| School: Roosevelt | Graduation Year: 1997 |
Sports Played: Football, Track and Field
Year Inducted: 2023
High School Honors: 3 Football letters. 2nd team All-PIL as a Junior, 1st Team All-PIL as a Senior on offense and defense. Shrine All-Star Team. Rushed over 1,000 yards both Junior and Senior seasons. Set school record of 133 solo tackles.
4 Track & Field letters, primarily throwing events.
Volunteer Coach for Special Olympics Men’s Basketball as a Sophomore and won State Championship with undefeated team.
Post High School Career: Working for Clark County Sheriff’s Office as a Corrections Deputy since 2002. Also working in the re-entry unit helping inmates connect with community partners to get services upon release. That includes being an officer in the MOD (medication for opioid use disorders) program the past four years.
Commentary:
Coach Jim MacDicken inspired me to be the best player I could. He was a father figure to me when my own father was incapable of being a good example. Not only did he ensure that I made it home from practice on late evenings, he provided encouragement on and off the field, as well as pushed me to not only become a better football player, but a better man. After tearing ligaments in my knee and having surgery my sophomore year, I was done with the game I loved. Coach encouraged me to coach the special Olympics boys basketball team and our team went on to win the state championships. This, accompanied by watching my team continue on in the season, inspired me to come back to football and finish through my junior and senior year.
One of the biggest highlights in my mind is returning from a severe knee injury in my junior year in high school. That year, the team returned to the state playoffs after a long hiatus of 40 plus years. We felt like kings of football. A rival highlight is making first team All-City tailback and first team All-City middle linebacker along with breaking the school record for most tackles in my senior year. I was able to take all of the tools and knowledge given to me by Coach MacDicken, and the other coaches throughout my life, and pass this onto my son, which is the biggest highlight of my football career. My son moved on to play at Portland State University. I was able to live vicariously through him, since I was unable to move to the college level after signing a letter of intent with Western Oregon University as I had to care for my ill parents.
I want to give a special thanks to my daughter Alexandria and my son Jerad. All of the inductions and awards are nothing compared to the reward of being your father. You are my greatest achievement in this life and I love you very much. You inspire me daily. I want to thank my beautiful wife, Jennifer for showing me that you are never too old to meet the love of your life and begin a whole new journey. I love and appreciate you more than I can ever express. I want to thank all of my other coaches, teammates, family, and friends for being in my corner and supporting me. In addition, I want to thank the PIL Hall of Fame for bestowing me with this great honor