the opportunity to defend their title against the elite.

And that’s when things got interesting for the 1980 squad.

Ramon Moore (#43) and Ken Baker (#34) celebrate another good play by the T-Birds.

its predecessor, a tribute to the grit of these young men as well as the competitiveness and ingenuity of the Thunderbird coaches.

While Vindivich and the T-Birds tough defense deserved kudos for virtually every game, it was kicker Craig Meyer who was the hero in

a playoff rematch of the year before against Evergreen, coolly nailing a 25-yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining to send Mount Tahoma to the next round.

A year ago, it was a long trip to Port Angeles that proved the biggest threat Mount Tahoma faced. This time, the T-Birds were bussing across the state to Richland, where a fierce Bombers squad waited, along with a passionate fan base.

Dominating opponents for the better part of two years, Mount Tahoma was confident. But when their coaches put on the Richland tape they saw a team much better than anything else the Thunderbirds had faced. Some even questioned if the coaches should show the players the tape as they feared it could intimidate them.

The teamwork and respect forged over those two seasons, however, won out and Mount Tahoma’s coaches dug in to the tape with the

The T-Birds took home the 38th annual GridGo-Round title to properly kick off the new campaign and rolled into the regular season.

While opposing defensive coordinators were attempting to scheme up ways of slowing down Vindivich and the “Red Ball Express,” Boughton’s gang of defenders was out stealing souls. Led up front by All-State defensive tackle Lacy Walker and fireplug nose guard Ramon Moore, the Thunderbirds’ defense surrendered just a single touchdown throughout the regular season.

As that mind-boggling statistic suggests, the 1980 regular season came and went very smoothly for Mount Tahoma and the T-Birds were well respected because of it. Nine Thunderbirds (Vindivich, Walker, Moore, Fred Baxter,

Robert Ross (#83) goes in motion as quarterback Fred Baxter checks the defense.

Congrats to all honorees!

1.877.926.9966 www.guardianhome.com

80

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Harper’s interception wasn’t his final contribution to the win, however. He sealed it seconds later by snagging Richland’s desperation onside kick attempt, qualifying the Thunderbirds for a return to the Kingbowl.

An Issaquah Eagles squad would be waiting for Mount Tahoma there and they boasted a running game just as statistically impressive as the one powering the T-Birds all year long. Mount Tahoma’s coaches were confident but a series of odd events took place prior to the title game that threatened to ruin the repeat dream.

players committing to learning and executing the game plan. When cheers for the Bombers turned into jeers—and much worse—by some of the roughly 8,000 fans at Richland Bowl that night, it didn’t intimidate Mount Tahoma, it focused them.

Even the most well-conditioned athletes at the professional level can succumb to sickness and the flu hit Mount Tahoma prior to this game.

Nordi would later say that his all-state defensive tackle Lacy Walker would practice “only about 10 minutes” over the week prior to the game.

During the game, itself, Vindivich was seen vomiting on the sidelines.

Mount Tahoma flexed its muscle early in this game, taking a 28–14 lead into halftime.

Hanging on for the win was much more difficult as the Bombers valiantly fought back, bringing the raucous crowd to a fever pitch with a 48–yard, nine-play drive in the final three minutes, culminating with a touchdown that with a successful two-point conversion would have tied things up.

And it wasn’t just troubled tummies testing the T-Birds. Two-time First Team All-Narrows left guard Mike Young blew out his ankle in a freak, non-contact accident during practice the day before the game. Young was cat-quick off the snap and Leebrick often asked him to pull and lead Mount Tahoma’s talented runners. Without him, a key element of the Thunderbirds’ rushing attack was suddenly grounded.

It was First Team All-Narrows league linebacker Joel Harper who answered the call for the T-Birds time, intercepting the two-point try as Hanks and Moore closed in on Richland’s quarterback, forcing the errant throw.

It was the stubby nose guard Moore who took over for Young, with the former spending a couple of hours after practice at the latter’s home that evening to learn as much as he could. Moore would go on to start at left guard

(and nose guard) in the title game, having never played that position on the offensive line prior to that game’s warm-ups.

Once the game, itself began, however, Mount Tahoma’s greater talent, toughness and play-calling rose to the forefront in the same team-oriented fashion that had resulted in so many previous wins.

It was trusty kicker Craig Meyer who first put

QB Fred Baxter takes off on a keeper around the right corner.

Darell Harper (#21) gets set for the next play call.

Mount Tahoma on the board with a 25-yard field goal. An illegal procedure penalty on Mount Tahoma, however, erased the points

Congratulations to all of the Tribute to Champions recipients 81

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued)

Coach Don Leebrick gives QB Fred Baxter the next play.

“I was a gung ho coach and prided myself on being the Inspirational guy to get things going.” said Leebrick.

meaning that when linebacker Arnie Richards intercepted a pass in the second quarter, Mount Tahoma would wind up catching as many throws from the Eagles as they would.

Mike Vindivich cuts for another good gain.

and extended the kick by another five yards.

Meyer had made from that distance before but Leebrick showed off the play-calling courage which would ultimately make him a legend, asking for a fake instead.

Besides serving as the team’s star running back, Vindivich also held on field goals. Rather than place the ball for Meyer, Vindivich sprang out of his stance and found teammate Alain Patton for an easy touchdown that

stunned Issaquah.

“Alain Patton came off and said he was all by himself in the middle,” Leebrick told Mark Wallace of the Tacoma News Tribune after his team had won. “That’s one smart sophomore,” Leebrick went on, giving his player credit rather than taking it for himself. “It’s a play we’ve run during the year. That penalty just gave us six points instead of three.”

Leebrick would decide against a second Meyer field goal (this one from 34 yards) in the second quarter and Vindivich again made him look brilliant in doing so, rumbling 17 yards off the right side for another score on a 4th and one.

Ken Baker takes a well-earned breather.

82

If Leebrick’s play-calls were gutsy, Boughton’s were just as devastating on the defensive side of the ball. His Thunderbirds clipped the wings of Don Moore is off to the races for good yardage. the mighty Eagles’ rushing attack, limiting them to just 51 rushing The Thunderbirds would ultimately win 21–3, yards on 32 attempts, an unsustainable giving them a 24 game-winning streak and average of just 1.6 yards per carry. Issaquah back to back state titles. completed just one pass against the T-Birds,

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees (continued) Serving as the perfect symbol of the grit that personified those Mount Tahoma championship teams, and really, Tacoma as a whole, Joel Harper—the hero from Richland—returned to school the Monday after winning the title with his arm in a sling.

He had broken it during the first half of the championship game two days before but knew that if told anyone, he would not have been allowed to continue playing.

And in those simpler days, playing with and for your brothers—blood or not— just meant more.

Offensive Coordinator Don Leebrick designed one of his favorite plays in an interview one day before passing away on Sept. 5th, 2019.

Joel Harper (#22), MaryAnne Dickerson and Assistant Coach Don Leebrick.

Joel Harper carries MaryAnne Dickerson on his shoulders as they walked off the field in victory.

