CARVER MEMORIES – March 2, 1960

Vikings win regional, earn first trip to hoop nationals

Season was turning point for Western men's basketball

 
(L-R: 1959-60 WWCE men's basketball team - Ed Vadset, Ron Crowe, Gary Mose, Talis Abolins, Bud Bloch, Jim Greer, Terry Clayton, Bob Gilda, Herman Washington, Ron Saltis, Derm Cunningham, Mike Kirk)

BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- From the beginning of men's basketball at Western Washington University in the fall of 1902 through the spring of 1927, the Vikings won 66.3 percent (185-94) of their games. Over the next 30 years, Western prevailed in just 38.6 percent (236-376) of its contests.
 
The decline ended with the 1959-60 campaign when the Vikings finished 19-8, the win total being a school record, and made the program's first trip to a national tournament. That began a 60-year run through this spring (2019) during which Western has posted a winning percentage of 67.3 (1,173-569).
 
The turning point for that stretch came on March 2, 1960, when Western defeated powerful Pacific Lutheran, 82-76, to win the third and deciding contest of a best two-out-of-three game National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) regional playoff series at the Physical Education Building on the Western campus.
 
The regional title advanced the Vikings to Kansas City, Missouri, for their initial national appearance, an opening round contest of the 32-team National Intercollegiate Basketball Championship Tournament (forerunner of NAIA national tournament) at Municipal Auditorium.
 
There on March 8, Western, the No. 4 seed, fell 64-53 to Arkansas A&M. Despite the disappointing loss, the campaign was by far the best up to at that time for the Sehome Hill-based school.


Jack Hubbard

The breakthrough for Western came via the efforts of head coach Jack Hubbard, who was in his fifth year at the school. He brought in five transfers, all from four-year schools, and recruited four freshmen to go along with three returning letter winners, only one of whom started the previous year. Throughout the season, that unit came together to achieve what no other Viking squad had accomplished previously.
 
Hubbard, who was inducted into Western's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, the same year that he passed away, came to the Vikings following eight seasons coaching in the high school ranks. He started on a state champion basketball team at Everett High School, played basketball and earned bachelors and master's degrees at Central Washington and served 3-1/2 years in the U.S. Marines during World War II.
 
"He was a very interesting man, a very smart guy who I believe never got the credit he deserved," said Keith Kingsbury, a jayvee player at Western in 1959-60. Kingsbury, who became a close friend of Hubbard, coached basketball 32 years during a Northwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame career at Edmonds Community College.
 
"He was innovative, way ahead of his time in Xs and Os, a real student of the game … and he was a really sensitive guy who cared about people and cared about his players."
 
"My dad was the most honorable man, a devoted husband and father," said Louise Schuum, one of Hubbard's triplet daughters. "He survived the Bataan Death March, coming home on a hospital ship after being shot and bayoneted. He had attacks from the malaria he contracted (in the Philippines) for the rest of his life. He paid the price for being a dedicated and much-decorated marine."
 
"My dad always kept things in perspective. He told every team he coached, be a gentleman first, student second and athlete third."
 
Because of Hubbard's recruiting efforts, the Vikings were picked as the preseason favorite to win the Evergreen Conference (Evco) title. But defending champion Pacific Lutheran, which had reached the national title game the previous season, was riding a string of five Evco championships.
 
The two rivals fought it out throughout the campaign for the top spot in the league standings. They met four times during the regular season, each team winning twice.
 
Western finished in a tie with Pacific Lutheran for first place in the league at 10-4. It was not only the Vikings' first Evco basketball crown since the conference was formed in 1948, but also their first league hoop title of any kind in 33 years.
 
Squad Included Three Returnees, Nine New Faces
 
Western's team captain, senior point guard Derm Cunningham (6-0, Bellingham), was the lone starter back from its 14-8 team of 1958-59, which reached the post-season against Pacific Lutheran. A U.S. Marine veteran, the 25-year-old paced the Vikings in assists and spearheaded a defense that ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 62.4 points per game.  
 
