WWU Athletic Hall of Fame Home
Aug. 5, 2002
BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- A much-heralded women's rower, one of the school's earliest basketball standouts, and a record-setting football running back are the newest members of the Western Washington University Athletic Hall of Fame.
The inductees are women's rower Joanie Armstrong-Ryan, men's basketball center Hank Chamberlin and football running back Scott Lohr.
Armstrong-Ryan was named Western's Female Rower of the Century for 1900-99 and the Vikings' Female Athlete of the Year in 1991-92. Chamberlin was the school's scoring leader for two seasons, and Lohr set Viking season marks that still stand, running for 1,395 yards rushing and scoring 20 touchdowns (120 points) in 1989.
The trio, which brings the total membership to 97, will be formally inducted on Sat., Oct. 5 (10 a.m.) in a ceremony at the Viking Union on the Western campus that will be part of Homecoming weekend. They also will be honored at halftime of Western's football game with Western New Mexico University.
Armstrong-Ryan, 32, stroked Western's lightweight eight shell that posted victories at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic, won Northwest Small College Championship (Cascade Sprints) titles and had runner-up grand final finishes in both 1991 and 1992.
Armstrong-Ryan represented the West in the lightweight pairs at the 1991 Olympic Sports Festival, rowed in the intermediate lightweight four at the 1991 Open Nationals (National Development Camp) and attended the Pre-Elite National Training Camp in 1990.
A four-year letter winner and team captain for three seasons, Armstrong-Ryan was an all-state volleyball player at Gig Harbor's Peninsula High School. She and husband, B.J., have two children, daughter Lindsay 5 and son Will 3.
After graduating from Western in 1992, Armstrong-Ryan got her master's degree in sports nutrition at the University of Utah and has worked the last seven years as a clinical dietician.
The 83-year-old Chamberlin was among the top five scoring leaders in the Washington Intercollegiate Conference (Winco) for three straight seasons (1938-41), earning first-team all-league honors in 1941 after being a second-team choice in 1940.
The 6-foot-4 Chamberlin played professionally (1946-48) for the Bellingham Fircrests, a member of the Pacific Coast League, and helped Bellingham High School to fourth place at the state tournament in 1937. A veteran of World War II, Chamberlin worked as manager of the sporting goods department at Sears and Roebuck and as manager of The Firs Bookstore.
Chamberlin and wife, Betty, who have been married 60 years, have two grown children, two grandchildren and four great grandchildren. His granddaughter, Cari, earned all-state honors in basketball at Sehome High School and played at NCAA Division I Oral Roberts University.
Lohr, an Olympia High School graduate who will celebrate his 35th birthday on Oct. 5, was Western's co-Male Athlete of the Year for 1990-91 after leading the Vikings in rushing for the fourth straight season, becoming just the second player in school history to perform that feat and the third overall. In 1989, he earned honorable mention NAIA All-America, second-team Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-America, first-team Little All-Northwest and first-team all-Columbia Football Association honors.
Lohr scored a school-record tying four touchdowns in a game twice. He ran for a then school-record 243 yards against Puget Sound, and rushed for 240 yards in another game. Those efforts still rank as the second and third highest game rushing totals in Western history.
Lohr currently ranks third among school career leaders in rushing yards (3,587) and second in scoring (266 points).
Lohr, who graduated from Western in 1991 with a degree in sociology (emphasis in criminology), is a functional family coordinator with the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration of the state Department of Social and Health Services. He and wife Teresa have a 1-year-old daughter, McKenna, and two sons, Jason 11 and Cameron 8.
JOANIE ARMSTRONG-RYAN
Women's Crew (Stroke - Lightweight Eight)
WWU Female Rower of the Century for 1900-99
WWU Female Athlete of the Year (1991-92)
Member of Western's lightweight-eight which won grand final at San Diego Classic, placed first at Northwest Small College Championships, took Pacific Northwest Regional titles and was grand final runner-up at Pacific Coast Rowing Championships in both 1991 and 1992.
Represented West in lightweight pairs at 1991 Olympic Sports Festival
Rowed in intermediate lightweight-four at 1991 Open Nationals (National Development Camp)
Attended Pre-Elite National Training Camp in 1990
Four-year letter winner
Team captain three years
All-State volleyball player at Peninsula HS
HANK CHAMBERLIN
Men's Basketball (Center)
Among top 5 scoring leaders in WinCo League three straight years
First-team all-Washington Intercollegiate Conference in 1941 and second-team choice in 1940
Twice Western's scoring leader
Played professionally for Bellingham Fircrests in 1946 and 1947
Member of Bellingham High School basketball team that placed fourth at state in 1937
Granddaughter Cari, played women's basketball at NCAA I Oral Roberts University
SCOTT LOHR
Football (Running Back)
WWU Co-Male Athlete of the Year (1990-91)
Honorable mention NAIA All-American in 1989
Second-team Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-American in 1989
First-team Little All-Northwest and all-Columbia Football Association pick In 1989
Set school season records which still stand for rushing yards (1,395) and scoring (120 points, 20 TDs) in 1989
Finished four-year career as school's all-time scoring leader (266 points)
Tied school record twice by scoring four touchdowns in one game and became just second Viking to have two 200-yard rushing games, including then school- record 243 yards rushing against Puget Sound (other was 240)
Western's rushing leader four straight years and top scorer two seasons
Ranks third among school career leaders in rushing yards (3,587) and second in scoring (266)