83

84

Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame By Sport Total through 2019: 568 individuals, 11 teams and 2 organizations

ARCHERY Harry Parker Sonny Johns

1971 2005

ATHLETIC TRAINERS Gary Nicholson Jim “Zeke” Schuldt

2016 2016

AUTO RACING Tom Carstens Leo Dobry Pete Lovely Pat Austin Dick & Wanda Boness Jim Crews Ron Eaton Bucky Austin Dennis Kitts

2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2010

Archery/Football

BASEBALL Bob Johnson 1957 Roy Johnson 1960 Paul Strand 1961 Jack Fournier 1962 George Wise 1963 Baseball/Golf Cy Neighbors 1964 Marv Rickert 1964 Frank Tobin 1964 Dill Howell 1966 Ben B. Cheney (sponsor) 1968 Jesse Baker 1969 Lou Balsano 1969 Tony Banaszak Sr. 1969 Jimmy Claxton 1969 Dick Greco 1969 Walt Hagedorn 1969 Frank Hermsen 1969 Joe Hermsen 1969 Rick Johnson 1969 Baseball/Basketball Lee Kierstad 1969 Bill Libke 1969 Cliff Marker 1969 Joey Peterson 1969 Frank Ruffo 1969 Jack Sonntag (coach) 1969 Lou Spadafore 1969 Ole Swinland 1969 Baseball/Basketball Hal Votaw 1969 Jess Brooks 1971 Baseball/Football Gordon Brunswick 1971 Baseball/Basketball/Football Eddie Carlson 1971 Jimmy Ennis 1971 Baseball/Football Ocky Haugland 1971 Neil Mazza 1971 Bobby McGuire 1971 Baseball/Basketball/Football Vern Morris 1971 Baseball/Basketball/Football Jimmy Mosolf 1971 Andy Nelson 1971 Henry “Fat” Williams 1971 Art Berg 1972 Floyd “Lefty” Isekite 1972 Morry Abbott 2005 Ron Cey 2005 Baseball/Football/Basketball Cy Greenlaw 2005 Garry Hersey 2005 Baseball/Football Gordy Hersey 2005 Jack Johnson 2005 Baseball/ FB & BB Official Bob Maguinez 2005 Lornie Merkle 2005 Baseball/FB/BB Official Cap Peterson 2005 Marv Scott (coach) 2005 Wes Stock 2005 Ron Storaasli 2005 Baseball/Basketball/Football Joe Stortini 2005 Baseball/Football/Slowpitch Softball Steve Whitaker 2005 1956 Stanley Shoemen team 2005 Team includes Stan Naccarato, Morley Brotman, Doug McArthur, Tom Montgomery, Jack Johnson, Dale Bloom, Mike Dillon, Manly Mitchell, Max Braman, Dick Montgomery, Dick Schlosstein, Russ Wilkerson, Gordy Hersey, Jim Gallwas, Bob Maguinez, Earl Hyder, Ron Storaasli, Gordy Grubert. Pat Dillon, Ray Spalding, Monte Geiger, George Grant, and Jim Harney.

Rick Austin 2006 Earl Birnel 2006

Dale Bloom 2006 Dick Colombini 2006 Mike Dillon 2006 George Grant 2006 Earl Hyder 2006 Arley Kangas 2006 Earl Kuper 2006 Al Libke Jr. 2006 Bob Lightfoot (coach) 2006 Bill Mullen (coach) 2006 Harry Nygard 2006 Doug Sisk 2006 Mike Blowers 2007 Ed Hardenbrook 2007 John Pregenzer 2007 Pete Sabutis 2007 Bill Hobert 2008 Dave Minnitti 2008 Player/Umpire Frank Morrone 2008 Player/Umpire Cliff Schiesz 2008 Craig Parks-Hilden 2009 Jim Nettles 2009 Baseball Tacoma, Inc (1972–1991) 2009 Team includes Stan Naccarato (General Manager), Robert Alessandro, Tom Baker, Dr. James Billingsley, Mike Block, Harold Brotman, Morley Brotman, Francis Browne, Bill Cammarano, Sr,, Ray Carlson, Brad Cheney, Warren Chinn, Larry Ghilarducci, Doug Gonyea, Norma Honeysett, Clay Huntington, Dr. Robert Johnson, Bob Kelly, Frank Manley, Carl Miraldi, Gus Paine, Frank Pupo, Frank Ruffo, Jim Topping, Mike Tucci, Sr., Walt Wiklund, Alden Woodworth, John Xitco, and E.J. “Jim Zarelli.

Sister City Cultural Baseball Exchange (1987–2009) 2009 Tony Anderson, Tak Ikeda, and Joe Kosai.

Gary Moore 2010 Bob Christofferson 2016 (Groundskeeper) Joe Keller 2016 Tony Barron 2019

Team includes Rhonda Chachere, Michelle (Clark) Jones, Becky (Davis) Buchanan, Mary Ann Johnson, Alison Lotspeich, Netra McGrew, Donya Monroe, Fifi Robidoux, Ruth (Rufener) Allen, Kathleen Schumock, Darlene Seeman, Kathy (Taylor) Shelby, Karen (Turner) Lee, Jim Angelel (head coach), and Joel Parker (assistant coach) Jim Clifton 2008 Player/Coach Steve Anstett 2008 Player/Coach Bob Angeline 2009 Alan Kollar 2009 Mike Mullen (coach) 2009 Kate Starbird 2009 1970-71 Puyallup HS Boys Basketball State AAA Championship Team (23-1) 2009 Team includes Rich Hammermaster (head coach), Jim Clifton (asst coach), Dave Normile (asst coach), Jerry DeLaurenti (scorekeeper), Merv Borden, Dave Crouch, Randy Dorn, Steve Gervais, Rick Gienger, Bruce Graham, Ron Kitts, Tom Krage, Paul Krippaehne, Lanny Lewis, Dan Picha, Jamie Reno, John Trageser, and Doug Weese. Managers Fred Angelo, Paul Baker, and Tom Drury.

Curtis Allen 2010 Casey Calvary 2010 Kay (Koppleman) Peterson 2010 Robyn (Clark) Sharp 2010 Marvin S. “Tom” Tommervik, Jr. 2010 1971 Curtis HS Boys Basketball 2010 Class AA State Champions Team (24–0) Team includes Gerald Redburg (head coach), Mike Mullen (assistant coach), Arne Handeland (assistant coach), Jim Ball, Tim Beard, Mike Berger, Tom Hargadon, Tim O’Connell, Cliff Peterson, Brian Roark, Tom Shoemaker, Gary Smith, Pat Swesey, Mark Wells, Paul Zurfluh, Dave Berger (mgr), and Ray Mahnkey (Athletic Director).

