Jan. 31, 2018

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

Carver Memories -- 1985 to 1991

Inspirational Vikings: Michael Dahl and Donna Monette

Both made huge WWU hoop contributions in back-up roles, now continue serving as law enforcement officers

BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- Despite spending the majority of their collegiate basketball careers coming off the bench, Michael Dahl and Donna Monette each made exceptional contributions to their respective Western Washington University men's and women's programs.

Now both continue to give of themselves by serving the people of Washington State as law enforcement officers.

Dahl was a four-year letter winner for the Viking men from 1987 to 1991, and Monette, whose married name is Main, earned a similar number of letter awards for the WWU women from 1985 to 1989. Each was their team's inspirational leader in all of those campaigns.

Dahl, 51, who had gone into military service immediately after high school, earned a degree in corporate fitness, physical education, health and recreation from WWU in 1991. He is now in his 27th year as a member of the Washington State Patrol, and is completing his eighth year as a captain.

Dahl is married to the former Alma Salcedo. He has three children, daughter Alexandra, and sons Tate and Jackson.

Monette, 51, graduated from WWU in 1990 with degrees in exercise science and sports psychology. She was an account representative for a food company for 12 years, traveling throughout Washington and Oregon. During that time, she married Steve Main and they had two sons, Cory and Connor. Then, at age 42, she decided to make a career change to law enforcement.

Monette was hired by the Port Orchard (Wash.) Police Department on Sept. 29, 2009, and was commissioned as a police officer on Feb. 9, 2010. On July 31, 2013, she was promoted to police sergeant and became the first female supervisor for the POPD.

Both Dahl and Monette played on WWU hoop teams that won district titles and competed at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

As a 21-year-old freshman, Dahl was a member of the 1987-88 Vikings squad, coached by Brad Jackson, that reached the second round at nationals and finished 28-8. It was the program's first trip to nationals since 1972.

Monette played on two teams that got to the national quarterfinals, one as a freshman in 1986 (25-8) and the other as a senior in 1989 (30-5). Both squads were directed by Hall of Fame coach Lynda Goodrich.

Monette also served as a graduate assistant coach for a year after completing her eligibility.

Michael Dahl

Dahl was the Vikings' inspirational award winner all four years that he played.

"People who know our program recognize the influence he had," said then WWU head coach Brad Jackson of Dahl. "He was the heart and soul of our club during his playing days."

"He was totally sold out to Western basketball. His intensity, drive and leadership were significant every year he played. He wouldn't let our teams quit."

How much respect did Dahl have?

Prior to his junior year, he was elected team captain by a vote of the players. That came after he had played a grand total of 192 minutes the previous season. As a senior, Jackson simply assigned Dahl to the role.

Dahl, who was born in Germany and grew up as a "military kid," was a walk-on at WWU in 1987 after spending three years in the Army as a military policeman. He did not even start playing organized ball until his junior year at North Thurston High School in Lacey, Wash.

"I went into the Army with a three-fold purpose," Dahl said. "One, I wanted to get money to go to college. Two, to get experience as a police officer. I tried to get exposure to everything by doing as many jobs as I could. And three, to mature and grow physically, by lifting (weights) and playing ball, and grow as a basketball player."

Near the end of his Army hitch, Dahl began to look for a place to go to college and play ball. For a number of reasons, including being acquainted with Jackson from Brad's days as head coach at Olympia High School, Dahl came to Western. But there wasn't a roster spot waiting for him, he had to earn one.

"When school started, coach said that there were two spots open, and that I'd be one of 30 guys trying out," Dahl said. "After the second day, he said that he was cutting down to 16, and that he might fill the two spots or he might not fill any.

"I was thinking, `What have I gotten myself into? If I had gotten out, I probably would have become a football player, but I made it.'"

By surviving the cut that year, Dahl ended up on a team led by seniors James Johnson and Tim Dickerson that won the district title and went to the NAIA National Tournament. Dahl didn't play a lot, all of 71 minutes to be precise, but he made his contribution.