"You can have a bad night on offense, but there should be no reason for a bad defensive show," said Hubbard in a newspaper interview that season. "One of our main assets all year has been a reliable defense that we have maintained."
 
The other two returning letter winners were sharp-shooting guard Ed Vadset (6-1, Seattle/Lincoln), who earned a starting spot, and junior forward Ron Saltis (6-1, Kelso), who saw considerable action off the bench and started on occasion.
 
The rest of the first five included two seniors and one junior who had all transferred from four-year schools. Forward Ron Crowe (6-2, Puyallup) and center Jim Greer (6-7, Seattle/Franklin) had earned two letters each at the University of Washington; and forward Bud Bloch (6-5, Bellingham) spent one year at Seattle University where he played on the frosh squad. Crowe had transferred to Western during the spring of 1959 while Greer and Bloch arrived in the fall of 1958.
 
"We (UW) had a coaching change, Tippy Dye left to become the athletics director at Wichita State," Crowe explained. "And there were a whole bunch of players coming in that the new coach (John Grayson) wanted to play.
 
"My best friend was Jim Greer and he was already up at Western. It was kinduva strange deal, even though he was a two-year varsity player for the Huskies, he got cut. I guess they had too many centers. So, Greer was up at Western, but he sat out because he wasn't eligible. And he kept in touch with me, telling me that Coach Hubbard was really a great guy and he just loves forwards to get all the shots and that definitely got my attention for sure. So, he kinda talked me into coming to Western.
 
"Late in the year when I knew that I might be leaving the Huskies, I went to a Western game at Seattle Pacific. I was having a little trouble in the PAC-8 as a 6-foot-2 forward who couldn't jump very well. But I watched that game and I felt that I could tear that league (Evco) apart. I might have overplayed myself, but that's really what I was thinking."
 
Two more Viking transfers, now eligible after sitting out a season, were swingman Gary Mose (6-4, Arlington) and forward Terry Clayton (6-5, Port Angeles). Both had played on the UW frosh team and were sophomores in eligibility.
 
Completing Western's squad were four freshmen – forward Herman Washington (6-2, Tacoma/Stadium), center Bob Gilda (6-4, Bellingham/Meridian), forward Talis Abolins (6-4, Sumner) and guard Mike Kirk (5-11, Sequim).
 
Washington received all-state honors in helping Stadium High School to the Class AA state title and was the state high jump champion in track & field. Abolins was a second-team all-state pick, Kirk an all-league choice and Gilda, Meridian High's Athlete of the Year.
 
Washington saw considerable minutes from the first time he stepped on the court at Western.
 
"Herman was a real positive for us," said Crowe. "He was coming off a state championship at Stadium. He'd come off the bench when we'd start getting tired, could jump out of the gym, and really bailed us out."


Ron Crowe
 
Crowe, who was "sixth man" at the UW as a sophomore, received Associated Press All-America honorable mention as a senior at Western. He and Vadset were named to the Who's Who in Small College Basketball for 1959-60.
 
Crowe was a first-team pick and Greer a second-team choice on the prestigious Washington State Labor News Sixth Annual All-Star Basketball Team selected from all of the four-year accredited colleges in the state of Washington.
 
Crowe and Vadset were each named first-team all-Evco with Greer receiving honorable mention.
 
Crowe averaged a school-record 20.3 points per game (548) and 7.6 rebounds (197), converting 162 free throws (73.0 percent), a record that stood for 46 years.
 
"Derm Cunningham got me the ball all the time and I was living on the free throw line," said Crowe.
 
Making Crowe so difficult to defend was his unorthodox jump shot. Released well behind his head, often while fading away, it was virtually impossible to block.
 
Greer posted averages of 10.1 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds (240), and Vadset averaged 12.1 points, shooting a team-best 81.0 percent (64-of-79) at the free throw line.
 
