February 2025 ~
Among his many accomplishments in sports, what might stand out most about Rich Dodge (Wilson, 1973) is the fact that so few people have learned about any of them from him.
Dodge is without question one of the best athletes ever to pass through Wilson/Wells: a three-sport star and perennial All-PIL pick who would go on to play football and baseball at Oregon State. But when it came to modesty, Dodge was All-World, so humble that his getting used to standing in front of classrooms, teaching high school students and barking orders at football players — which he made a career of until retiring in 2010 — was in the words of his son, Tyler, “an adventure in adaptability.”
Inducted into the PIL Hall of Fame in 2005, Dodge, like all new members, was given the opportunity to write whatever he wanted to share about his life in athletics and after. Unsurprisingly, that space on Dodge’s bio page is empty.
Below, Member of the Month writer Dick Baltus has attempted to fill in some of the blanks with the assistance of Tyler Dodge, who generously answered some questions about a father who would prefer to talk about faith or family or virtually anything or anyone other than himself.
Dick Baltus: Thank you, Tyler, for helping us tell a little of Rich’s story. Can you start by talking about how your dad got his start playing sports?
Tyler Dodge: Sure. Dad gravitated toward sports at a very young age. He’s always said he had no other interests other than sports and competition. He knew early on that he was born with natural athleticism but even if he hadn’t known, it would have been clear once he got to Hayhurst Elementary School and was better at sports than most of the other kids.
DB: Were there any athletes in the family who influenced Rich to pursue sports, or was he just naturally drawn to them?
TD: His dad — my grandpa — Bob, played basketball in the Air Force during World War II and his older sister— my aunt — Barbara, was a standout swimmer at Wilson in the ‘60s and is in the school’s hall of fame. (Rich also had a second older sister, Leslie, and a younger brother, Ron). But I think his love of sports came naturally.
DB: Rich was an all-around great athlete, but did he have a favorite sport when he was growing up?
TD: I asked Dad this question a lot and he always said his favorite sport was whatever was in season.
DB: What do you know about Rich’s high school career, and did he have any favorite memories that you can share?
TD: Without doubt, the high school accomplishment Dad is proudest of is the 28 touchdowns he scored his senior season (1972). That was a PIL record that stood for decades (until Jefferson’s Damir Collins scored 30 in 2019). It’s pretty remarkable considering Wilson had another great back in Steve Wantland and the team was so dominant that Dad rarely, if ever, played in the fourth quarter until the playoffs.
Wilson made it to the state championship game in ’72 (losing to Centennial 25-21), but Dad always told more stories about the semifinal game against Astoria. That game ended in a tie, but it was before they had a way to break ties on the field. Wilson wound up advancing on the basis of having gained more total yards during the game, which was a strange way to win a game that didn’t satisfy anyone. I think the next year was when the Kansas Plan tiebreaker was instituted. Dad was certainly happy to have made it to the state championship game, but losing obviously was disappointing, so he never talked about that much.
His favorite memories in baseball included being coached by the legendary Jack Dunn, playing with (former Trojan and two-time Major League MVP) Dale Murphy and playing in the American Legion World Series (with Watco Electric) the summer after his senior year.
Dad also lettered in basketball for two years, but in those days, Wilson was kind of a tier below some really good teams like Benson, Jefferson, Washington and Grant. Basketball was definitely Dad’s third-strongest sport, but it was also the one he continued to play well into his adult years. It was a way for him to stay competitive. He played in church leagues and every year in a student-teacher game they had at Lincoln. I remember one year, when he was around 50, he hit a game-winning three-point shot for the teachers.
DB: Did he have offers to play sports at schools besides Oregon State?
TD: All four Northwest schools offered him football scholarships. Back then I think multi-sport athletes wanted to get football scholarship offers because they were the most valuable. So, you could go to school on a football scholarship that would also support you playing baseball, which is what Dad did.
DB: What can you share about Rich’s athletic career at Oregon State?
TD: He has a lot of great memories in both football and baseball. In football his sophomore year, 1974, he was a kick returner and back-up running back and got to play in games at Georgia and Ohio State. And that year the Beavers beat the Ducks. His junior year was his best statistically. He led the team in rushing with 558 yards. But his senior year there was a coaching change, from Dee Andros to Craig Fertig. Fertig wanted to play the younger guys, so Dad’s playing time decreased significantly. Even so, that year was full of great memories for him. He got to play at Kentucky and LSU. Then in the Civil War, he threw two halfback passes for touchdowns and had several good runs. The Ducks won that game 23-14, but Dad accounted for both Beaver scores. OSU had one more game at Hawaii after that and Dad wound up scoring three touchdowns. So, he had the game of his life in the last game of his career. At the end of that season, Coach Fertig actually apologized to my dad, saying it was a mistake playing the young guys over him.
DB: What were some of Rich’s baseball accomplishments at OSU?
TD: He had a pretty good baseball career. At Wilson, he had been the starting shortstop for four years. But OSU Coach Jack Riley told him that he was going to switch him to the outfield because he wanted his shortstop fielding 1,000 grounders every fall, and Dad couldn’t do that since he was playing football. While at OSU, Dad broke the single-season homerun record, though it was broken again quickly after that. He had good power but also was a very patient hitter. He left with OSU’s career walks record. That was later broken, too.
While Dad didn’t get drafted, he did get offered a contract to play independent league baseball. But at that point he decided he was done playing organized sports. He has always been just a quiet, humble guy and he was ready to move on with his life.
DB: So, what did Rich move on to?
TD: He and my mom, Diane, met at Oregon State and they got married in 1980. After graduating, Dad started student teaching at Jackson. He also taught at Franklin until moving to Lincoln, where he taught from 1983 until his retirement in 2010. He taught health primarily, but also P.E. and algebra later in his career. He was the head varsity football coach at Lincoln from 1985 to 1999 and coached baseball, mainly freshman and junior varsity, all the way up until a few years before his retirement.
After having three kids, Mom was unable to have more but my parents love children and always wanted a big family, so three kids weren’t enough. As devout Christians, they felt taking care of children was their calling. So, they started fostering but would get attached to the kids and not want them to leave. So, they started adopting and ultimately adopted seven kids. Dad has always said the three most important things in his life are God, family and sports, in that order. He goes to church every Sunday and has for decades. And he has always said he is grateful to God for his life and any success in sports he had.
DB: Did any of Rich’s kids inherit your dad’s athletic genes?
TD: None of us kids excelled in sports like Dad. He was a hard act to follow. I was a better coach than a player. I coached football for 13 years at Wilson, Lincoln and Lakeridge. His kids have found success in other ways. But throughout my life, I’ve definitely heard a lot of comments like, “Do you have any idea how good your dad was?” That always made Dad feel bad that people were talking about him and not me, but it’s never bothered me.
DB: How did Rich feel when he learned he was being inducted into the PIL Hall of Fame?
TD: He was really honored. As I’ve said, my dad is very humble and quiet. He doesn’t brag or boast. But there’s no denying he was great at sports and had some accomplishments. So, to get recognized for them really meant a lot to him.
Photo Note: Click on a photo to see its caption
~ Profile written by Dick Baltus (Wilson, 1973)
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