"The basketball part was a struggle, but Mike was a competitor, and he worked hard every day," Jackson said. "He always had the team's best interests at heart. With Tim and James, we had good leadership, but Mike was never afraid to get after somebody. He'd challenge people."

Being a leader became Dahl's primary role.

"Sometimes people get a misconception about leadership," Jackson said. "It isn't always the case that the best player should be captain. It takes an ability to take control and understand what needs to be done."

"Give Mike a project, like we did at camps or with recruiting and his response is `Coach, there's nothing that can hurt me and there's nothing I can't do.' Give him a task, and you know that it will be done right, and be done right now."

But Dahl didn't settle for contributing with just his leadership and desire. He worked hard to develop his game. At 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, he became someone the Vikings could depend on to provide a muscular presence inside.

In the opening game of his senior season in 1990-91, Dahl made his first career start and responded with his finest game. He scored a career-high 19 points and had a game-high 12 rebounds as Western beat Oregon Tech, 111-93.

"He contributed on the floor in games the way he had off the floor for three years," Jackson said. "He always battled. We saw the fruits of a lot of hours of practice and time in the weight room. He became a strong defensive player and rebounder."

It was a long way from playing about one minute out of every 20 as Dahl did as a freshman.

"I played 71 minutes my entire freshman season," he recalled. "As a senior, it was 20-plus minutes a game. That made me play even harder. Every time I heard my name announced as a starter, I thought back to three years ago when James Johnson and Tim Dickerson were being announced and I was hoping we'd blow the other team out so I'd get a chance to play."

Going from the last guy on the bench to part-time starter gave Dahl a unique perspective.

"I walked out of here feeling that I'd run the gamut of every spot from 12th man to starter," he said. "I'd moved up a little every year and been exposed to so many things. I never took that for granted."

Dahl, who graduated from Western in the summer of 1991, left with no regrets. Something that happened after the final game of his freshman year had a lot to do with that.

"We had just lost in Kansas City," Dahl said. "Sitting in the locker room, (teammate) Garth Stroyan looked at me and said, `I can't believe it's over.' I thought about what a contrast that was. He was a senior walking out the door, and I was just getting started. I told myself, `I didn't want to get to that point and feel like I forgot to accomplish something.'"

"I thought of that about once a week. I wanted to suck everything I could out of my experience here. When the buzzer for my very last game went off, I walked off the floor feeling as though I had given everything that I possibly could."

Dahl's career as a state patrol officer began in the fall of 1991. He has held a number of different positions during his nearly three decades of service, including five years in the motorcycle division.

During the summer of 1994, Dahl was first on the scene for an accident that involved Christie Kamena, the wife of then sports information assistant Butch Kamena, now Western's assistant athletic director for compliance and academics. Christie, a teacher, was a WWU graduate and a member of the Vikings' game-day statistics crew.

Christie was driving north on I-5 in Bellingham when a vehicle with a trailer attached swerved, pushing her car into a median barrier. It flipped twice and miraculously landed upright. During those seconds, Christie remembered saying to herself, "This is how I'm going to die," but minutes later found herself looking into the face of Dahl, who she knew well, and figured everything was going to be all right. That proved correct as she suffered just a minor case of whiplash.

"The best part of this job has been the confidence that I have knowing that I save lives and make people's lives safer," Dahl said. "Every officer that stops a drunk driver, arrests someone who has warrants or is a violent offender can be confident that they saved lives that day."

Dahl speaks with pride and points to specific examples when talking about his life's work.

"I have stopped two suicidal subjects including one that tried to drag me into traffic with him. I have worked after storms and natural disasters when people were confused or worried about what was going on and hopefully given them confidence that it was going to be okay."

"I worked after 9-11 and for weeks came across people who were scared or concerned about our country and, along with my fellow troopers, was able to say with confidence that we were on the watch so they could feel safe. It is a powerful feeling indeed to be a guardian and to have the responsibility of taking care of your fellow man.

"But the satisfaction of knowing that I made a difference today is the most gratifying thing I could imagine. Having a spirit of service is an honorable thing."

