Nov. 20, 2017

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

Carver Memories -- Nov. 3, 1979

Locker first to reach 4,000 career rushing yards

By Paul Madison

On Nov. 3, 1979, Pat Locker accomplished what no other player in Northwest history (Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho) had ever done, and what few in the history of college football had managed to do, reach the 4,000-yard mark in career rushing.

With 7:59 left in the fourth quarter, the Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University) senior halfback ran for nine yards to become just the 37th player in the 111-year history of collegiate football to attain that plateau. Other names on that list were Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh), Archie Griffin (Ohio State), Ed Marinaro (Cornell) and Earl Campbell (Texas).

A Homecoming crowd of 2,500 stood cheering at Civic Stadium, while a flurry of blue-clad players swarmed the redhead. One play later, the game stopped and Locker was swept up and pushed to the sideline where he was slapped on the helmet, grabbed by the shoulders, and hugged with admiration by his teammates and coaches.

In the game, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Locker ran for 131 yards, leading the Vikings to a 27-24 upset victory over Eastern Oregon. That upped his career total to 4,016.

"As I look back, it's a really nice feeling," said Locker. "It's something I'd been working toward for a long time. And I really wanted to go for it that day, especially since we were at home. I especially wanted it for the team and the fans. We hadn't been playing well and that day we did. And the record, well, my teammates and I will remember that forever."

Just a week before that contest, Locker had become the leading career rusher in Northwest collegiate history, on a 13-yard gain with 6:49 to go in the second quarter. The record had previously belonged to Mickey Hergert of Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Ore.), who rushed for 3,836 yards from 1960 to 1963.

"It (4,000) was a big thing for me," Locker said, "but that season we weren't playing as well as we were used to, so the team and the wins were more important to me. I figured that if I just did my job I'd get it."

Numbers and honors

Locker was the team's leading rusher in each of his four seasons at Western. He finished with a career total of 4,049 yards, 1,411 more than the previous school record set by Tom Wigg (2,638, 1970-73). Locker was inducted into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame in 2008. His jersey No.24 was retired in 1980. He was named the Vikings' Football Player of the Century in 1999, and was picked both Whatcom County Sports Personality of the Year and Western Athlete of the Year in 1976 and 1979.

Locker, who ran for 100 or more yards in a game 21 times during his career, set 12 Western records. He was a first-team selection four times each as Little All-Northwest, NAIA District 1 all-star and All-Evergreen Conference.

As a senior, Locker was a first-team Kodak College Division All-American, second-team NAIA Division I All-American, honorable mention Associated Press Little All-American, honorable mention United Press International All-Coast and the Miller Brewing Company Offensive Player of the Year in the state of Washington for all divisions.

"The one thing I've never kept track of is statistics," said Locker. "I just went out and played every game to the best of my ability."

How Locker got to Western

Locker was a 1976 graduate of Ferndale High School, located just eight miles north of Bellingham, where he was an all-league linebacker (first-team) and running back (second-team) as a senior in 1975. During his three-year career as a Golden Eagle, Locker ran for 1,937 yards, a 5.8 yards per carry average, and 20 touchdowns. He also returned punts and kickoffs.

"That last year in high school, I just didn't fit into the coaches' concept offensively, and playing linebacker on defense became my focus," he said.

During the spring of 1976, Locker signed a letter of intent to compete in football at Grays Harbor CC. That summer he played baseball (shortstop and outfielder) for the Bellingham Post 7 Senior Legion team, coached by local baseball icon Mal Walton, and was the squad's MVP. He received a number of professional tryouts. But because he could not go to another junior college to play baseball, having already signed with GHCC, Locker opted to play baseball at Western.

A big factor in Pat's decision was older brother Mike, who had competed as a freshman in both football and baseball for the Vikings during the 1975-76 school year. Mike, who played outside linebacker and fullback, finished with 1,269 career yards rushing at Western, ranking him among the school's top 10 leaders.

"My brother Mike told me to come up and play baseball at Western," said Pat. "And since I was there, I decided to try out for football after Boyde Long (then the WWSC director of athletics and head football coach) spoke to me and said Mike had talked to him and felt I could play."

With the defensive unit very solid at linebacker, Locker opted for offense.

"Being a freshman, I was originally listed as second or third on the depth chart at running back," he said. "I wasn't thinking that I'd see a lot of playing time."

However, starter Rick Vanderyacht pulled a hamstring during the week of the season opener and could not play. That gave Locker his opportunity, and he made the most of it.

Locker ran 27 times for 187 yards (6.9 apc) against Lewis and Clark as he began the best season by a running back in school history, finishing with 1,340 rushing yards on 269 attempts (5.0 apc) and 10 touchdowns. He had eight 100-yard running games (with 96 in another contest), including a school-record 225-yard, three touchdown effort at Southern Oregon.

"When I first started here, all I could think of was how big those (defensive) linemen were," said Locker, only half kidding. "I was so scared of getting hit, I'd be reversing field and going all over the place trying not to get hit by those big guys. I guess I got to be pretty good at dodging people."

Locker had stepped into a veteran-laden offense at Western. The Vikings had an experienced quarterback in Bill Mendelson, three talented receivers in Hoyt Gier, Jeff Potter and Terry Veltkamp, and a solid offensive line made up of Andy Harlin, Glenn Martin, Scott Stokes, Bill Evans and Rick Brudwick.

A victory over Southern Oregon in the regular-season finale propelled the Vikings, who finished 7-3, to the NAIA District 1 Championship game where they prevailed, 48-28, over Pacific Lutheran. Locker had 158 yards on the ground in what was the first post-season contest in program history.

