| School: Madison | Graduation Year: 1977 |
Year Inducted: 2002
Sports Played: Football, Basketball, Baseball
High School Honors: Football, 3 letters; All-PIL QB ’75 & ’76; Safety ’76; PIL Champs ’75, ’76; Team Captain, All-Metro, All-State, Metro Area Defensive Player of the Year, National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, and Downtown Optimist Scholar-Athlete, all in 1976. Basketball, 3 letters; All-PIL 2nd team ’77; Captain, ’77; East Division Champs, 2 years. Baseball, 3 letters; All-PIL ’75-’77; Captain ’77; East Division Champs ’75.
Post High School Career: Teaching & Coaching at Cleveland ’89-’90; Madison ’91-’99. Madison Baseball PIL Champs ’92-’94; ’97-’99; state playoffs ’92-’99. State Champs ’97; Baseball Coach of the Year ’97; PIL Coach of the Year ’92, ’93, ’97 & ’99. Portland Amateur Baseball Man of the Year, ’92; Oregon High School Baseball Coach HOF Inductee 2006. Presently Assistant Principal & Athletic Director at Clackamas High School.
Commentary:
I am extremely proud to be an inducted member of the PIL HOF from Madison HS. I was extremely fortunate to have been a student/athlete at Madison from 1973-77. We had an amazing group of teacher/coaches — led by Bill Wiitala — that were wonderful role-models for the youngsters attending Madison HS during this time period. I owe a debt of gratitude to these men for guiding me for four fun-filled years. I learned many valuable lessons of life and sports were the vehicles used by these men to teach us. Good Behavior and personal conduct was the ultimate goal of these coaches for their athletes, NOT winning games. Don’t misunderstand, at Madison we played to WIN but we did it the RIGHT way with class and sportsmanship. I chose a life-long career of teaching/coaching/ Athletic Administration due to the positive influence of these outstanding men.
I was also privileged to actually return to Madison HS as a teacher and coach for 16 years. I patterned my career at Madison HS — and then at Clackamas HS as an Athletic Director — in the mold of the lessons and values taught me during my time as a student/athlete at Madison.
Thanks to all of my coaches, my teammates and players, for all their generous acts of friendship and leadership during my total years as a student/athlete and coach at Madison HS. I Love Madison HS. I owe my lot in life to the total influence of Madison HS.