Donna Monette

During her career at WWU, while not starting, Monette played in 122 games, a school record at the time. And, in each of those contests, she was the team's acknowledged sparkplug. A voice above all others that exhorted the Vikings no matter if things were going good or bad.

After arriving in the fall of 1985, Monette was the heart and soul of Western women's basketball for four years. She made a huge impact on the program.

"Donna was the most inspirational player I coached and she led by example," said her coach Lynda Goodrich. "There wasn't a player who didn't respect her and was motivated by her."

"She (Monette) was so positive and encouraged every one, and she played so unselfishly," said former teammate Carmen Dolfo, who succeeded Goodrich as Western's head coach and is now in her 27th season.

As a freshman, the bleacher bellowers loved Monette. As she cheered Western from the bench, her fans roared from the stands with posters and confetti.

Organized by friends in Ridgeway Alpha, her freshman residence hall, the fan club progressed to large banners and buttons with Monette's photo on them.

And Donna. She moved up, too, to a more important role.

"It was hard to sit on the bench that first year," admitted Monette. "But now I'm glad that I did. It's incredible how much I learned, just listening to Coach (Lynda) Goodrich and watching the older players."

Surprisingly, perhaps, Monette changed the Viking basketball program as much as it changed her.

"She was a little different from our usual off-guard," explained Goodrich, who usually had outstanding outside shooters at that spot. "Donna didn't sit outside and pop shots. She was very strong, aggressive, and she liked to post up and get rebounds."

Monette herself admitted: "I was more confident if I could go over or through someone than I was shooting from 15 feet out."

So, instead of expecting her to change her style of play, Goodrich altered the Vikings' offense to encompass Monette's abilities.

The 5-foot-9 Monette, who was born in The Philippines, averaged around five points and four rebounds in each of her last three seasons.

Why did fans at Western grow to love her so much? Because whether she was on the bench or on the floor, she was intensely in the game. She would sacrifice her body for any loose ball.

At the time, Goodrich said, "the only problem with Donna is that it's too bad she wasn't 6-foot-2, because if she was she'd be an All-America post-player. She's a post player at heart."

"Donna is the type of player every coach loves to have. During her time here, I never saw Donna be down about anything. She came to practice and to every game just mentally ready to give it her all."

Monette appreciated her playing time and the confidence Goodrich had in her.

"Just knowing that coach (Goodrich) thought I was good enough to put me in every game makes me feel good. A game might be very close, but she still put me in."

"However, I must admit one thing," Monette said with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure Coach Goodrich put me in so many games not because of my basketball ability but because she needed a break from me yelling on the bench. I'm sure, if you ask her, that she blames me for any hearing loss she's had."

Monette was a four-sport star at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Wash. As a senior during the 1984-85 school year, she was named the Bremerton Sun's Female Prep Athlete of the Year and the school's Female Athlete of the Year.

Monette was a three-time All-Narrows League choice in basketball, averaging 10.2 points, 15 rebounds and five steals per game as a senior. She also was all-league in volleyball and softball, and twice placed third in the javelin (with a best of 147 feet) at the Class AAA state track meet, while setting school records in both the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles.

"The big choice I had to make when coming to school at Western was giving up sports," she said. "My coaches at South Kitsap always told me track would be my strongest sport. But my first love was basketball. I know I made the right choice."

Monette did not come from a particularly athletic family.

Diane Brummer, another excellent SKHS athlete, was Monette's best friend and it was she who encouraged Donna.

"I was a big tomboy when I was growing up," said Monette. "I was always playing sports with the boys. Girls my age were always playing jump rope. I would go out and play kickball or something."

Her attitude has carried over to her chosen profession. Monette says that she loves being a police officer.

"I wake up every day ready for the day," said Monette. "I'm so glad that they took a chance on me. I had always wanted to go into law enforcement. The time at 42 was right."

"I was really blessed with a great job before I decided to become a police officer. The decision wasn't about making more money. In reality, I actually gave up quite a bit. It was about making a positive difference in the community where my family and friends live.

