awards luncheon - Spokane Sports Commission

WELCOME TO THE INLAND
NORTHWEST SPORTS HALL OF FAME
AWARDS
22 LUNCHEON
2013 & INDUCTION CEREMONY
OCT
SPOKANE VETERANS MEMORIAL ARENA
PRESENTED BY
Presented by
THANK YOU TO OUR
2013 SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS
AFFORDABLE NORTHWEST ROOFING, SIDING &
WINDOWS
ARBY’S RESTAURANTS
LINDA WOLCOTT—IN MEMORY OF LINDA
SHERIDAN AND DELL & MARIE WILLIAMS
(PARENTS)
AVISTA CORP.
LUIGI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND CATERING
BANK OF AMERICA
MAXEY LAW OFFICES
BATTERIES PLUS
MEN’S WEARHOUSE
BEST WESTERN PLUS PEPPERTREE
MULLIN, CRONIN, CASEY & BLAIR, P.S.
BRETT SPORTS/SPOKANE INDIANS/SPOKANE
CHIEFS
RANDY MARTIN – CETERA ADVISOR
NETWORKS
CENTERPLATE
RITZVILLE WAREHOUSE – ODESSA TRADING
CO.
COPENHAVER CONSTRUCTION
FASTENERS, INC.
GARCO CONSTRUCTION
HASKINS STEEL CO. INC.
JON AND KAREN HEIMBIGNER – IN MEMORY OF
JONAH AND NORMA HEIMBIGNER
ROCKWOOD CLINIC
SICILIA CHIROPRACTIC
SKYHAWKS SPORTS
SPOKANE AMATEUR SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION
SPOKANE HOOPFEST
JOSTENS – PETE BAUERNFEIND
SPOKANE PUBLIC FACILITIES DISTRICT
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS
THE DAVENPORT HOTEL & TOWER
KIMMEL ATHLETIC SUPPLY
THE LEGACY GROUP – KELLER WILLIAMS
KXLY BROADCASTING
S-R MEDIA/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
LILAC BLOOMSDAY ASSOCIATION
THE SWINGING DOORS
LINDA & ED SHARMAN FAMILY FUND
VIC B. LINDEN & SONS SIGN ADVERTISING
WILDROSE GRAPHICS
ZAK DESIGNS INC.
WELCOME TO THE
INLAND NORTHWEST SPORTS HALL OF FAME
AWARDS
22 LUNCHEON
2013 & INDUCTION CEREMONY
OCT
SPOKANE VETERANS MEMORIAL ARENA
Presented by
AGENDA
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Bud Nameck
INTRODUCTION OF TODAY’S HONOREES
INTRODUCTION OF PAST HONOREES
INVOCATION
Kyle “KJ” Johnson, Area Director, SxNW Spokane Young Life
WELCOME
Eric Sawyer – Pres/CEO Spokane Sports Commission
Bill Maxey –Chair Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame Committee
Jeff Philipps – Pres/CEO Rosauers Supermarkets
Kevin Twohig – CEO Spokane Public Facilities District
SPECIAL AWARDS
Jon Heimbigner – Vice Chair Inland NW Sports Hall of Fame
SCROLL OF HONOR PRESENTATIONS
Mel Olson & Mike Vlahovich, presented by Keith Osso
HALL OF FAME PRESENTATIONS
Gary Lindeblad, presented by Bud Nameck
Pat Falloon, presented by Dennis Patchin
Carl Johnson, presented by John Blanchette
Jerry Krause, presented by Ed Sharman
Bobby Brett, presented by Dennis Patchin
HISTORY OF THE INLAND
NORTHWEST SPORTS HALL
OF FAME
The original Hall of Fame Committee was formed in 1960 to honor athletes, coaches,
and contributors who have brought national and regional recognition to the area.
