Hall Of Fame Bios

ATHLETES

Henry Rono

As a Washington State University junior in 1978, the native of Kenya had the most remarkable three-month stretch in distance running history, setting world records in the 3,000-meter run, 3,000 steeplechase, 5,000 and 10,000. At WSU he won four NCAA track titles and three cross country titles. He also won four Pac-10 track titles and three in cross country. During his career he set five world records, seven collegiate records and four Pac-10 records. He also won Spokane’s Lilac Bloomsday Road Race in 1982.

William “Bill” Williams

The retired chief justice of the Washington State Supreme Court ranks as one of the University of Idaho’s all-time best multi-sport athletes. In football, Williams earned All-West Coast honors at quarterback, directing the Vandals to a 19-16 road win over Stanford in 1947. He ranked second in the nation and first in the Pacific Coast Conference in total offense and was named to play in the East West Shrine Game. He also boxed at Idaho and was the West Coast welterweight champ and runner-up in the national collegiate finals. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and served as a World War II bomber pilot.

COACHES

Don Monson

After stops at Cheney and Pasco high schools and Michigan State University, the Coeur d’Alene native resurrected a flagging basketball program by taking his alma mater, the University of Idaho, to two conference championships and three postseason appearances. He coached five years at Idaho, compiling a 100-41 record (second-most wins in school history) before leaving to coach at Oregon. He led the Vandals to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and a 27-3 record in 1982. His prep coaching record was 266-132, including four league titles at Cheney. He had a 25-1 record at Pasco in 1970, losing to Snohomish 53-51 in overtime in the State AAA finals.

Dave Robertson

In 16 years of coaching high school boys basketball at Shadle Park and Gonzaga Prep in the Greater Spokane League, Robertson’s teams won 11 league titles, second only to legendary Hall of Fame coach Squinty Hunter of Lewis and Clark. His GSL winning percentage was an incredible 82 percent. His career record, including three years in Colorado, was 399-156. His 1981 Shadle Park team beat Mercer Island for the State AAA title. Three other Shadle teams and two Gonzaga Prep teams placed among the top six at state.

CONTRIBUTORS

Dwight Merkel

Merkel was Spokane’s most influential figure in the development of athletic programs for children. A graduate of North Central High School and Eastern Washington University, he was the guiding force of the Spokane Youth Sports Association for 31 years, first as a volunteer and later as executive director. Under his direction, SYSA grew from a single sport program serving a few hundred football players to a year-round organization providing indoor and outdoor soccer, softball, baseball, football and golf competition as well as summer camps. He also spearheaded development of the North and South sports complexes used by SYSA teams.

Lyle Pugh

He began coaching football, baseball and basketball at Oakesdale High School in 1951. Lured away from Moses Lake in 1958 by Spokane School District 81, Pugh was given the mission of starting high school wrestling and gymnastics programs in Spokane. Pugh completed the mission in style, building Shadle Park into a state power in both wrestling and gymnastics. He coached and taught 37 years, serving 17 seasons as both wrestling and gymnastics coach at Shadle. His wrestling teams won five consecutive district titles in the 1960s and finished third at state in 1965. His gymnastics record at Shadle was 180-28, including nine league titles, five regional championships and two state titles. He is a member of the Washington high school coaches wrestling and gymnastics halls of fame.

John Presley

Sharpening his skills on the football fields and basketball courts of Spokane-area high schools, Presley became one of the top basketball and football officials on the West Coast. He was rated a No. 1 Pacific-8 and Big Sky basketball official when he retired in 1969. During a 30-year football officiating career, he was regarded as one of the top referees in the West, earning two Rose Bowl assignments (1971 and 1983), a Notre Dame-Southern California game and an East-West Shrine Game. He also played baseball and basketball at Gonzaga University, serving as team captain for the basketball squad. He coached Gonzaga Prep’s basketball team for nine years, earning two City League titles and placing third at state in 1955.

SCROLL OF HONOR

Les Patten

Known as “Mr. Tennis” of Spokane, Patten won 14 consecutive city tennis titles in the 1950s and ‘60s. In addition, the Whitworth College alumnus paired with numerous teammates and won scores of doubles titles over the course of three decades.

Charlie Van Sickel

Raised in Pasco, Van Sickel graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1956. He began stringing for newspapers at 13 and by 14 was working for five different papers. He was sports editor of the Columbia Basin News and Tri-City Herald for 11 years. He joined the Spokane Chronicle in 1977 and wrote the popular “Dutch Rub” column until leaving the newspaper in 1982. He dominated the media, both in Spokane and the Tri-Cities. He was an outstanding after-dinner speaker and contributed time and money to various sports fund-raisers. , DataTimes