Donna is passionate about solving problems.

"Not always is solving the problem taking someone to jail," she said. "I like to help people. I think that there is hope for everyone -- even those in jail."

Monette said that when she is transporting a person to the county jail, she has approximately five minutes with them in her patrol car.

"In that five minutes in my car, we talk about what we can change, how we can change, what resources are out here. It's my five minutes of being a mom and preach to them. I try to convey that this is not the end of the world. It's just a moment in time and things can be changed."

Monette carries small rocks with her with the word "hope" on them, that she hands out.

In 2013, Monette was the recipient of the Accommodation for Ongoing Community-Related Service award presented by American Legion Post 30.

That year, Monette helped a woman who had her wheelchair stolen. Because there were so few leads, Donna contacted a local thrift store to find a wheelchair to replace the one stolen. The thrift store manager donated the wheelchair and had it delivered to the woman.

The Port Orchard police chief got a letter from the West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team praising Monette's proactivity on drug enforcement as well as letters from various people or groups thanking her for her professionalism and dedication.

The accommodation is not given out every year, and goes only to those who exceed duty requirements and for a pattern of community service.

"Donna has proven herself as a highly motivated, professional police officer, with a focus of making the community she serves better," Port Orchard Police Chief Geoffrey Marti said in an article on Aug. 9, 2013, in the Port Orchard Independent written by editor Dannie Oliveaux.

In 2017, Monette was selected as the best police officer for Kitsap County in a vote of community members.

"I love working in the community that I grew up in and currently live," said Monette."I try every day to make my community safer and offer hope to those who are struggling. I truly believe that I found my purpose in life and it is by far the best and most rewarding job in the whole world."

Q&A with Michael Dahl

Please describe what your time at Western meant to you?

I went to Western to get a first class education and to try to play basketball at the college level. I could not have imagined how much impact my time there would have had on me. I love the town and the school and I am proud to tell people that I went there and played there. I grew up as a military kid and did not have a "home town" technically. I still consider Bellingham to be my home and that is because of the relationships I had with my teammates, coaches and especially Brad Jackson. He placed a great deal of confidence in me from the start and it helped shape me as a man, a father and a police officer.

Why did you go into law enforcement?

I had the desire to be a Police Officer since I was a kid. I used to watch the Police shows on TV and I thought that job looked cool. One of the shows I loved was CHIPS, which was a corny show, but the motorcycle riding was my favorite part. When I joined the State Patrol, I joined specifically to be a Motor Officer. I eventually made it to the Motors Unit and spent five great years living a dream job.

Are there experiences from your basketball career or education at WWU that have helped you in your career

The confidence that Brad placed in me, by first selecting me to be the practice player that James Johnson hated most, (James was supremely talented, but did not like contact so my job was to beat him up in practice and make him more physical), and later by selecting me to be a Team Captain for two years, gave me confidence and allowed me to grow. In law enforcement, when you are contacting the public and when you are dealing with your fellow officers within the agency, being confident is critical. I know that being on a team with strong personalities at WWU and being asked to represent them and lead them has translated to the job I do now.

What influence did your coach have on you?

From the start, Brad challenged me. When I walked into his office to introduce myself and tell him that I wanted to play basketball, he was nice to me but also very direct. He did not tell me that I was going to make the team just because I showed up, in fact, he told me I would have to try out. Once I made the team, he told me very directly, again, that I should not be hopeful of getting a lot of playing time my first year. He told me that my job was to push James every day, to make him work outside his comfort zone and that my contribution would be in practice as a teammate and as a leader off the floor. I played 71 minutes the whole year. A lot of guys would have quit or complained about not playing, but I knew, because of how he treated me, that I was a big part of that team. To this day, I have a lot of love for Brad Jackson and I stay in touch with him. Other than my dad, he has had more influence on me and impact on my life than any other man. My kids know him and they know how much I respect him.