The first class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame contained 21 members and was
done during half-time of the WSU/Arizona football game at Albi Stadium in 1963
The first Hall of Fame room was built in the Spokane Coliseum and dedicated on
May 14, 1965. It was sponsored by the Greater Spokane Sports Association (now
Spokane Sports Commission), and was made possible by contributions from 29 civic
and sports minded organizations. The Scroll of Honor was added in 1968 to honor
individuals who have made notable contributions to sports activities in the Inland
Northwest.
The Hall was moved to the new Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on October 11, 1995. It was the culmination of a four-year
process to secure a display in the new facility and continue the tradition of this important sports entity. The Spokane Public Facilities
District, with the support of Rosauers Supermarkets sponsorship, made it possible for the Hall of Fame to be relocated in the
Arena. The name was also changed to reflect the Inland Northwest. A $30,000 expansion in September of 2001 and in 2009
added 21 additional cubicles and new signage each time and was funded by Spokane Sports Commission, PFD and Rosauers.
Presently, 141 members are in the Hall of Fame and 44 on the Scroll of Honor. Nominations are considered every two years with
the next induction scheduled for the Fall of 2015.
SPORTS HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE
BILL MAXEY, CHAIR
JON HEIMBIGNER, VICE-CHAIR
ED SHARMAN, VICE-CHAIR
JOHN BLANCHETTE
JEREMY HEIMBIGNER
JEFF JORDAN
BRAD MOELLER
BUD NAMECK
KEITH OSSO
PAM PARKS
DENNIS PATCHIN
SHANNON STILES
MIKE VLAHOVICH
SPORTS COMMISSION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JEFF COLLITON, CHAIR
STEVEN JONES
LYNNELLE CAUDILL
MARK CASEY
DOUG KELLEY
BILL MAXEY
BOB MINNIX
JUDGE JIM MURPHY
CAJER NEELY
PAMELA PARKS
DAVE PIER
HERB ROTCHFORD
BARB RICHEY
RITA SANTILLANES
RUSS WHEAT
2013 SCROLL OF HONOR INDUCTEES
MEL OLSON
RADIO BROADCASTER, COACH
For 50 years he has been the play-by-play broadcaster at KSBN radio in Moses Lake, making the
call for football, basketball and wrestling. He is probably best known for his work on broadcasts
of the wildly successful Chiefs wrestling program. With his wife and assistant Vicki feeding him
information, Olson has been a unique presence at prep wrestling matches throughout the state.
He was head wrestling coach at Chief Moses Junior High from 1958-75, compiling a 140-10
record. He also coached junior high football with equal success. Twenty of his junior high wrestlers
became state prep champions. He helped start the Moses Lake kids’ wrestling program in the early
1960s. He is a former national sailing champion, National Ski Patrol member and bicyclist. He
spent more than three years in the Army where he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the
Purple Heart during the Korean War. He graduated from Davis High School in Yakima in 1946 and
Washington State University in 1950, plus a Master’s Degree in 2005. He was also inducted into
the Washington Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004.
MIKE VLAHOVICH
SPORTSWRITER, VOLUNTEER
In 2013 he reached his 45th consecutive year of covering prep sports in the greater Spokane area,
first as sports editor for the Spokane Valley Herald (24 years), then 21 years at The SpokesmanReview. He’s covered more than 150 state tournaments – not games – every H.S. sport (18), plus
assorted college sports, Hoopfest, Bloomsday, adult recreation sports, summer youth sports and
more. Behind the scenes, the West Valley High School and Washington State University graduate
spearheaded the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters athlete, team and coach of the
year awards for more than 40 years, spending countless hours researching nominees and compiling
and counting the ballots. He was also a volunteer and committee member for the annual Sports
Awards Banquet and the Junior Sports Luncheon. He has served as SWABs president for more than
20 years and is a 25-year member of the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame committee. He has
been a longtime volunteer for the Spokane Valley youth baseball league, serving as coach and
schedule maker.
SCROLL OF HONOR MEMBERS
JOAN CLARK BELLESSA
GUS BOUTEN
BOB BRUMBLAY
CLARENCE BUCKENBERGER, SR.