Bloch averaged 5.3 points and 6.5 rebounds (168), Washington 6.4 points and 7.0 rebounds, including 19 against Seattle Pacific on Dec. 11, 1959, and Mose 4.2 points.
 
"It was an interesting year because we were kind of a hodge-podge team of transfers and freshmen and Hubbard was fabulous," Crowe said. "He was a tough guy for sure. Man, did he know how to motivate. He was tough on us, but we needed that. He played a big role."
 
"Western had no tradition at all (at the time). It's really hard to define how we did it except for good timing and a great job Hubbard did of taking a bunch of interesting characters and making it work. And winning that last (regional) game against PLC. It was quite a season."
 
A Season Of Many Ups And Some Downs
 
After losing its season-opener to Saint Martin's at the University of British Columbia Tipoff Tournament, Western bounced back to beat the host Thunderbirds, 67-61. Crowe was bothered by an ankle injury in the early going.
 
Western then went on a season-best, five-game winning streak that included two victories at the Carroll College (Helena, Montana) Christmas Tournament.
 
Following a loss at Puget Sound, Western won eight of 10 games. Highlighting that run was a 78-48 drubbing of Pacific Lutheran, snapping its nearly four-year long, 41-game Evco winning streak. Crowe, Bloch and Vadset combined for 60 points in that contest.
 
Revenge played a big role in that game as the Vikings had been beaten by 46 points, 104-58, in their last meeting with the then Gladiators to end the 1958-59 season. Hubbard was very upset over how Pacific Lutheran had conducted itself in that game.
 
"We blew them out by 30 points to break that winning streak," said Crowe. "And we felt pretty good about that. But then we went down to Tacoma a few weeks later and they got us about as bad. So, it was really back and forth."
 
Another Viking triumph was 73-59 over Eastern Washington, Hubbard's first over the then Savages as Greer collected 19 rebounds.
 
In an 83-74 triumph over Whitworth at Spokane on Feb. 6, Crowe broke the school scoring record with 40 points, making 13 of 33 field goals and 14 of 16 free throws. The old mark of 33 points had been set by Leroy Nelson in 1957.
 
"I remember a lot of close misses and the fact that I got fouled so much," Crowe said. "And for some reason my sister, who was going to Washington State at the time, and my mom, who came over from Puyallup for Mom's Weekend, were in the stands for that game. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but it was nice having them there."
 
The Vikings dropped two of their last five regular-season games, and that would have been worse if not for the heroics of Vadset. In an 86-85 win in overtime against Pacific Lutheran, he scored the final two points of regulation and all 12 Western points in the extra period for a 26-point total while Crowe added 30 points and 14 rebounds. The Vikings connected on 26-of-31 free throw attempts, 83.9 percent, in the game.
 
"Vadset was great," said Hubbard following the contest. "It was by far his greatest game for Western. "In our big wins this season, we've been fortunate in having somebody take charge at just the right time."
 
Vadset also had the last four points, all on free throws, in a 66-62 must-win over Puget Sound to end the regular season.
 
Western's victory over the Loggers clinched a tie for the Evco title, and gave the Vikings home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Crowe scored 20 points to break the Evco season scoring record by two, finishing with 317 points in 14 games.
 
Post-Season
 
Having completed the regular-season 15-6, the Vikings met Seattle Pacific in a loser-out district playoff game and won by 15, 73-58. Washington scored 14 points in that contest played at Bellingham High School.
 
The victory advanced Western to the best two-out-of-three game regional playoffs against Pacific Lutheran, which had gone forward with a district playoff win over Central Washington. The games were scheduled for consecutive days at the P.E. Building.


 P.E. Building Court

The Vikings' home court, which seated 1,200, was located on the second floor of a brick building erected in 1936. It had arched windows and girders across the ceiling. Sound echoed loudly throughout the structure and there were just a few feet between the baseline and the wall behind each basket. There was also very little room between the sidelines and the first row of bleachers.
 
