Silverton High will be holding its first athletics Hall of Fame class induction in more than a decade when this year’s gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 7, at The Oregon Garden.
“It’s been on hiatus for way too long, since 2011,”said Silverton teacher and volleyball coach Kirsten Barnes. “We had a lot of changes about that time and things were lost in the shuffle… (We) decided that we couldn’t put it off any longer.
“We need to share the stories of our past students and their accomplishments and celebrate them. It’s good for our students to learn about the people who went ahead of them. We are on a short timeline this year and will be the week prior to homecoming but we are hoping to have the Hall of Fame Gala each year during Homecoming weekend in the future.”
I briefly noted this year’s inductees in my last column. Here is some more info:
1968-69 boys basketball team: The squad was coached by Roy Schmidt and featured players Dennis Bacon, Dixon Bledsoe, Mike Bothum, Mel Bushman, Ron Gooding, Mark Henjum, Steve Herr, Dave Meyer, Dean Oster, Gene Oster, Henry Tautfest and Don Von Weller.
Organizers noted that “the 1968-1969 boys basketball team is one of our first modern teams to compete at a state tournament and many of the members of that team have given a significant part of their life to this community. Many of them also went on to coach their kids’ teams and now watch their grandkids play competitively at SHS.”
The ’68-’69 Foxes squad took a 19-1 record into the state tournament, which was then a 16-team tournament at Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Silverton went 0-2, falling to Klamath Union and North Eugene.
Mary Purdy (Class of 1989): a leader on and off the court, she played multiple sports, but her leadership and determination was essential to the 1989 girls Class 2A state basketball championship coached by Tom Steers.
Scott Gragg (Class of 1990): Gragg, an offensive tackle, played 11 years in the NFL with the Giants, 49ers and Jets and also coached the Foxes from 2006 through 2009. Please note that his last name is NOT spelled “Bragg,” as perpetrated by your humble columnist in our last issue. Gragg is the principal at McNary High in Keizer.
Linda Riedman (Class of 1993): Was a three-sport all-state athlete in volleyball, basketball and track and field. She played college basketball at Santa Clara. Riedman serves as an assistant coach for the Foxes.
Tom Steers (coach award): Put Silverton on the girls sports map, coaching teams that won two state championships (1989, 1994), finished second in 1990 and 1991, third in 1992 and won the consolation title in 1993.
Chuck White (Bob Mallorie special contributor): White has been a teacher, coach and district administrator, while also being involved with the Silver Fox Foundation and the YMCA. “When it comes to kids playing athletics in Silverton,” organizers wrote, “we are pretty sure that Chuck has helped them get there, whether they know it or not. Chuck has kept us moving forward from organizing shifts to work at the Oktoberfest to attending every board meeting that helps kids sports in Silverton advance.”
This will be just the fourth Silverton Hall of Fame event. The first three were in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
“We want this to be a very local event, where people can come home and celebrate the past and at the same time we can introduce our newcomers to Silverton to our past history,” Barnes said.
Goals for this year are to raise money for a field house that would be used by Foxes baseball and softball as well as youth teams. Also in the mix are plans to add turf fields at the Pine Street campus.
Kennedy equestrian: The JFK equestrian program is holding an organizational meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the high school cafeteria. The Oregon High Schools Equestrian Teams program is for athletes in 8th through 12th grades and includes a wide range of events and disciplines. For more information contact coach Jaime Hudson at [email protected].
Hall of Fame Gala
Saturday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m.; VIP reception 5:15 p.m.
Schmidt Pavilion, Oregon Garden
Cost: $50 per person, $400 for a table of 8 (includes 8 drink tickets)
Tickets: www.silvertonfoxes.com (click on the Hall of Fame Gala tab)