Kim (Butler) West 2016 Bob Ross (coach) 2016 Mark Wells 2016 Jim Black (coach) 2019 Jennifer Gray Reiter 2019 Tim Kelly (coach) 2019 Bob Niehl (athlete/coach) 2019

BASKETBALL Marv Harshman 1958 Basketball/Football Frank Wilson 1958 John Kennedy (coach/ref) 1962 Bill Vinson (coach) 1969 Basketball/Football Vince Hanson 1971 Max Mika 1971 Basketball/Football Harry Werbisky 1971 Basketball/Baseball/Football Don Moseid (player/coach) 2005 Clint Names 2005 Basketball/Golf Bruce Alexander (player/ref) 2005 Ron Billings (player/coach) 2005 Basketball/Football Chuck Curtis 2005 Rod Gibbs 2005 Evalyn (Goldberg) Schultz 2005 Basketball/Volleyball/Fastpitch Softball Dan Inveen 2005 Basketball/Athletic Administrator/ FB & BB Official Roger Iverson 2005 Gene Lundgaard (player/coach) 2005 Steve Matzen 2005 Harry McLaughlin 2005 Dean Nicholson (coach) 2005 Bob Sprague 2005 Vince Strojan 2005 Jim Van Beek 2005 Tom Whalen 2005 Charlie Williams 2005 Don Zech (coach) 2005 Univ. of Puget Sound Men 2005 1976 NCAA DII National Champions Team includes Don Zech, Mike Acres, Jim Schuldt, Doug McArthur, Brant Gibler, Rick Walker, Curt Peterson, Tim Evans, Rocky Botts, Mark Wells, A.T. Brown, Mike Hanson, Phil Hiam, Jimmy Stewart, Mike Strand, Matt McCully, Mike Kuntz, Steve Freimuth, and Bill Greenheck.

Wayne Dalesky (coach) 2006 Bob Fincham (player/coach) 2006 Jim McKean 2006 Clarence Ramsey 2006 Ron Crowe 2007 Jerry Clyde (coach) 2007 Jerry DeLaurenti (coach) 2007 Rich Hammermaster (coach) 2007 Football (athlete) Chelle (Flamoe) Miller 2007 Donya Monroe 2007 Clover Park HS Girls 2007 1982 State High School Champions

BOWLING Ted Tadich Earl Anthony Nadine Fulton Earl Johnson Jeff Mattingly Bertha McCormick Jeanne Naccarato Margie (Junge) Oleole Dave Tuell Jr. Stella “Babe” Penowich Jim Stevenson Jerry Ledbetter Larry Fulton LuAnn Moore Frisco Burnett Denny Krick Bob Bjorke Bob Hanson Mike Karch

1962 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2016 2019

BOXING Freddie Steele Jack Connor Pat McMurtry Harold Bird Frankie “Chi-Chi” Britt Jim Rondeau Davey Armstrong Leo Randolph Sugar Ray Seales Joe Clough (coach) Mike McMurtry Davey Ward Johnny Bumphus Dr. Charles Larson George Wright Tom Mustin Emmett Linton, Jr. Bobby Pasquale

1957 1963 1965 1967 1972 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2007 2009 2009 2016 2019 2019

CREW Dan Ayrault Jim Fifer George Hunt Bob Martin John Sayre

2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

Promoter/Manager

Boxing (referee)/Athletic Administrator

Administrator

85

Hall of Fame Inductees by Sport (continued) FIGURE SKATING Jack Boyle Patsy (Hamm) Dillingham Jerry Fotheringill Judi (Fotheringill) Fuller Jimmy Grogan Pat (Firth) Hansen John Johnsen (coach) Lois (Secreto) Schoettler Al & Iria Beeler Kathy Casey (coach) Scott Davis

2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2007 2007 2008

FOOTBALL Marv Tommervik (player/ref) John Heinrick (coach) Cliff Olson (coach) Joe Salatino Leo Artoe Phil Sarboe (coach) Frank Gillihan (athlete/ref) Don Paul Al Ruffo Ernie Tanner Myron “Chief” Carr (coach) Chuck Horjes Carl Sparks (coach) Mike Tucci Sr. (coach) Dug Dyckman Harold “Ox” Hansen Al Hopkins (coach) Wes Hudson Everett Jensen Vern Pedersen Roy Sandberg (coach) Frank Spear John Anderson (coach) Gerry Austin (coach) Sam Baker Ralph Bauman Frank “Buster” Brouillet Dick Brown Ole Brunstad Luther Carr Andy Carrigan Don D’Andrea Ed Fallon (coach) Fred Forsberg Doug Funk (coach) John Garnero Tommy Gilmer

1958 1959 1959 1959 1961 1962 1963 1963 1964 1964 1965 1969 1969 1969 1971 1971 1971 1971 1971 1972 1972 1972 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

Administrator/Judge

Football/Baseball Football/Basketball Basketball/Administrator Football/Baseball

Football/Baseball/Basketball Football/Baseball/Track Football/Track

Football/Swimming

Football/Basketball Football/Basketball Football/Baseball/Track

Football/Track/Basketball Football/Track

Vince Goldsmith 2005 Football/Track Billy Joe Hobert 2005 Football/Baseball Ray Horton 2005 Mike Huard (coach) 2005 Glenn Huffman 2005 Football/Basketball/Baseball Norm Iverson 2005 Jim Jones 2005 Football/Track Eldon Kyllo 2005 Bob Levinson (coach) 2005 Football/Track Norm Mayer (coach) 2005 Tommy Mazza 2005 Ron Medved 2005 Bob Mitchell 2005 Don Moore 2005 George Nordi (coach) 2005 Carl Opolsky 2005 Joe Peyton 2005 Football/Basketball/Track Earl Platt 2005 Football/Basketball/Baseball Ahmad Rashad 2005 Football/Basketball/Track Jerry Redmond (coach) 2005 Mark Ross (athlete/coach) 2005 Bob Ryan (coach) 2005 Fred Swendsen 2005 Football/Track Gene Walters 2005 Clyde Werner 2005 Football/Track Frosty Westering (coach) 2005 Dave Williams 2005 Football/Track Warren Wood 2005 John Zamberlin 2005 1944 Lincoln backfield 2005 Backfield includes Al Malanca, Dean Mellor, Len Kalapus, and Bob McGuire.