Brad was, for me, the perfect role model at that time in my life. He is a man that leads with caring and patience, not an iron fist and you wanted to play for him, not let him down. No one was scared of him, like some coaches want players to be. I respected him and he got the best out of me. He knew my strengths and what I was capable of even before I did and his impact on my leadership style now in WSP is obvious every day. I always say, he didn't give me confidence or just teach me to lead, he helped me grow and feel confident and that allowed me to be who I was inside.

You were a player who gave everything to the team despite not starting or seeing huge minutes. How has that translated to your career?

Basketball is a team sport. Every great team has star players and role players. There are examples everywhere in sports where the most talented team did not win. They can outplay other teams most of the time, but when adversity hits, if you do not have the right combination of people, you will fail. When I was playing less minutes, I knew my role in practice meant a great deal to my teammates. I always wanted them to have their biggest challenge in practice so the games were easier. My mentality was, "If you sweat in training, you won't bleed in combat." I never doubted that I was a contributor or that what I did for the team was important, either as a practice player or a starter.

It is the same with my career. At times, I have been a contributor and part of the bigger team, and at times, I have been the biggest contributor or leader of the team. I have used my experience at WWU to guide my people and ensure them that no matter what they are doing for the agency, it matters and is important to the overall mission. Sometimes you lead from the front and sometimes from behind the scenes. At all times, however, you give your all and do all you can do to ensure we succeed. No one gets to contribute with half effort.

How has the concept of being a part of a team helped you as a law enforcement officer?

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Teams are made of people who bring those strengths and weaknesses with them. As a team leader, you have to know what those are for each of your team members so you can put the pieces together properly and succeed.

As a WSP leader, it is my job to properly use the strengths to accomplish whatever we are trying to accomplish, and work to improve their weaknesses so they become strengths. Having been on teams that had a lot of talent, but weren't cohesive, and also on teams with less talent but great cohesion, it is obvious to me that working well together is often much more effective than having all the A performers. People who understand the mission and can see the vision ae more effective than those who have talent and are more inclined to have an attitude of "what's in it for me?"

Q&A with Donna Monette

Please describe what your time at Western meant to you?

My time at Western was amazing. I hadn't really ever been away from home for any extended amount of time, so this was a big eye opener for me. I'm grateful that I was a member of the basketball team because it made the transition from home to college a lot easier.

Why did you want to go into law enforcement?

I was really blessed with a great job before I decided to become a police officer. The decision wasn't about making more money. In reality, I actually gave up quite a bit. It was about making a positive difference in the community where my family and friends live.

What were your thoughts about your coach? What influence did your coach have on you?

Just thinking about how I would answer this question brings me to tears. The emotions and memories that run through my mind when I think about Coach Goodrich are overwhelming. Coach Goodrich is one of those people that you hope you're lucky enough to meet in your life and I honestly feel like I won the lottery. I not only got to meet her, I got to play for her and I was fortunate enough to become an assistant coach. Coach Goodrich was an advocate for women and through basketball and education she blazed a trail for all of us to follow. The influence that she had on me when I played for her still remains today. She taught me more than how to be a better basketball player, she taught me life lessons and prepared me for life after college. When I think about her, I think about the words; strength, integrity, passion, kindness, and inspiring. I can honestly say I'm a better person for having Coach Goodrich in my life.

You were a player who gave everything to the team despite not starting or seeing huge minutes. How has that translated to your career?

Coach Goodrich had such respect and trust from her players that whatever role she put you in you knew it was done for the betterment of the team. I was fortunate enough to make the basketball team and quickly learned that I was a big fish coming from a small pond (high school) to a team that was loaded with amazing talent. Coach Goodrich had the ability to tap into everyone's strengths to build a cohesive team. My job wasn't what it was in high school, my job was to change the tempo of the game and if Coach Goodrich thought that was my strength then I wanted to be the best tempo changer she ever coached.

The concept of understanding your role is so important in law enforcement and in life. Everyone brings something valuable to the table it's about finding where you fit in to make the team/squad/ department better. It's my job now as a Sergeant to discover the strengths and build on the weaknesses of each officer, help define their role on the team and inspire them to be better and do better. Once you understand your role, you can see just how important you are to the team.