F. BRUCE CAMPBELL
ED CHISSUS
CARL CIRULLO
ROD COMMONS
JOE CUSTER
VIRGINIA DANKE
BILL DIEDRICK, SR.
PETER DIX
CLAYTON DUNN
JOE DURGAN
REV. A. L. DUSSAULT, S.J.
VERNIE FOXLEY
DICK FRY
LT. COL. WARNER GARDNER
DALE GOODWIN
JACK HARVEY
FRANK HERRON
AL K. JACKSON
JEFF JORDAN
JACK KIMMEL
TOM LEFEBVRE
H. M. “SKIP” LOUDERBACK
TOM MABLESON
RAY “DOC” MAURO
KEN MERKEL
JUDGE JIM MURPHY
MEL OLSON
LES PATTEN
DICK PRATT
CLYDE W. “CHIC” SALE
MARCIA SANEHOLTZ
JACK SHAGOOL
JIM SLAVIN
LEN SPOONER
DENNY SPELLECY
CHUCK STENERSEN
NORM THUE
CHARLIE VAN SICKEL
MIKE VLAHOVICH
GEORGE WERNER
2013 INLAND NORTHWEST
SPORTS HALL OF FAME
INDUCTEES
ATHLETES
PAT FALLOON
SPOKANE CHIEFS HOCKEY
The Manitoba native led the Chiefs to the 1991 Memorial Cup junior hockey championship in
Quebec after storming through the Western Hockey League playoffs. He was named tournament
most valuable player, scoring eight goals in the Chiefs’ four wins. He finished his three-year
career (1989-91) as the Chiefs’ all-time goal scorer with 146—plus 194 assists. He scored 138
points, including 64 goals in 61 games, during the Memorial Cup run. He was the first draft
pick in the history of the San Jose Sharks franchise, and second overall behind Eric Lindros, in
the 1991 National Hockey League draft. After a solid rookie season when he led the Sharks in
scoring with 25 goals and 59 points, he played for Team Canada in the World Championships.
He played in 575 NHL games (1991-2000) with five teams, and had 143 goals and 179
assists.
CARL JOHNSON
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TRACK AND FIELD, LEWIS AND CLARK HIGH SCHOOL
(DECEASED)
The son of a Spokane doctor was the silver medalist in the long jump in the 1920 Olympic
Games in Antwerp, Belgium, with a jump of 23 feet, 3 ¼ inches, missing the gold medal
by 2 ¼ inches behind Sweden’s William Petersson. In 1915, he won four events and broke
three city records for Lewis and Clark in the all-city dual with North Central at Glover Field
in Peaceful Valley. Marks included 15.8 seconds in the high hurdles and 22-6 ½ in the long
jump. He and Evan Pearson of NC were sent by local boosters to what was called the National
Interscholastics meet, staged by Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago and luring
athletes from 130 schools in 15 states. Johnson placed second in the 220-yard low hurdles
(25.6) and fourth in the high jump (5-10), and won the long jump with a leap 23-4 ½—
missing the national high school record by less than an inch. That mark still stands as LC’s
school record—98 years now. A 1915 LCHS grad, Johnson then enrolled at the University
of Michigan, the alma mater of his father. He was a member of the track team from 1918
to 1920. He led Michigan to the 1918 Western Conference (Big Ten) championships both
indoors and out—winning three events in each. In 1919, he became the first athlete to win
four events at the Big 10 meet, setting records in the long jump (24-1) and high jump (6-2 ¼).
As team captain in 1920, he won four events at a meet in Chicago and set a Big 10 record
in the 60-yard hurdles (7.6 seconds). In his Michigan career, he won 16 Big Ten titles, and
was the 1920 Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor winner. He was a charter inductee to the
University of Michigan track hall of fame in 2006, 74 years after his death at the age of 34
from peritonitis, the result of acute appendicitis.