Gail Bruce 2006 Phil Carter 2006 Rod Giske 2006 Robert Iverson Sr. 2006 Tim McDonough 2006 Tom Merritt 2006 Jack Newhart 2006 Jerry Thacker 2006 Billy Sewell 2006 Paul Skansi 2006 Jim Vest 2006 Football/Track Art Viafore 2006 Jerry Williams 2006 1980 PLU Football Team 2006 Team includes Mike Agostini, Tom Amos, Eric Anderson, John Bley, Paul Berghuis, Ken Bush, Eric Carlson, Jeff Chandler, Scott Davis, Todd Davis, Dean DeMulling, Eric Dooley, Mike Durrett, Travis Eckert, Guy Ellison, Jim Erickson, Donn Falconer, Greg Farley, John Feldmann, Jay Freisheim, Chris Fritsch, Don Gale, Don Garoutte, Jay Halle, Dan Harkins, Rob Haskin, Dale Holland, Phil Jerde, Joel Johnson, Scott

SPORTS

IF INTERESTED CONTACT: Baseball Boys Basketball Girls Basketball Football Lacrosse Soccer Softball Track & Field Volleyball Water Polo Wrestling

Sylvester Collins Larry Stevens Al Perez Keith MacFie Keith MacFie Scott Webster Ken Laase Cathy Sanderson Marc Blau Marvel Shoen Daryl Eygabroad

206-496-8230 253-831-5219 253-223-5800 253-229-7364 253-229-7364 253-792-9103 253-380-1840 253-495-2886 253-677-2872 206-390-2945 253-222-6721

GOLF Charles Congdon Charles D. Hunter Shirley (McDonald) Fopp Jack Walters Shirley Baty Ockie Eliason John Harbottle Pat Lesser-Harbottle Joan (Allard) Mahon Marjorie (Jeffries) Shanaman Ken Still Ruth (Canale) Ward Amy Lou (Murray) Young

1960 1960 1962 1963 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

Golf/Skiing

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Kessler, Steve Kirk, Dave Knight, Mark Lester, Tim Lusk, Dennis McDonough, Scott McKay, Chris Miller, Eric Monson, Neal Otto, Martin Parkhurst, Mike Peterson, Dave Reep, Brian Rockey, Curt Rodin, Glen Rohr, Greg Rohr, Jeff Rohr, Rocky Ruddy, Jeff Shumake, Kevin Skogen, Rob Speer, Barry Spomer, Dave Turner, Chris Utt, Rich Vjranes, Tim Wahl, Tom Wahl, Kirk Walker, Jeff Walton, Garth Warren, Mark Warren, Mike Warsinske, Chris Weber, Scott Westering, Mike Westmiller, Craig Wright, Frosty Westering (head coach), Paul Hoseth (coach), Mark Clinton (coach), Larry Green (coach), Steve Kienberger (coach), Reid Katzung (coach), and Gary Nicholson (trainer).

Mike Baldassin 2007 Pat Hoonan (coach) 2007 Mike Levenseller 2007 Roy McKasson 2007 Ed Niehl (coach) 2007 Brock Huard 2008 2008 Duane Lowell 2008 Bill McGovern David Svendsen 2008 Ed Bemis (administrator) 2009 Harry Bird (coach) 2009 Gregg Friberg 2009 Billy Parker 2009 Paul Walroff (coach) 2009 Jack Walters 2009 Paul Hoseth (coach/admin) 2010 Dave Kinkela 2010 Steve Ridgway 2010 Jack Sonntag (coach) 2010 Joe Williams 2010 Damon Huard 2016 Jon Kitna 2016 Bob Lucey (coach) 2016 Lawyer Milloy 2016 Marcus Trufant 2016 Dick Zatkovich (coach) 2016 Singor Mobley 2019

@PierceCountyUmpires (Facebook) Facebook.com/wwboa http://tbbofficials.com www.wwfoa.com

www.tpcvob.com

Hall of Fame Inductees by Sport (continued) Al Feldman Bob Johnson Doug Campbell Brian Mogg Joan Teats (administrator) John “Jeff” Harbottle III

2006 2007 2008 2008 2008 2016

GYMNASTICS Roni (Barrios)Mejia Yumi Mordre Onnie (Willis) Rogers Tiffani (White) Rowland Catherine (Williams) Kadera Lindsey Lauderdale Elli (Maulding) McDaniel Hali (Saucier) Riechers

2005 2005 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2016

HANDBALL Gordy Pfeifer Lea McMillan

2005 2008

HOCKEY Neil Andrews Joey Johns Dick Milford Louie Weir (player/admin)

2005 2005 2005 2008

MOTORCYCLE RACING Don McLeod

Handball/Slowpitch Softball

Hockey/Fastpitch Softball Hockey

2005

Motorcycle Racing/Auto Racing/ Roller Skating

Bob Malley

2007

MOUNTAINEERING Lute Jerstad Lou Whittaker Dee Molenaar

2005 2006 2006

Mountaineering/Basketball

OFFICIALS Marty Erdahl Merle Hagbo Jerry Snarski Chuck Gilmer Wayne Gardner Ray Highsmith Dave Kerrone Aaron Pointer Ed Stricherz Bruce Osborne Jan Wolcott Kirk Dornan Walt Gogan Ken Laase Jay Stricherz

2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2010 2010 2016 2016 2016 2016

Basketball Football Basketball Football Volleyball Football Baseball, Football, Fastpitch, Slowpitch Football/Baseball Football/Basketball Wrestling Football/Basketball Football Volleyball Softball Football

2016 2019

HORSE RACING Harry Deegan

1969

HUNTING Marcus Nalley

PHOTOGRAPHER Bruce Kellman Bruce Larson

1963

HYDROPLANE RACING George Henley Armand Yapachino

RACQUETBALL Sid Williams

2007

2005 2005

KARATE Steve Curran

2019

ROLLER SKATING Lanny (Adams) Werner Tom Peterson Lin Peterson

2005 2006 2006

SAILING Govnor Teats

2008

SNOW BOARDING Liz Daley

2019

SNOW SKIING Gretchen Kunigk-Fraser Joe LaPorte Marshall Perrow

1957 2007 2008

SOAP BOX DERBY David Krussow Greg Schumacher John West

2007 2007 2008

SOCCER John Best (coach/admin) Jeff Durgan Dori Kovanen Mark Peterson Jeff Stock Dan Swain (coach) Brent Goulet Frank Hall (coach/admin) Colleen Hacker (coach) Danny Vaughn Joe Waters (athlete/coach)

2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2007 2007 2007 2010 2016

SOFTBALL (Fastpitch & Slowpitch) Lloyd Blanusa 2005 Vern From 2005 George Karpach 2005 Louise Mazzuca 2005 Jack Hermsen 2006 Art Lewis 2006 Vern Martineau 2006 Kathy Hemion 2006 Betty (Hart) Bland 2007 Jay Beach 2007 Gene Thayer 2008 Dick Yohn 2008 John Rockway 2009 Joyce (Jones) Wolf 2009

Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Slowpitch/Basketball/Volleyball Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Fastpitch Player/Softball Administrator Fastpitch player/Slowpitch coach

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87

Hall of Fame Inductees by Sport (continued) Bob Young 2009 Slowpitch Bob Frankosky 2010 Fastpitch Joe Kilby 2010 Slowpitch Earl Mahnkey 2010 Fastpitch Steve Orfanos (administrator) 2010 Fastpitch/Slowpitch 1965-71 Players Tavern/Heidelberg Slowpitch Softball Team 2016 Team includes Ken Alban, Doug Armstrong, Dave Bishop, Jerry Brodigan, Ed Burmester, Dick Dahlstrom, Jerry Ehnat, Jerry Foss, Bob Grant, Bill Hain, Bob Hause, Bill Herbert, Ken Laase, Jim Lane, Wayne Lange, Denny Larsen, Don Leaf, Don Kitchen, Marco Malich, Don Martelli, Terry Martin, Ron Moseson, Butch Pasquale, Gordy Pfeifer, Mike Prentice (batboy), Bud Reed, Al Reil, Bill Royne, Dick Samlaska, Steve Sand, Ron Schmidtke, Ken Schulz, Scott Schulz (batboy), Bob Sonneman Sr., Tom Sonneman, Jerry Thacker, Terry Trowbridge, Ted Whitney, Bob Young, Mike Zenk and Dick Zierman SPEED SKATING KC Boutiette

