Feb. 3, 2010
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
By Caleb Breakey, Lynden Tribune sports reporter
Four new members, three of whom won school Athlete of the Year honors and one who is now in charge of a major university athletics program, will be inducted into the Western Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Former Nooksack Valley High School and Western Washington University standout Jim Sterk, now the athletic director at Washington State University, will be one of the four inductees.
The ceremony will be held in the Concert Hall of the WWU Performing Arts Center on campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Those wishing to attend should RSVP by calling athletics administrative assistant Dorothy Goldsmith at 650-6525 or by emailing her at dorothy.goldsmith@wwu.edu.
While in town, Sterk, who set a school season record for tackles as a football linebacker at Nooksack Valley, will enjoy a dinner with WWU president Bruce Shepard and get a chance to see many faces he hasn't seen in some time.
"For me, it's a big honor to be inducted," Sterk said. "I have great memories of my time at Western, and I even student-taught for a while at Sehome after I graduated, so I was hanging around for quite a while there, with probably more memories of the people than of actual games played. Western was a fun place to participate, but I remember the people more than (athletic accomplishments)."
For planning purposes, RSVPs are appreciated. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m.
Those attending the Saturday event will also get free tickets to the WWU men's and women's basketball games that night against Saint Martin's University, where the inductees will be introduced at halftime of both contests.
The other three inductees are Jerry Joyce, a three-sport athlete at WWU who went on to a 30-year career as a teacher-coach, then earned recognition for wrestling officiating; Dwayne Kirkley, a men's basketball guard who led the Vikings to the NAIA National Tournament in 1994; and Gina Sampson, a women's basketball center who was named Western's Female Athlete of the Decade for the 1990s.
The four inductees bring the hall's membership to 113.
The 53-year-old Jim Sterk is in his 10th year as director of athletics at Washington State, overseeing unprecedented growth and success in a 17-sport NCAA I program that competes in the Pacific-10 Conference. He is currently the chair of the Pac-10 Athletic Directors committee, and has also served on the prestigious NCAA Championship Competition cabinet.
Not too bad for a local boy.
"I grew up in Whatcom County on a dairy farm, and it was a great way of growing up," Sterk said. "I had no idea where things would lead, but I think the thing I found was that education opens up doors. Going to Western opened up the door to being a high school coach and teacher, and when I left Sedro-Woolley High School and went to grad school in Ohio, that opened more doors."
In 2006-07, WSU was awarded with three national honors. They included being recognized as a Program of Excellence by the Division I-A Athletic Directors' Association, and receiving the Diversity in Athletics Award presented by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University and the Opportunity Award for the West Region presented by the Women's Sports Foundation.
Over the past 10 consecutive semesters WSU student-athletes have earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, on a 4.0 scale.
All of his accomplishments, Sterk noted, wouldn't have been possible without all the people who shaped him in his growing up years.
"I want to say a big thank you. Obviously, to my parents and family, and to everyone in the community. It really is true: Community raises people, and you're involved in the community. Everyone from the folks at Nooksack Valley, specifically the friends and coaches and teachers -- all of them helped a kid achieve something I never thought was possible. I think that it was a great way to grow up, and a great place to grow and I love coming back."
On the field, Cougar athletics have enjoyed extraordinary achievements during Sterk's tenure. In the three years prior to 2009-10, WSU Athletics have been represented in NCAA post-season play in 12 of its 17 sports.
The men's basketball team had three consecutive post-season appearances, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007 and 2008 for the first time in school history.
The football program put together three consecutive 10-win seasons from 2001 to 2003 and the women's rowing program earned five NCAA Championship appearances, placing fourth in 2006, the highest finish ever by a WSU women's team in NCAA post-season competition in any sport.
"I didn't realize the opportunities there would be or where it all would take me," Sterk said. "We (Sterk and wife, Debi) have three daughters and they've been in many different places. We have friends all over the place and it's fun that way."
NOTES: In addition to the student-athletes' academic and athletic success during his tenure, Sterk has also presided over exceptional increases in financial support for student-athletes and overseen a significant increase in the department's operating budget.
Facility improvements have also been among projects Sterk has tackled at the Pullman institution. They included major renovations of the football and baseball facilities and an ambitious capital improvement plan that will enhance many other WSU sport facilities.
Sterk, who was born and raised in Whatcom County, was a four-sport letter winner at Nooksack Valley and he played on the Pioneers' Class A state championship basketball team as a senior in 1974.
Sterk received his bachelor of arts degree at WWU in 1980, earning four letters in football and one in basketball. He was credited with a school-record 164 tackles during the 1977 season, being a first-team NAIA District 1 all-star, team captain and MVP in helping the Vikings to the district championship game.
Sterk obtained his master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University in 1986. His professional career has included positions at North Carolina, Maine (Assistant Athletic Director for finance), Seattle Pacific (Associate Athletic Director), Tulane (Senior Associate Athletic Director), and Portland State, where he was director of athletics for five years before becoming the WSU athletic director in June 2000.
A man who enjoys jogging, boating and singing, Sterk is married to wife, Debi, and they have three daughters: Ashley 20, Amy 17 and Abby 14.
