| School: Benson | Graduation Year: 1981 |
Year Inducted: 2013
Sports Played: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field
High School Honors: Football: 3-year letter winner; 1st Team All-PIL as a Senior; All-PIL Honorable Mention as a Junior; QB on 1980 PIL Championship team. Basketball: 4-year letter winner; All-PIL Honorable Mention as a Senior; Played on ’81 PIL and State Championship teams. Baseball: 3-year letter winner; All-PIL as a Sophomore, Junior and Senior; 2nd Team All-State as a Sophomore/ Track & Field: 1-year letter winner.
Post High School Career: Drafted out of High School by the Philadelphia. Phillies in the 9th round; played 3 years pro Baseball. Played 2 years of Basketball at City College in San Francisco after release from Phillies, then played a year of Basketball at OSU; Graduate of Portland State University with a BS in Speech Communications. Coached 20 yrs in the Portland Interscholastic League; 5yrs as an assistant (3 as Head JV Coach) at Benson from 1993-1998, 5 yrs Head Coach at Lincoln from 1998-2003, 10 yrs as Head Coach at Benson. Won City Championship at Lincoln in 2003. Won City Championship at Benson in 2011 and 2012. Winner of North Portland Salvation Army Community Pride Award in 2004.
Commentary:
Perseverance. Sometimes you lose in an athletic contest but you have the ability to come back. You may experience tough losses in life and that’s when those lessons in athletics become beneficial.
Best HS baseball player I played against was Darryl Motley. Best HS Football player I played against was David Lewis. Best HS basketball player against was AC Green, daily in practice.
Greatest inspiration in life? My mother, Mary Berry. My greatest belief? It is better to be humble, than humbled. Count your blessings and utilize them to the fullest. One of Life’s true purpose is to help others. Greatest HS athletic accomplishments was winning the 1981 State Basketball Championship on my 18th birthday. HS coach with the greatest influence on my life? Bill Ranta, my HS Baseball Coach. He still teaches me the true meaning of humility.