2016

SPORTS MEDICINE Dr. Sam Adams Dr. Bob Johnson

2010 2010

SWIMMING Don Duncan (coach) 2005 Janet (Buchan) Elway 2005 Kaye Hall-Greff 2005 Dave Hannula 2005 Dick Hannula Sr. (coach) 2005 Bob Jackson 2005 Swimming/Football Chuck Richards 2005 Swimming/ Pentathlon Miriam (Smith) Greenwood 2005 Dick Hannula, Jr. 2006 Dan Hannula 2006 Dan Seelye 2006 Mike Stauffer 2007 Sarah (Rudolph) Cole 2007 Dan Wolfrom (coach) 2007 Susan (Lenth) Moffet 2008 Rod Stewart 2008 Mark Smith 2008 Robb Powers 2008 Dana (Powers) Hubbard 2008 1970 Wilson HS Boys Swimming State Championship Team 2008 Team includes Dick Hannula (Head coach), Jim Boettcher (Diving Coach and Assistant Swim Coach), Dave Asahara, Dave Burkey, Tom Dickson, Jeff Edwards, Jim Gagliardi, Dan Hannula, Dave Hannula, Brent Heisler, Gary Holmquist, Mark Hoffman, Randy Hume, Chuck Johnston, Kevin Kambak, Kurt Knipher, Scot Knowles, Dennis Larsen, Steve Lindeman, Bob Music, Bart Rohrs, Herb Schairbaum, Greg Searles, Brandon Smith, Kelly Smith, Dale Sowell, Bob Tonellato, Rick Unrue, Dave Williams, Hans Wold, and Dave Wright.

Debbie Gratias Williams 2009 Kathryn “K.C.” (Cline) Lemon 2010 Evan Martinec 2010 Jamie Reid 2010 Jim Baurichter (coach) 2016 Megan (Quann) Jendrick 2016 Dennis Larsen 2019 TENNIS Wally Scott 1959 Mike Benson (coach) 2005 Don Flye 2005 Pat Galbraith 2005 Dave Trageser 2005 Sonja Olejar 2006 Marilyn Kropf Appel 2009 1938 Stadium tennis team 2009 Team includes Darrell “Righty” Eden, Donald “Lefty” Eden, Bill Guyles, Dick Meyer, and Bill Taylor Steve Finnigan 2016 TRACK & FIELD Herman Brix Gertrude Wilhelmsen Doris (Severtson) Brown Heritage Casey Carrigan Jim Daulley (coach) Sterling Harshman Dana LeDuc Mark Smith Chuck Soper Dan Watson (coach)

88

1961 1971 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

Shot Put Javelin, Discus Running Pole Vault Track/Football Shot Put Discus Javelin/Discus

Mac Wilkins Robert A. “RAB” Young Mitch Angelel (coach) Hal Berndt Bob Ehrenheim (coach) Jack Fabulich Ericka Harris Sam Ring Darrell Robinson Rob Webster Jim Angelel (coach) Donna Dennis Keith Tinner Curt Corvin Michelle (Finnvik) Biden Warren Logan (coach) Jim Martinson Aaron Williams Burt Wells (coach) Joline Staeheli Andrzejewski Tom Buckner (coach) Cecilia (Ley) Hankinson Brian Mittelstaedt Joel Braggs Jakki Davis Patty Ley Darold Talley Wes Smylie Sarah (Burns) Hannula Richard “Dick” Keniston Calvin Kennon Mark Salzman (athlete/coach) Pat Tyson Joel Wingard (coach)

2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2016 2016 2016 2016 2019 2019

Shot Put, Discus Race Walking

VOLLEYBALL Laurie (Wetzel) Hayward 2005 Volleyball/Basketball Sarah (Silvernail) Elliott 2005 Cindy (Pitzinger) Willey 2005 Lisa Beauchene 2006 Lorrie Post Hodge 2006 Karen Goff-Downs 2007 Carla (Reyes) Redhair 2007 Suzanne Vick 2008 1996 Bethel HS Class AAA State Champions Team (34–0) 2010 Team includes John Reopelle (head coach), Monica (Lee) Aikins (assistant coach), Christine Nelson (assistant coach), Michelle Barlow, Dori (Bartusch) Shick, Corinn (Breon) Gallegos, Jorden (Gienger) Whittington, Rachelle (Gienger) Downie, Holly (Hobbs) Repp, Joanna Johnson, Jennifer Ladwig, Valerie (Lee) Jackson, Heather (Mayo) Sloan, Malissa Reed, Donja (Walker) Asonte, Vera Wright (scorekeeper), Tynne Swick (manager), and Jim Ball (Athletic Director).

Jan Kirk (coach) 2016 2016 Stevie Mussie WATER POLO Jerry Hartley (coach)

WRESTLING Frank Stojack Jerry Conine Bob Hunt Jim Meyerhoff David Olmstead Jeff Gotcher Larry Gotcher Ron Ellis Bill Stout (athlete/coach) Vic Eshpeter Elsworth Finlayson Kirk White Terry Dawson Jesus Villahermosa Ray Barnes (coach) Warren DePrenger (coach) Les Kleinsasser Dan Hensley (coach) Brad Muri Kylee Bishop

1959 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2016 2016 2019

SPORTS WRITERS/BROADCASTERS Elliott Metcalf 1966 Dan Walton 1968 John McCallum 1971 Ed Honeywell 1972 Rod Belcher 2005 Jerry Geehan 2005 Don Hill 2005 Clay Huntington 2005 Earl Luebker 2005 Bob Robertson 2005 Don Davison 2007 Dick Kunkle 2007 Art Popham 2008 Stan Farber 2009 Mike Ingraham 2009 Jack Sareault 2009 Nelson Hong 2010 Ted Pearson 2016 Steve Thomas 2016 ADMINISTRATORS Bob Hager Harold “Wah” Keller Tom Cross

1969 1969 2005

Doug McArthur

2005

Stan Naccarato

2005

Dr. Dave Olson Milt Woodard Jim Kittilsby

2005 2005 2008

Wrestling/Football Wrestling/Football Wrestling/Football/Track

Sportswriter/Broadcaster

Athletic Administrator/ Basketball/BB & FB Official Athletic Administrator/ Baseball (coach) Athletic Administrator/ Baseball (player) Athletic Administrator/Sportswriter

2008

WANTED!!