"That place was just rocking for every game," said Bob Jacobs, who was an assistant varsity basketball coach, head junior varsity coach and athletics trainer as a graduate student at Western during the latter part of Hubbard's seven-year tenure.
 
"People were wedged in there so tightly that you couldn't get a shoe horn between them."
 
"It was definitely a home court advantage, a small, small gym," Crowe acknowledged. "The crowds were super that year. You'd often run into the wall on driving lay-ins, it was kind of bizarre. But it was a super home court advantage."
 
Western won the opening game of the regional series with Pacific Lutheran, 81-71, as Saltis came off the bench to score 13 points during a key second-half stretch. Crowe had 21 points, Vadset 19 and Greer 15.
 
"Coach put me in to provide more energy," said Saltis. "Jack really knew the game and took it very seriously. He was an excellent defensive coach and did a good job in keeping control of all the players. I remember him having the team over to his home several times."
 
In the second game, the Vikings suffered their only home court loss of the season. Pacific Lutheran scored 47 points in the second half to win 83-68. Western, which led 39-36 at halftime, managed only two field goals in the first 11 minutes of the final period.
 
"In that second game, they ran everything at me," recalled Crowe. "Whoever I was guarding got the ball and I fouled. So what Hubbard did as an adjustment for the final game was to go zone, which we had never played much all year, and it worked."
 
In the third and deciding regional encounter, Greer, who had not scored a single point the day before, responded with a game-high 24 points, many of them coming on his patented hook shot. Crowe finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Washington had 15 points and 13 rebounds.


 Herman Washington

Western never trailed in the contest, leading 42-36 at halftime. The Vikings clinched the six-point win, 82-76, with nine straight free throws by Washington in the final minutes.
 
Greer fouled out with five minutes remaining, but Gilda, a 215-pound freshman, came off the bench with some solid defense and strong rebounding as the Vikings closed the deal.
 
"I was so happy to be on the team and be one of 10 players on the varsity," said Gilda in recalling that time. "I felt that my contributions were defense, rebounding, screening on offense to get others open (for shots) and encouraging the other players. I felt fortunate to be a part of that squad."   
 
When the final buzzer sounded, Western students stormed the floor and lifted the champion Vikings onto their shoulders. Hubbard was barely able to get his dress pants off before being tossed into the showers.
 
"I don't think there was a louder gym for a Western game I attended than that one," said Dick Stark, who was just beginning a long career in sports broadcasting. "There was a big contingent from Tacoma with signs reading "Eat Crowe."
 
The anticipation for those games was unbelievable on campus and for the whole city of Bellingham. They were so much fun to watch. You couldn't wait for the next game."
 
The Vikings' win broke a four-year stranglehold that Pacific Lutheran had on the district/regional championship since the 1955-56 season. The The Parkland-based school went on to capture three more titles from 1961 to 1964 after achieving university status and having a nickname change to Knights later in 1960 (later became the Lutes).
 
The gate for Western's four post-season games was slightly over $4,000, one of the best takes in NAIA northwest playoff history.


Autographed Game Ball from NAIA Regional Championship Game

On To Nationals
 
Making the trip to Kansas City for the Vikings, whose 19 wins were a school best, were Bloch, Clayton, Crowe, Cunningham, Gilda, Greer, Mose, Saltis, Vadset, Washington, Coach Hubbard and assistant coach Jacobs.
 
Western's flight to nationals on a prop plane began in Bellingham and had layovers at Portland, Ore., and Denver, Colo. It was at Denver, that Clayton failed to board the plane before it took off. After spending a cold night in an Oklahoma City airport, he arrived in K.C. early the next morning, the day before the Vikings' game with Arkansas A&M.
 
"A stewardess who had graduated with my class at Port Angeles High School was based in that city and we were catching up and eating in the airport cafeteria," said Clayton of the major slip-up that became a part of Western lore.