2013 INLAND NORTHWEST SPORTS
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
CONTRIBUTORS
BOBBY BRETT
PRO SPORTS OWNER
Born in Brooklyn and raised in El Segundo, California, the real estate investor purchased the
Spokane Indians baseball team of the Northwest League in 1985. He moved to Spokane five
years later in 1990 after purchasing the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Under
his leadership the Indians and Chiefs have become model franchises. More than 9 million
spectators have taken in Brett productions including the Memorial Cup, Junior Hockey’s first
outdoor game, NHL exhibition game, Northwest League All-Star Game and the USISL Premier
League soccer championships when his group owned the Spokane Shadow soccer team.
The Chiefs have won two Memorial Cups, and hosted one Memorial Cup Tournament, and
Brett’s Indians have won eight Northwest League championships. Brett has also partnered
with Spokane County to make Avista Stadium a minor league gem. He has been a consistent
supporter of youth activities in Spokane County. He is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a
teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University. He’s owned several other minor league
baseball franchises and has served two terms on Minor League Baseball’s Board of Trustees.
JERRY KRAUSE
BASKETBALL BOOK AUTHOR, RESEARCHER, COACH
The Nebraska native was head basketball coach at Eastern Washington University for 17 years
and has worked at Gonzaga University for 20, seven as part-time assistant coach and 13 as
director of men’s basketball operations for head coach Mark Few. For 35 years he has been
research chairman for National Association of Basketball Coaches and was a long-standing
member of the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee. He was involved in rules changes that brought
about the 45-second and later the 35-second shot clock, the 3-point shot and the breakaway
rim. Other changes included improved backboards, padding around backboard and raising
the bottoms of backboards. He received award from the NABC for inventing, developing and
patenting a device to test rims for consistency, now used at all Division I schools and in the NBA.
He’s served as a clinician across the world: Pacific Rim, South America, northern Europe, every
province in Canada and the U.S. His books (34) and videos (33) are read and used worldwide.
He presents each year at the Final Four. He recently passed Clair Bee (the Chip Hilton Books) as
the most prolific author of basketball books in history. During his EWU tenure he had just three
losing seasons and is the second winningest coach in school history, 262-196.
2013 INLAND NORTHWEST
SPORTS HALL OF FAME
INDUCTEES
GARY LINDEBLAD
GOLF PRO
He has spent 40 years as a professional at golf courses in the Inland Northwest and founded
the Rosauers Open Invitational golf tournament in 1988, which raises more than $125,000
annually—more than $2.5 million in all—for the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, a nonprofit
organization that serves abused children in the Spokane area. He graduated from North
Central High School in 1968 and received an accounting degree in 1972 from Eastern
Washington University, where he played in the NAIA national championships four years.
He helped his teams win three conference and four district titles. He became a golf pro,
and after spending 12 years at Liberty Lake Golf Course, he moved to Indian Canyon Golf
Course in 1985—named by Golf Digest as one of the top 25 public courses in the United
States. He has received more than 40 Inland Empire Chapter and Pacific Northwest Section
awards for his service to the PGA, golf instruction and junior golf. In 1995, Gary was named
Golf Business Magazine’s “Golf Professional of the Year.” As a tribute to his mentoring skills,
at least 12 of his former employees have gone on to become head golf pros or head golf
coaches. His playing career also continued to flourish after leaving Eastern, including titles
in the 1990 Rosauers Open and the 1995 Lilac City Invitational. Lindeblad has played on
11 PNWPGA Section Hudson Cup teams, was the captain in 2004 and has won numerous
chapter and section titles. In 2007, he was voted into the Pacific Northwest Section of the
Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PNWPGA) Hall of Fame.