How has the concept of being a part of a team helped you as a law enforcement officer?

When I decided to become a police officer one of the first things that entered my mind was the concept of being on a team again. Coaching a team of basketball players or being a sergeant of a patrol squad has a lot in common. I believe the overall goal for a coach or a sergeant is to lead by example, to inspire people to be better, to push people out of their comfort zone so they can grow and be stronger. When all of these things happen you are rewarded with hard working, passionate people that want to work together to achieve the goal/mission. Coach Goodrich set the standard for being able to inspire each individual player to perform at their best and contribute to the team.

What are the most satisfying aspects of being in law enforcement?

It's hard to pinpoint the most satisfying aspects because there are so many. I'd say one is actually working for the Port Orchard Police Department because I work with some really great people. I love working in the community that I grew up in and currently live. I try every day to make my community safer and offer hope to those that are struggling. I truly believe that I found my purpose in life and it is by far the best and most rewarding job in the whole world.

Other WWU student-athletes who have gone on to serve

A number of Western Washington University student-athletes have gone on to careers in law enforcement, firefighting and the military. Below is a partial list from the mid-1960s to the present.

Law Enforcement

Grant Assink, Men's Basketball
Gordy Belka, Football
Clark Bourgault, Men's Soccer
Ed Briggs, Men's Basketball
Michael Dahl, Men's Basketball
Rocky Champagne, Swimming
Dave Crass, Football
Andrea Fountain, Women's Soccer
Steve Gatterman, Football
Bill Hatchett, Football
Wendy Hawley, Women's Basketball
Kelly Heutink, Baseball
Dennis James, Football
Mitzi Johanknecht, Women's Basketball (elected King County Sheriff in 2017)
Keith Johnson, Men's Soccer
Scott Lohr, Football
Alayna Keppler, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Carr Lanham, Football
​​​​​​​Donna Monette, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Erik Morin, Football
​​​​​​​David Ortman, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Jason Schmidt, Men's Basketball
​​​​​​​David Sinex, Football
​​​​​​​Marty Starkovich, Football
​​​​​​​Mark Stokes, Football
​​​​​​​Todd Walcker, Football
​​​​​​​Mike Wagner, Football
​​​​​​​Jeff Yoder, Men's Track & Field

Firefighters

Dan Anderson, Football
​​​​​​​Alyssa Beauchamp, Women's Soccer
​​​​​​​Toby David, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Marci Grimsley, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Shane Gruger, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Sarah Hill, Women's Basketball
James Jasperson, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Zach King, Men's Soccer
​​​​​​​Greg Meier, Men's Basketball
​​​​​​​Tamalyn Nigretto, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Cindy Pancerzewski, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Tony Robinson, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Michael Stralser, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Garth Stroyan, Men's Basketball
​​​​​​​Jack Warner, Men's Track & Field

Military

Chris Anderson, Men's Golf
​​​​​​​Joe Henry, Football
​​​​​​​Todd McAllister, Men's Basketball
​​​​​​​Heidi Van Brocklin, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Bret Watson, Men's Track & Field
​​​​​​​Rod Whatley, Men's Basketball
​​​​​​​Trish Williams, Women's Basketball
​​​​​​​Jeff Yoder, Men's Track & Field

ONE-ON-ONE with Donna Monette

By Butch Kamena, Jan. 14, 1989

Three years may not seem like a long time, but in college basketball it can be.

Three years ago (1985-86), the biggest rival in NAIA District 1 for WWU women's basketball was Gonzaga, which has since moved up to the NCAA Division I ranks. In fact, the two schools faced each other five times that season, the last meeting being for the district championship.

Three years ago, a tied-up ball meant there would be a jump ball (now, there is an alternate possession arrow) as there was with 10 seconds left in the third and deciding game of the championship series.

And three years ago, Donna Monette was a freshman. Today, Monette is a senior and the only remaining player from that 1985-86 season. One of her most significant moments was also one of Western's.