•SCRAPBOOKS OF ATHLETIC CAREERS •VINTAGE SPORTS PROGRAMS •HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS •ITEMS TO BE SCANNED AND POSTED ON THE SHANAMAN SPORTS MUSEUM •WEBSITE FOR THE PUBLIC TO ENJOY

Contact Marc Blau at 253-677-2872 or Mhblau@Comcast.net

Giving Guide FORM OF GIFT

SIZE OF GIFT

ADVANTAGES TO DONOR

•Cash/check •Credit card payment

•Unlimited

4 Possible federal income tax deduction if you itemize your return

•Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA

•Up to $100,000 per year •Must be over age 70½ at the time of the gift.

•Account custodian must make check payable to Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma-Pierce County.

4 Make your donation with pre-tax dollars 4 Reduce your taxable ordinary income 4 Satisfy required minimum distribution

•Investment property with built in capital gain: Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, etc.

•Unlimited

4 Avoid owing capital gains tax on investments that have grown in value over time

•Beneficiary designation of IRA/401k, life insurance policy (assets that transfer outside of a will or living trust, requires completion of change of beneficiary form with account custodian or insurer before death)

•Unlimited

4 Retain control/use of assets during lifetime 4 Can make Sports Museum a beneficiary at whatever percentage of the account balance you choose

•Bequest via will or living trust (any type of asset, investment, personal property that has value and can be sold by the Sports Museum).

•Unlimited *

4 Designate Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Museum as a beneficiary in your will now but no action taken until your death 4 Reduce potential estate size related to Washington state estate tax (> $2.2 million estate) 4 Keep use of assets during your lifetime

•Charitable Gift Annuity

•$25,000 minimum •Cannot add to, but can easily establish follow-up gift annuities at later date

4 Lifetime income, fixed, guaranteed payments for one or two lives 4 Simple to establish, no setup cost 4 Allows possible charitable gift tax deduction and reduced/prorated capital gains tax

•Charitable Remainder Trust (Unitrust or Annuity Trust)

•$150,000 * •Requires creation of a trust with

4 Income for lifetime or period of years 4 Payout rate negotiated 4 Can provide income for one or more non-charity beneficiaries 4 No capital gains on gifts of appreciated assets used to fund the trust 4 Can make additional contributions to a unitrust, not to an annuity trust 4 Good option for gifts of real estate

•These gifting options include involvement of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation where the Sports Museum has held an investment account since 1993.

When I make a financial gift to the Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma-Pierce County, how will my donation be managed?

Beyond maintaining some cash for ongoing operating expenses, the Museum holds longer-term investments in an account at the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.

This fund was established in 1993 upon the initial fundraising effort to construct museum displays in the dedicated space the museum had at the Tacoma Dome for 25 years.

The Museum can deposit cash gifts (check/credit card payments) into this account. The account can also receive gifted stocks, mutual funds or other investment property that would otherwise generate a capital gains tax if liquidated by the owner.

Through our relationship with the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (GTCF), we can also offer Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Remainder Trusts for donors who wish to retain an income interest in their gift for life.

The Sports Museum fund is one of many charitable funds at GTCF totaling more than $110 million. This money is overseen by a six-person committee of investment professionals in addition to the GTCF Chief Financial Officer. The investment committee hires, monitors and evaluates several money managers to implement strategies aligned with the long-term goals of fundholders. The majority of the money is managed by Vanguard, but several other specialty investment managers are involved.

It is possible that the Museum will create a separate account focused on the short-term need to buy and remodel or build a new physical home for the Museum. In this case, funds raised would be held in a short-term investment account intended to finance the project.

This is the first significant fundraising effort by the Museum in more than 25 years. We are happy to have the variety of giving options available to accommodate different needs and preferences of donors.

Your gift will be prudently managed and wisely used to help the Museum extend its mission of preserving local sports heritage.

This Giving Guide covers the most common forms of donations. There are other options that can be utilized with advanced planning.

IRS limitations apply to most forms of giving. The amount of your contribution that is tax deductible may be limited to a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income depending on what type of asset you gift, what your cost basis is in the gifted asset and how long you have owned it. Please consult your accountant for clarity regarding the tax deductibility of your donation.

We greatly appreciate your consideration of support for the long-term legacy of athletics in Tacoma-Pierce County. Your gift will ensure that we continue to recognize athletes and events, artifacts and stories from our rich local sports history.

Questions? Please contact Marc Blau, Shanaman Sports Museum President at marc@tacomasportsmuseum.com or by phone 253-848-1360 or 253-677-2872 89

TRIBUTE TO CHAMPIONS - SILENT AUCTION AUG. 23, 2021 5:30-6:30PM ABSENTEE BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Two (2) tickets to the 2023 College Football Playoffs (CFP) championship game. Monday, January 9, 2023, in the new NFL stadium in Los Angeles. Transportation, lodging and meals not included. Value is $1500.00. Courtesy of Karl Benson, former Sun Belt Conference Commissioner and Ft. Steilacoom Community College Athletic Director.

Two (2) passes to the Waste Management Phoenix Open tournament, February 7–13, 2022, TPC Scottsdale, AZ. Courtesy of PGA Tour Professional, Kyle Stanley, Bellarmine Prep graduate. Also includes five (5) nights lodging at the new Hampton by Hilton in Carefree, AZ courtesy of General Manager Todd Cooley, a Franklin Pierce HS graduate. Value of total package is $4500.00 Enjoy a one-inning visit in the Seattle Mariners radio broadcast booth courtesy of broadcaster Gary Hill, Jr. Four (4) tickets to a Seattle Mariners game during the 2022 season and spend one inning for four people in the broadcast booth and get a behind-the-scenes experience. Courtesy of Gary Hill, Jr., a Stadium High School Alum. Valid during the 2022 season. Date and time to be mutually agreed upon. Value is $1000.00 “Groundskeeper for a Day“ with the Seattle Mariners for a game in June of 2022. Game date to be mutually agreed upon. Participant must be 16 years of age or older. As an honorary groundskeeper, the winner will help set up batting practice, help with pre-game preparation, help drag the infield between the 3rd and 6th innings, and take the bases in after the game. Includes two additional tickets for your guests. Courtesy of Tim Wilson, Head Groundskeeper for the Mariners. Value is $500.00 Umpire’s Experience with MLB umpire Quinn Wolcott, Puyallup native and Emerald Ridge HS graduate. Enjoy lunch, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages for eight (8) friends at Anthony’s at Point Defiance. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Spend 2 ½ hours and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse in the life of a major league umpire. Each guest will receive an MLB umpire’s cap and an autographed baseball. Value is $1000.00. Valid on a mutually agreeable date between November 1, 2021-January 31, 2022. Courtesy of Quinn Wolcott.