 
Crowe scored just nine points in the 64-53 loss at nationals, one of just two times he did not reach double figures all season. Vadset led Western with 19 points.
 
The Vikings, who trailed by just two points, 48-46, with eight minutes remaining, held Arkansas A&M well below its scoring average of 80 points a game, but could not get anything going themselves offensively.
 
"We were tight and feeling the effects of our first visit to nationals," said Hubbard in a Bellingham Herald story, "I thought that if we had played an average game we would have beaten Arkansas, a team that lacked height (no over over 6-2) but handled the ball well. It was just one of those deals. We tried too hard and nothing would go right."
 
"Our front line didn't produce the scoring we had to have. Ron Crowe picked up three fouls at the start of the game, and he couldn't do much after that."
 
"We just didn't have it," said Crowe. "I got in early foul trouble on a couple of weird calls … We should have won at least one, but then the next day Grambling, which was really something back then, played Arkansas A&M and beat them something like 108-32."
 
Saltis had another theory for the Vikings' poor performance, saying, "We stayed at a hotel that had steam heat and the place was so hot that by the time we left for the game we were spent. I remember all of us laying around, not being able to do anything."
 
Of note is that a number of Western players came down with the flu a couple days after that game.
 
On the day following the loss, the team flew back to Bellingham, but Hubbard elected to go home by himself on the train.
 
"I'm sure he was very disappointed and just wanted to be alone," said daughter Louise. "My dad was pretty hush-hush about his feelings."
 
Considering the talented squad spent much of the season learning how to play together, what it accomplished was incredible, and Hubbard deserved much of the credit.
 
"I remember how much I enjoyed it (the season) after coming here from such a big school," Crowe said. "How everybody treated me so super. I just really liked it. Everybody was so friendly. I got more individual attention academically. Nothing but really good memories."
 
"The biggest thing in coaching that group was team management," said Kingsbury. "This was a bunch of different characters who were damn good. They were all from different places and the key, as it is for any team, was to get them to play together, which was a major challenge for that bunch."
 
"But Hubbard knew people. He didn't over coach, he let them play while still having control … A special group of guys."
 
"The best part was playing with a group of guys that I liked," added Clayton. "My time at Western was the best four years of my life."
 
Aftermath
 
Despite Cunningham, Crowe, Greer and Vadset, all starters, completing their eligibility, Western again reached the post-season in 1960-61, finishing 16-9 with Washington averaging 13.8 points and 9.2 rebounds, the team leader in both categories.
 
A year later, the Vikings played their first game at the new Sam Carver Gymnasium on Dec. 6, 1961, versus Seattle Pacific. Following the 1961-62 campaign, Hubbard resigned to accept a position at Highline CC where he stayed for over 15 years. Replacing Hubbard at Western was Chuck Randall, who went on to earn NAIA Hall of Fame recognition during an 18-year tenure (275-186).
 
Brad Jackson became Western's head coach in 1985 and won 518 games over a 27-year stay that concluded with a NCAA Division II national title in 2012.
 
JACK HUBBARD – Inducted into four Athletic Hall of Fames, including Western (1984), Highline CC (1985), Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) (1989), and Central Washington (1995). Named the 1961 Whatcom County Sports Personality of the Year. Head men's basketball coach at Western from 1955-62, posting seven-season record of 86-83. Also coached the Viking baseball team to two conference titles and a program first trip to nationals. First men's basketball coach at Highline CC, directing that program from 1962-67. Also HCC men's athletic commissioner from 1970-78. Spent 16 years at HCC before retiring in 1979. Served on NWAC executive board from 1974-78 and as chairman of the board from 1976-78. Graduated from Central Washington in 1947 with bachelors and master's degrees. Played three seasons for the Wildcats in basketball and was a member of Central's first baseball team. His college education was interrupted by 3-1/2 years in the U.S. Marines during World War II where he earned numerous medals. After being an assistant coach for one season at Clarkston (Wash.) High School, he was head coach for four years at Mount Baker High School and three at Everett High before coming to Western. A Everett High graduate in 1941, he captained a Seagulls basketball team that won a state championship his senior year. He and wife Ulna had triplet daughters: Louise, Lorna and Linda. Hubbard died in 1984.
 
