| School: Madison | Graduation Year: 1975 |
Sports Played: Football, Basketball, Baseball
Year Inducted: 2023
High School Honors: 1 Football letter as a Senior.
1 Basketball letter as Junior.
3 Baseball letters as a starter, 1st team All-PIL as a Junior.
A serious wrist injury requiring surgery prevented Senior Basketball and Baseball regular season.
Led Madison summer American Legion Team in hitting and stolen bases.
Post High School Career: 1976 led Mt. Hood Community College team in hitting, home runs and stolen bases earning NWAC all-league honors. Won scholarship in 1977 to University of Oregon and became Baseball starter until reinjuring wrist. Coached Oregon Junior Baseball State Champion- ship Team (Tualatin). Head Baseball Coach at Madison High School, 2006-2011; Assistant Coach through 2014. PIL Championship 2014.
Had fundraising and leadership roles at Tualatin HS, Packbackers, Madison Alumni Association, American Legion teams, and Portland Eastside baseball. Entrepreneur for 36 years in the construction equipment industry founding several companies: Road Machinery, Portable Tool, Master Bands, Direct Sales as well as acquiring seven companies that have sponsored many youth Baseball and Football teams, including Madison and Tualatin American Legion Teams.
Commentary:
I am honored by those that believed I am worthy of being part of the PIL Hall of Fame. I could never name all those that helped mold me into the adult I have become. Watching my Great Grandmother make God an important part of her life that would influence me in my teens, to the leadership of Coaches Bill Wiitala & Ole Johnson leading me to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes all through high school.
Besides Coaches Wiitala and Johnson, there were Coaches like Donn Gassaway that built confidence and left their mark on me; sometimes it hurt. Coach Johnson one time said to me, “Keller you are a fence walker, you don’t know whether to be good or bad” then he encouraged me to get on the right side of the fence. Simple words at the time, life changing in reality. I was blessed to have them as leaders. These men were also teachers which allowed the relationship and leadership to go beyond athletics. Hal Smith who encouraged me to be part of Boys League where I eventually ended up on student council. This helped me understand the formation of a team to work together and how to collaborate with strong people; eventually starting several successful small businesses. Those small businesses have allowed me to give back to youth athletics that helped learn adversity and how dedication and never quitting pays off.
Thank you, I am grateful to all and for this honor.