With 10 seconds remaining in the third and deciding game of the 1986 District 1 championship series. Gonzaga led, 69-68. Western's Carmen Dolfo and Gonzaga's Carla Curfman had both grabbed onto a rebound under the Vikings' basket. A jump ball was called.

"It's like I saw everything in slow motion," said Monette. "I still get chills thinking about it."

The jump took place at Western's end of the court. Curfman tapped the ball toward the sidelines, where the Vikings' Kris Keltner grabbed it in front of Monette, who was standing in front of the Western bench.

"Kris fumbled the ball right in front of my face, but got control," Monette said. "She winged it to Anya (Aardahl), who smacked it to Lynda (Dart)."

Dart got the pass slightly to the left and behind the free throw line. Her 16-footer with six seconds left was perfect. Three seconds later, Gonzaga's Amy Simpson threw up a 65-foot desperation shot over the backboard and the Vikings were district champions.

"(As Dart's shot went up), I couldn't hear the crowd." Monette said. "Then it fell through and everything sped up again. At that point, it was like we had won nationals."

Actually, the Vikings hadn't even qualified for nationals. They did that two days later, defeating University of Portland, 84-55, in the Bi-District playoff game.

"We blew them out," said Monette. "We were on such a high, it just carried over."

The Vikings went on to the NAIA National Tournament, winning their first game before losing in the quarterfinals.

OFF THE COURT with Michael Dahl

By Clifford Pfenning, Feb. 18, 1989

Western's basketball cheerleaders do a great job of inspiring the fans to root for the home team. But the biggest inspiration for the Vikings comes from 6-foot-6 reserve center Michael Dahl, who keeps not only the crowd, but more importantly, his fellow teammates fired up.

"He's a great guy to have on your bench when you need him and he's up for every game," said assistant coach Greg Champlin. "He sees a lot too, and that helps the coaches out."

Dahl has a burning desire inside of him called "teamwork," and while competitive sports may have ignited that flame at an early age, serving in the U.S. Army for three years and, particularly, 14 months on the drug suppression team stoked that fire.

Hailing from Lacey, Dahl, 22, graduated from North Thurston High School in 1984 and enlisted in the army. He wanted to take advantage of the college fund and to beef-up for collegiate basketball.

"I didn't start playing basketball until my junior season in high school," Dahl explained. "In the Army, I worked out, grew an inch and gained 20 pounds."

He played in leagues at Fort Ritchie, Maryland, and Fort Lewis near Tacoma against "lots of good competition," including a maximum security prison team in Maryland.

After doing regular military police work, Dahl was selected to be part of a different kind of team, a drug suppression squad, as a undercover investigator.

Dahl and his unit would pose as GIs from different companies buying drugs from other soldiers and also as civilians who sold to GIs.

"We'd make three buys from a person and on the third one, we'd bust `em," said Dahl. "We worked closely with the local police and they would make all the arrests of the civilians."

According to Dahl, the operation was highly successful as his five-person team made at least one buy a week.

Dahl compares and credits the teamwork on the drug squad to his concept of it in athletics.

"You work with a team of people much like in basketball," he said. "When you're making a buy and you're going into a situation where your life may be on the line, it's important to know you can rely on the rest of your squad. You don't do anything by yourself."

Dahl has transferred that spirit to Western as he works hard to be the best that he can be and also push his fellow players toward perfection.

"All the guys on the team know my background (in basketball) and by giving it my all in practice, they can see the goal I'm striving for as I try to improve," said Dahl, "and that in turn encourages them."

Having a positive team attitude, Dahl said, is worth just as much as getting in a lot of playing time. "Whether I play or not doesn't really matter. I just want to encourage my teammates as much as I can so that we can go to Kansas City (NAIA National Tournament)."

Dahl said that he has dedicated his four years at Western to his grandfather, who died when Dahl was six and didn't have a chance to see his grandson play sports. Dahl takes his grandfather's picture with him when the team travels and puts it in his locker.

"From what everyone tells me, I was a lot like him, the way he encouraged people, and he's one of my inspirations."

Blood runs thick, doesn't it?

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