INLAND NORTHWEST
SPORTS HALL OF FAME
ATHLETES
Sam Adams
Alex Arcasa
Guido Bardelli
Gale Bishop
R.V. “Nig” Borleske
“Lefty” Ed Brandt
Frank Burgess
Leon Cadore
Hugh Campbell
Jerry Campbell
Tony Canadeo
Herb Carlson
Gail Cogdill
Fred Converse
Deb Copenhaver
Andrea Lloyd Curry
Joey Dolan
C.S. “Hec” Edmundson
Glenn “Turk” Edwards
Steve Emtman
Pat Falloon
“Tiger” Jack Fox
John Friesz
Rod Funseth
Sylveanus “Vean” Gregg
Connie Oldershaw-Guthrie
Mel Hein
Jeanne Helfer
Tom Hodges
Mel Ingram
Alfred Johnson
Carl Johnson
Ed Justice
Jerry Kramer
COACHES
Don Anderson
Joey August
Bob Bafus
Arthur “Buck” Bailey
Carl “Cotton” Barlow
Charles “Bobo” Brayton
John Chaplin
Ed Cheff
Dwight Church
Charlie Dean
Isaac “Ike” Deeter
W.H. “Lone Star” Dietz
C.E. “Gus” Dorais
Carl “Tuffy” Ellingsen
Ray Flaherty
Bill Frazier
Jack Friel
Wayne Gilman
Roy Graffis
Dick Hanley
Bill Hays
Max Krause
Irv Leifer
Keith Lincoln
Gerry Lindgren
Carl Maxey
Herbert “Butch” Meeker
Launi Meili
Al Mengert
W.D. Meyerhoff
Dan O’Brien
John Olerud
Roy “Pooch” Petragallo
I. Gregory Rice
Bud Roffler
Henry Rono
John Roskelley
Mark Rypien
Ryne Sandberg
Earl Sheely
Mary Lou Petty Skok
Tom Sneva
Jack Spring
Houston Stockton
John Stockton
Paul Swift
Tammy Tibbles
LaVern Torgeson
Wayne Walker
Marvin “Bud” Ward
Ray Washburn
Bill Williams
Jerry Williams
Maury Wills
Corissa Yasen
CONTRIBUTORS
Jud Heathcote
O.E. “Babe” Hollingbery
Dave Holmes
E.L. “Squinty” Hunter
John W. “Puggy” Hunton
Elmer Jordan
Irene Matlock
Don Monson
Jack Mooberry
John Owen
Lester Patrick
Dwight Pool
W.B. “Red” Reese
Dave Robertson
Linda Sheridan
Gene Smith
Cash Stone
Ray Thacker
Tracy Walters
Richard “Boots” Wooten
Joe Albi
Stan Bates
J. Fred “Doc” Bohler
Bobby Brett
Clarence “Fuzzy” Buckenberger
Hank Coplen
Bob Curtis
Vic Dessert
Arnold “Red” Halpern
Spencer Harris
Jon Heimbigner
Herb Hunter
Bob Johnson
Don Kardong
Jerry Krause
Nave Lein
SPECIAL CATEGORY
Turbulator
Oscar Levitch
Gary Lindeblad
Roy McBride
Dwight Merkel
Paul Merkel
Harry Missildine
John Presley
Lyle Pugh
E.J. Ripple
Bob Robertson
Ed Sharman
Edsol Sneva
George Varnell
Stanley G. Witter
Dick Wright
SPOKANE:
A GREAT PLACE
FOR SPORTS
Spokane is a community that embraces sports. No matter what events we host,
we pour our heart into it. We are home to Bloomsday, the largest timed road
race in the nation, as well as Spokane Hoopfest, the largest three-on-three
street basketball tournament in the world. Our die-hard fans have set records
filling the house for ice skating, basketball, hockey, baseball, arena football,
college sports and more. We’re not kidding when we say that in Spokane,
sports reign supreme.
NOVEMBER EVENTS
November 9 NCAA DII Cross Country West Regional Championships
November 23 NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships
November 23 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Tour: Northwest Bigfoot Battle
Learn how you can take part in one of our many upcoming events,
contact us at: www.spokanesports.org | 509.456.5812
www.spokanesports.org
WWW.SPOKANESPORTS.ORG