BOB JACOBS – Assistant varsity basketball coach, head junior varsity coach and athletics trainer as graduate student at Western from 1959 to 1962. Graduate of Mount Baker High School in 1949 where he played for Jack Hubbard his senior year. A four-sport letter winner at Washington State College (now Washington State University), graduating in 1953. Flew helicopters for the U.S. Army in East Germany from 1953 to 1956. After his discharge, he coached at Mount Baker High as a basketball and football assistant and head baseball coach for a few years before coming to Western to work on his master's degree. Coached Vikings' baseball team in 1961 and 1962. He then coached and taught in the Edmonds School District for over 30 years. Now retired, he lives on Camano Island.
 
RON CROWE – Member of Western Athletics Hall of Fame. Named to Who's Who in Small College Basketball for 1959-60. Honorable mention Associated Press All-America and selected to first-team Washington State Labor News Sixth Annual All-Star Basketball Team from all four-year accredited colleges in the state of Washington. First-team all-Evergreen Conference. Averaged 20.3 points (548 points), becoming first player in school history to average 20 or more points, and grabbed 197 rebounds. Set Evco season scoring record. Had a school-record 40 points in one game on Feb. 6, 1960 (13-33 FG and 14-16 FT) at Whitworth, breaking the standard by seven points. That mark stood until 1972. Set Western made free throws season record of 159 (for-220, 72.3 percent), a mark that lasted for 46 years. Transfer from University of Washington. Played two seasons on Husky varsity and one year on frosh team. Graduated from Western in 1961 with business degree. Owned a Puyallup insurance agency for 36 years. Elected mayor of Puyallup for three two-year terms and served 12 years as a city councilman. Graduate of Puyallup High School, reaching state as both a junior and senior. Averaged a team-high 17.3 points as a senior in 1955-56. He and wife Vanessa, who was a Western cheerleader, have two grown daughters.
 
JIM GREER – Lettered two seasons and played on frosh team at UW before transferring to Western. Averaged 10.1 points and had team-high 9.2 rebounds for Vikings in 1959-60. Grabbed 19 rebounds vs. Eastern Washington on Feb. 5, 1960. Graduated from Western in 1960 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. Head basketball coach and teacher for 30 years with stops at Rainier Beach High School (1960-70), Renton High School (1970-72), and Lindbergh High School (1972-89). Retired from teaching in 1992. A 1955 graduate of Franklin High School in Seattle. He and wife Geri of 37 years had two sons. Died on Jan. 16, 2014, at 77.
 
HERM WASHINGTON – Competed three seasons at Western. Led team in scoring and rebounding as sophomore in 1960-61, averaging 13.8 points (345) and 9.3 rebounds (233). As freshman, averaged 6.4 points and 7.0 rebounds. Grabbed 19 rebounds vs. Seattle Pacific on Dec. 11, 1959. Also lettered twice in track and field. In 1961, set school record in men's high jump of 6-7 5/8 and Evergreen Conference meet standard of 6-5, earning a trip to nationals. After a four-year stint in the service, returned to Western and played four games at the beginning of the 1965-66 season. Played AAU basketball and for many years was an orderly at the University of Washington Medical Center. Graduate of Stadium High School in Tacoma. Received first-team all-state honors as senior, helping the Tigers to the Class AA state basketball title, and was the state high jump champion in track.

ED VADSET – Played two years at Western. First-team all-Evergreen Conference selection as senior for Vikings and named to Who's Who in Small College Basketball for 1959-60. Graduated from Western with teaching degree. Transfer from Everett CC. Also played on frosh team at University of Washington. Taught and coached at Anacortes High School for 35 years. Long-time basketball official. Graduate of Lincoln High School in Seattle where he earned all-state honors.