"I had watched PLU play as a kid," Locker recalled. "They were the juggernaut at that time. To be able to play against them in a district title game was unbelievable. We came to battle that day. Everyone contributed and we had all kinds of amazing things happen."

Three more standout seasons as Viking

Locker ran for 842 yards as a sophomore in 1977. The Vikings again played PLU in the district title contest, this time at Seattle's Kingdome as part of a doubleheader with the NAIA National Championship game. Unfortunately, there was a four-week gap between the district contest and when Western had last played.

Locker became ill near the end of the regular season and had dropped nearly 30 pounds heading into the PLU game. He carried just six times for eight yards in a 24-0 loss to the Lutes.

"One thing I was really proud of during my career was the fact that I was virtually injury free," said Locker. "In four years I never missed a game, but I would have loved to have been healthy for that PLU contest."

After falling just 20 yards short of a second 1,000-yard rushing season in 1978, Locker netted 887 as a senior in 1979.

"I gained more yards as a freshman than I did in any of the next three years," he said, "but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact I was being keyed on so much. I would like to think that I got better."

Thoughts about going pro

As a senior, Locker was scouted by 16 National Football League teams, and had a couple of tryouts on campus in Carver Gym. At that time, no Western player had ever competed in a regular-season NFL game.

"The two teams that showed the most interest in me were Dallas because of Boyde (Long), and the Seahawks because of my being local," Locker remembered. "I got a letter from both those teams telling me to stay around my phone on draft day. But I went out and chopped wood with my dad and the call never came."

"There were a couple free agent tryouts I was invited to, but I didn't go. Being married and with a child on the way, I had to put it all in perspective. Had I gotten what I'd wanted (from football)? After my senior year and that feeling I'd had, I felt that I'd proven that I was an okay football player. At that time to pursue the NFL would have taken a lot of time and luck. For me, the decision was easy. I was married to my best friend and I really wanted to be a father and a husband."

Locker has worked the past 24 years as a real estate broker, the last 14 with his wife of 38 years, Vicki, who also obtained her license. They have three grown children, daughter Tegan, and sons Marc and Logan. Prior to that, Locker spent nine years at the Intalco Aluminum Corporation, two at Pacific Installation and four at Locker's Fitness Systems.

Looking back

When Locker is asked what he enjoyed most about Western, it's not the records or accolades he talks about. It's the relationships.

"I don't think that I could have picked a better college to play football for," he said. "I met a lot of great people. We had a good team that performed well and was respected by the other coaches and teams we played. The guys that I played with on those teams were successful and are great role models in their communities. Whenever we get together, we love talking about those four years at Western. It was a time in life that defined a group of young men who found an identity through college football."

"Being a person who played sports since the third grade, I've had a handful of coaches who truly impacted me and changed me as an athlete and person. In my life, next to my dad, Coach Boyde Long is the one who influenced me the most. I remember distinctly the first week after joining his program, I knew it was a fit.

"To this day, when I talk about my teammates and those four years on the hill, I have the same feeling. A heartfelt love and respect for the team we were and the college we played for.

"Now, 38 years later, to have the same relationships with my teammates and have the camaraderie and friendships continue is incredibly special. Those four years at Western truly changed my life. It gave me a purpose and the ability to take that next step in life."

Locker legacy began with father Hugh

The Locker legacy began with father Hugh, who was a fullback at then Western Washington College of Education in the early 1950s after being a two-time all-city league running back at Ballard High School in Seattle and serving an 18-month military stint in Korea.

Hugh and his wife of 60 years, Barbara, had four sons, Mike and Pat, and later John and Scott. All four starred at Ferndale High and played football at Western. Hugh had met Barbara while commercial fishing in the San Juan Islands. Barbara and her family lived on a farm near Friday Harbor.

Hugh and Barbara now have 12 grandchildren and all were student-athletes who lettered in at least one sport at FHS.

Pat's daughter Tegan played softball and was on the color guard at FHS, and sons Marcus and Logan both played football and baseball at FHS.

Mike's son Cameron, a WWU graduate, competed in golf and cross country at FHS; and daughter Amanda played softball and volleyball at FHS.

Scott's son, Jake, became a once in a lifetime athlete, being a Parade All-American and all-state quarterback at FHS and later starting at the University of Washington as well as for the NFL Tennessee Titans, who drafted him eighth overall in 2011.

Scott's daughters, Alyssa and Erika, played basketball and volleyball at FHS, and Erika went on to play four years of basketball at Central Washington.

John's son, Brady, played football and baseball at FHS and baseball at Arizona Western and Western Oregon. Another son, Casey, competed in football and baseball at FHS and was a starting defensive back at Washington State; and a set of twins, son Riley, who played football at FHS; and daughter Haley, who played soccer for four years at San Diego State.

Locker's records stood test of time

It was a decade before any of Pat Locker's school game (225), season (1,340) and career (4,049) rushing records were broken. Scott Lohr ran for 1,395 yards in 1989 with game highs of 243 and 240. Jon Brunaugh garnered 4,073 career yards from 1992 to 1995 with a game best of 279 as a freshman. Even after the 2008 campaign when WWU dropped its football program, Brunaugh and Lohr were the only players ahead of Locker in any of those categories.

Three of the dozen records Locker established still stand, including those for season all-purpose yards (1,788 in 1976) and career rushing attempts (848) and all-purpose yards (5,085).

Locker was quite literally a groundbreaker for the Vikings.

By Paul Madison who served 48 years as sports information director at WWU from 1966 to 2015