Enjoy 18 holes of golf for two with Michael Putnam at the Chambers Bay Golf Course. Valid on a mutually agreeable date between Sept 1, 2021-July 31, 2022. Winning bidder will also receive a Cleveland brand golf visor autographed by Michael Putnam. Greens fees for 18 holes included. Courtesy of Michael Putnam and his high school coach, Don Gustafson. Value is $750.00 Lunch with former Seattle Mariners & Tacoma Rainiers pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith and current Root Sports baseball analyst. Enjoy lunch, desert, and non-alcoholic beverages for nine (9) friends at Matt’s Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge located in the Redmond Town Center. Valid on a mutually agreeable date between Sept 1, 2021-July 31, 2022. Value is $1000.00 Enjoy 18 holes at The Home Course with the first 9 holes under the guidance of former PGA Tour player Brian Mogg. Valid on a mutually agreeable date between Sept 1, 2021-July 31, 2022. Will also include an hour of practice/lesson before the round and during the first nine holes. Includes an autographed photo and golf ball for each participant. Value is $2500.00 Enjoy three (3) Seattle Sounders Club Level tickets. Select a game on the remaining 2021 schedule. Home games are scheduled for Sept.18, Sept. 26, Sept. 29, Oct. 16 and Oct. 20. Tickets subject to availability so it is recommended that you reserve your seats soon. Those attending MUST BE ABLE TO PROVE VACCINATION which is required by the Seattle Sounders. Courtesy of Cliff McGrath, former head soccer coach at Seattle Pacific University and member of the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame. Value is $400.00 Enjoy 18 holes for a foursome at the Tacoma Country & Golf Club. Dating to 1894, the Tacoma Country & Golf Club has been occupying this beautiful property on the shores of American Lake for well over a century. Enjoy a rare opportunity to golf at this member-only course. Value is $500.00 Day Hike with Craig Hill, Author of Pacific Northwest Hiking. Enjoy a day hike with former Tacoma News Tribune outdoor writer Craig Hill, author of Pacific Northwest Hiking. Valid on a mutually agreeable date between Oct. 1, 2021-July 31, 2022. Your choice of a relatively easy hike for eight (8) or a slightly more strenuous/challenging hike for six (6). Craig will provide winning bidder with several hikes to choose from based on the six or eight hiker desired trek. Value is $400.00 VERY RARE. Framed photos of Babe Ruth during his appearance in Tacoma in 1924 while on a barnstorming tour with New York Yankees teammate Bob Meusel. This game was played in Stadium Bowl. Photo was taken by Sal Bichsel. The images and original negatives have remained in the family since 1924 and are rarely made available for public purchase. Courtesy of Bichsel family and ARTCO Frames in Tacoma. Value is $750.00 Original Box Seat from Seals Stadium in San Francisco. Value is $400. This exceedingly rare box seat came from Seals Stadium, the longtime home of the San Francisco Seals (1931-57) of the Pacific Coast League, that opened in the Mission District in 1931. When Candlestick Park opened, the box seats along with additional grandstand seats and the light standards were shipped up to Tacoma and installed in time for the opening of Cheney Stadium in April of 1960. Winning bidder has the option of retaining the seat as is or having it restored/repainted by Royal Cabinets of Puyallup (estimated cost is $150-$300 depending on extent desired. Restoration costs to be paid by winning bidder).

Pittsburgh Steelers football jersey autographed by Tony Dungy, who played three seasons in the NFL and was a defensive back on the 1978 Super Bowl XIII champion Steelers team. He was a defensive coordinator for the Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and served as head coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2002-2008. Tony was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Donated by Todd Cooley. Value is $250.00 Four box seat tickets to the Tacoma Rainiers game versus the Sacramento Rivercats on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021 (THIS SEASON) at 1:35pm courtesy of Columbia Bank. Tickets are in the second row behind the Rainiers dugout which is up close and personal. Value is $350.00 Four Tacoma Rainiers Summit Club tickets to a 2022 game including VIP parking and assorted merchandise. Tickets redeemable at the box office in the Spring of 2022 when the new schedule is announced. Courtesy of the Tacoma Rainiers. Value: $250.00 Seattle Seahawks jersey autographed by quarterback Jim Zorn, first QB in the history of the Seattle franchise. Zorn was the starting QB from 1976-1984. Zorn was named AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year by the NFL Players Association following the team’s inaugural 1976 season. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 1991 and was inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Donated by Todd Cooley. Value is $200.00.

Autographed bat by Edgar Martinez. Edgar Martinez bat. Big Stick model by Rawlings. Uncracked and not game-used. Autographed by Martinez on the barrel. Letter of provenance included. Value: $500.00 Autographed bat by Jay Buhner. Jay Buhner cracked bat. Big Stick by Rawlings. Name on barrel in block letters and autographed by Buhner with “Keep Swinging” inscription. BONE written on the knob. Letter of provenance included. Value: $300.00 Autographed bat by Dave Valle. Dave Valle M110 Louisville Slugger with signature on barrel and autographed by Valle. Uncracked. Taped at end of the handle. Letter of provenance included. Value: $200.00 RARE, highly collectible Seattle Dragons XFL football autographed by head coach Jim Zorn. Jim was named General Manager and Head Coach of the Seattle Dragons. The Dragons started play on February 8, 2020, one week after Super Bowl LIV, and hosted their inaugural home game on February 15 which was also their last game as the season folded. Donated by Todd Cooley. Value is $250.00 Football autographed by Seattle Seahawks players Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Quinton Jefferson. Courtesy of Auburn VW and Don Gustafson. Value is $400.00 Football autographed by Troy Aikman, Emmett Smith and Michael Irvine of the Dallas Cowboys. Courtesy of Don Gustafson. Value is $400.00 Gayle Sayers autographed football. Gale Sayers was voted one of the Top Ten College Football Players of All Time. In Sayers’ rookie NFL season, he set a league record by scoring 22 touchdowns—including a record-tying six in one game— and gained 2,272 all-purpose yards enroute to being named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year. Sayers earned four Pro Bowl appearances and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at age 34 and remains the youngest person to have received the honor. In 2019, he was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Courtesy of Frank Colarusso. Value is $150.00 Willie Mays autographed baseball. Mays was a centerfielder for the New York and San Francisco Giants. Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member. JSA Authentication-Certification #E-09577. Donated by David Eskenazi. Value is $150.00 Shawn Kemp autographed basketball. Shawn Kemp was a first round pick by the Seattle Super Sonics in the 1989 NBA Draft. Kemp’s career peaked in 1995–96, when he and Gary Payton led the Sonics to a franchise-record 64 wins and their first NBA Finals appearance since 1979. Kemp was honored as one of the 16 members of the Super Sonics’ 40-year anniversary team. Value is $100.00. Courtesy of Frank Colarusso.

90

Silent Auction (continued) Joe Theismann autographed football. Theismann played quarterback in the NFL and spent 12 seasons (1974-85) with the Washington Redskins where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and helped the team to consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

He was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1983 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Donated by Dale Friend. Value is $100.00 Gayle Sayers autographed photo. Sayers was a running back for the Chicago Bears National Football League Pro Football Hall of Fame member Certified by Summer Sports Collector’s Classic on June 21, 1992. Donated by David Eskenazi Value is $50.00 Y.A. Tittle autographed photo. Tittle was the quarterback for the New York Giants National Football League Pro Football Hall of Fame member. Certified by Super Bowl Sports Collector’s Classic III on January 4, 1992. Donated by David Eskenazi.