DERMOT CUNNINGHAM – Outstanding ball-handler and tenacious defensive player. At 25 years of age, gave 1959-60 team leadership at point guard. Started two seasons for the Vikings, following two years on the junior varsity. Graduate of Bellingham High School in 1952 and spent four years in Marine Corps. Attended Western, graduating in 1960. Devoted next 39 years to teaching and coaching in the Bellingham School District, teaching at Franklin Elementary, Carl Cozier Elementary, Bellingham High School, Fairhaven Middle School and Whatcom Middle School, before retiring in 1999. Received recognition for outstanding professional competence and superior contribution on behalf of handicapped children in 1970, the award presented by the Association of Special Class Teachers and parents of the handicapped. He and wife Sally were married in 1960 and had four daughters. Died on Feb. 21, 2005, at age 70.
 
TERRY CLAYTON – Transferred to Western in 1959 from the University of Washington where he played on the Husky frosh team. Lettered three seasons in basketball for the Vikings from 1959 to 1962, receiving All-Evergreen Conference honorable mention as a senior, averaging 12.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. Also lettered one year in football as tight end. Graduated from Western in 1962 with bachelor's degree in history. Also completed master's degrees at the UW and Antioch University (Seattle), teaching at high schools and colleges for 40 years. Has traveled to more than 140 countries, making several trips around the world. Played basketball until having an ankle replaced at age 65. He was MVP of the National AAU over 55 master's division tournament in 1993, and an all-tourney pick six times. Helped team to second place at the 1998 Nike World Masters Games. A 1958 graduate of Port Angeles High School. Currently completing a book entitled "Facing the Moment." Was on Mount St. Helens the day it erupted. His younger brother, Mike, was an all-star basketball and baseball player at Western from 1966 to 1970.
 
BOB GILDA – Four-year letter winner in basketball at Western, playing on teams that posted a combined record of 72-33. Also lettered one season in football. Twice Sportsmanship Award Winner in basketball. Graduated from Western in 1963 with bachelor's degree in education, majoring in mathematics with a minor in chemistry. Primarily taught mathematics for 25 years at Bellingham High School, Sehome High School and Shuksan Middle School. Also was assistant principal at Sehome High for three years. Volunteer firefighter in Whatcom County. He and wife Karen have three grown children. Graduated from Meridian High School in 1959. Named school's Athlete of the Year as senior. Led Whatcom County League in scoring that year, averaging 18.5 points.
 
RON SALTIS – Four-year letter winner in basketball at Western. Graduated in 1961 with teaching degree, sharing Sportsmanship Award honors in basketball that season. Did graduate work at University of Washington and Western. Taught three years at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, Calif. Then became pilot with TWA for 25 years. Graduate of Kelso High School where he lettered in baseball, basketball and track. Retired to Prescott, Ariz., and most recently to Ojai, Calif.
 
BUD BLOCH – Starter on 1959-60 basketball team after sitting out a season. Transfer from Seattle University where he played on frosh squad. Graduate of Bellingham High School. Received teaching degree from Western in 1961. Taught mathematics five years at East Junior High in Puyallup. Then worked at Weyerhauser for 25 years as computer systems analyst. He and wife Gale had three children: Jenny, Greg and Mark.
 
GARY MOSE – Transfer from the University of Washington where he played on the frosh team. Played two years in Seattle Industrial League. Four-sport letter winner at Arlington High School. Graduated from Western in 1962. Teacher and coach at Snohomish and Lake Stevens high schools. Also a long-time real estate agent before passing away on May 8, 2019.
 

 (L-R: , Doug McLean, Terry Clayton, Ron Crowe, Gary Mose, Jim Greer, Coach Jack Hubbard


Presented by Paul Madison who served 48 years as sports information director at WWU from 1966 to 2015. He is now in his fourth year as the school's Athletics Historian.