| School: Franklin | Graduation Year: 1980 |
Year Inducted: 2015
Sports Played: Football, Track and Field
High School Honors: 3-year Football Letterman, 1st team All-PIL center/defensive tackle, 2nd team All-State, honorable mention All-American, and Shrine all-star, senior. 3-year Track Letterman, State junior division decathlete champion, freshman, soph., State champion decathlete as junior and senior. 2nd place in PIL 110 hurdles, 1st place in shot put; state qualifier in both events, junior and senior. 2-year Basketball Letterman. Multnomah Athletic Club scholar-athlete. Junior class President and Senior class Vice President.
Post High School Career: Oregon State University, full ride football scholarship. Coached youth football, basketball and baseball for seven years. Construction manager in building and developing residential subdivisions.
Commentary:
Athletics, a few years of competition, a lifetime of benefits.
I feel that if we are all honest with ourselves, we would admit that when we were younger most of us participated in sports because we like to WIN. With winning comes the praise, the congratulations, all the accolades, and not to mention all those pretty ribbons and trophies. Winning is what drove me to run that extra mile, spend more time in the weight room, the basketball court, and the track. I admit, there are few feelings better than stepping up the podium to receive your hard earned awards.
It is only years after my best race was behind me that I realized all of the other benefits of my participation in athletics. I remember how my coaches, teacher or parents were going on and on about how I was building character and creating good working habits etc., etc. All I was worried about was winning. Little did I know that they were right.
I think we have all seen the doors that have opened to us because of our involvement in athletics. Perspective employers and business partners do realize that the same tenacity that helps propel us in athletics does cross over to the work place. My son was recently accepted into a very competitive Medical school and after his interview and acceptance into the school he was informed that a huge contributing factor in that decision was the fact that he was a four year Captain in lacrosse during college.
Athletics has and will continue to provide me a great sense of accomplishment and not to mention a lifetime of great friends and supporters. Now, with your PIL Hall of Fame recognition, and after many years I am honored to stand at the top of the podium one more time. Many thanks to the members and to the board of the PIL Hall of Fame. Remember “The older we get the better we were.”