Value is $50.00 BUNDLE OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS – This valuable service can include Estate Planning, a Last Will, a Living Trust or Power of Attorney. Have Mark Hurdelbrink talk to you about your specific needs. Buy it for yourself or give a gift to a family member or close friend. Value is $500.00 CUSTOM PORTRAIT PACKAGE - Each package is complete with nothing else required to purchase from the bidder and include a design consultation, a custom portrait session ($250 value), and $250 toward their choice of wall art (art starts at $200). Please have a starting bid of $99 for each package. Sessions are for families, couples, or senior grads in inspiring and cinematic locations. Minimum Bid $100.00.

Two bottles of 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Doubleback winery. Autographed by winery owner and former WSU an NFL standout Drew Bledsoe. Drew led the New England Patriots in their Super Bowl XXXVI Championship, was a fourtime Pro Bowl selection and NFL passing yards leader in 1994. Drew was on the 1992 Heisman ballot, was Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 1992 and inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame. Value is $250.00 Three bottles of 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from Passing Time winery. Autographed by owner and heralded local talent Damon Huard, former QB for Puyallup High School and University of Washington, where he finished his career as the Huskies’ all-time passing leader with 5,692 yards. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs and is a two-time Super Bowl champion. Value is $250.00 Autographed bat by Kurt Abbott, Tacoma Tigers shortstop, and inscribed to former Tacoma Tigers General Manager Frank Colarusso. Abbott played shortstop for the 1992 and 1993 Tacoma Tigers. This Louisville Slugger bat is not game-used. Courtesy of Frank Colarusso. Value is $75.00.

Autographed bat by Bob Boone, former major league catcher. Boone was manager of the 1992 and 1993 Tacoma Tigers and played 19 years in the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels and the Kansas City Royals. This Cooper Pro 100 bat is not game-used. Courtesy of Frank Colarusso. Value is $100.00.

Authentic University of Washington game-used batting helmet and gloves These items were procured by Todd Cooley, a longtime friend of Donegal Fergus, who spent five seasons as the University of Washington’s Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. Value is $100.00 Authentic University of Oregon game-used batting helmet and gloves. These items were procured by Todd Cooley, a longtime friend of George Horton, the University of Oregon head baseball coach. Value is $100.00 University of Washington 1993 football schedule/poster autographed quarterback legend Sonny Sixkiller. This poster will make a great display piece for any rabid Dawg football fan. Each poster comes with a certificate from Artco Crafts and Frames in Tacoma valid for 25% off the framing cost. Donated by Dale Friend. Value is $50.00 Washington State University 1993 football schedule/poster autographed quarterback legend Jack Thompson. Have the Throw-in Samoan right in your sports cave! Each poster comes with a certificate from Artco Crafts and Frames in Tacoma valid for 25% off the framing cost. Donated by Dale Friend. Value is $50.00 Poster of Everett High School coaching legends—Jim Lambright (Class of 1960), Mike Price (Class of 1964) and Dennis Erickson (Class of 1965). Lambright was named head coach of the Washington Huskies on August 22, 1993; Price was named head coach of the Washington State Cougars on March 14, 1989; and Erickson was named coach of the Seattle Seahawks on January 12, 1995. Great display piece and suitable for framing. Each poster comes with a certificate from Artco Crafts and Frames in Tacoma valid for 25% off the framing cost Value is $50.00. Donated by Dale Friend.

Four tickets to a University of Washington volleyball match during the 2021 season. Courtesy of Jenny Vogt, Official Scorer. Game to be mutually agreed upon once schedule is finalized. Parking not included. Value is $80.00 Autographed book, “Hello Friends! Stories From My Life and Blue Jays Baseball” by Jerry Howarth. Howarth was the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays for more than 30 years. His broadcasting career began in Tacoma in the mid-1970s, as he called play-by-play action for the AAA Tacoma Twins of the Pacific Coast He retired as the Blue Jays broadcaster in 2017 season. Also enjoy four baseballs from the Orioles, Cubs, Reds and Braves. Value $25.00 Framed complete set of 1990 Seattle Goodwill Games Collector Pins. Nicely framed set of collector pins representing all the events from the first and only the Goodwill Games to be hosted in our region. Value is $100.00 US Open Fan Pack. Ready to frame, US Open flag from Pebble Beach and Ralph Lauren 2015 US Open Volunteer shirt from Chambers Bay. Value is $75.00 2010 World Series T-Shirt. World Series t-shirt for the 2010 series between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves. Size Large. Also enjoy a logoed ball from both the Yankees and Braves. Value is $100.00 Aaron Pointer Autographed copy of Sports Illustrated. Local star, Aaron Pointer, was featured in the July 29, 2019 issue of Sports Illustrated featuring his historic 400. batting average. Article captures his baseball career during a historic time in sports. Also included is autographed baseball. Priceless!

2005 PCL Championship T-Shirt and Rhubarb Bobblehead. Sport this 2005 Pacific Coast League Championship Tee and display the Rainer’s Mascot Rhubarb proudly! Also included for the real Tacoma fan is a vile of dirt from 2010 before the stadium renovation! Value is $60.00 Cal Ripken Commemorative Baseball. Be the proud owner of this commemorative baseball marking Cal’s historic 2,131 consecutive game appearances. A rare one for sure! Value is $20.00 Seahawks Hand-made Quilt. Calling all Seahawks Fans! This quilt is beautifully hand-made with all the team colors and logos. Perfect for the armchair quarterback to keep warm while watching the Hawks bring home the Victory!

Value is $150.00 Seahawks Fan Basket. Hawks fans can show their spirit with these items: 2 knit stocking caps, one woman’s knit headband, novelty tin. Value is $80.00 Tacoma Sabercats Memorabilia. A blast from Tacoma’s sports past! A signature Sabercats Bobblehead and notebook cover. Compliments of Sabercats former General Manager, Frank Colarusso. Value $25.00

SPORTS ART GALLERY Sports-theme posters featuring golf, baseball and boxing. Size varies. Suitable for framing.

Each poster comes with a certificate from Artco Crafts and Frames in Tacoma valid for 25% off the framing cost. MINIMUM BID FOR EACH $20. Courtesy of Ralph and Doris Heritage  Arnold Palmer golf swing Royal & Ancient I – David Nichols Photo of well-used Baseball by Ed Goldstein Yankees Boys—Yankee Stadium, Bronx. NY

Muhammad Ali (punching bag)

Autographed Vintage Black & White Photographs. MINIMUM BID FOR EACH IS $25. Courtesy of Frank Colarusso.

Autographed photo of Max Patkin, the “Clown Prince of Baseball”.

Autographed photo of Gaylord Perry in Seattle Mariners uniform and a 1962 team photo of the Tacoma Giants autographed by pitcher Gaylord Perry.

Autographed photo of Jose Canseco in Oakland A’s uniform.

91

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