Tip of Wildcatville hat thanking sports historian Dr. Bob Gill for his research leading to recognition of Linfielders

Rare would be a feature in Wildcatville about the quarterback of an opponent team which beat Linfield.

This is that feature.

The quarterback is Dr. Robert F. “Bob” Gill, a retired dentist who lives in Milwaukie, Ore.

His work as a sports historian has Linfield connections.

Bob graduated from Portland's Jefferson High School in 1954. As a student-athlete, he competed in football as a quarterback and track as a sprinter.

After attending Oregon State College (later university), where he was a quarterback for the OSC “Rooks” (freshman team), he transferred to Portland State College (later university).

On Sept. 24, 1955, in Coos Bay, the Paul Durham coached Linfield team and Portland State College (later to become university) played in the fifth Coos-Curry Shriners' Club Myrtle Bowl football game. Bob was PSC Vikings starting quarterback. Portland State won, 20-13.

He transferred back to OSC and studied there before being accepted, in the winter of 1957, by the UODS/University of Oregon Dental School (now the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry) in Portland. He graduated from UODS with a doctor of dental medicine degree in 1961.

Although busy with his Portland dental practice and as a husband and father, Bob kept his connection to athletics.

These connections included returning the annual high school all-star football game to Portland. The former Shrine Game was reorganized as the Les Schwab Bowl in 1998. For six years, the summer classic had lagged in interest and low attendance in Eugene and Corvallis.

His athletic connections included researching sports.

As a board director and selection committee chairman for the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Bob’s efforts resulted in small college recognitions for the first time. Former Linfield football coaches Ad Rutschman and Paul Durham and Ted Wilson, former Linfield men’s basketball coach, are now enshrined in that Hall of Fame.

Bob's research efforts led to his book, It's in Their Blood: Oregon Football Coaches and Their Legacies, published in both 1998 and 1999. Those profiled in it include Ad and Paul (Linfield Classes of 1954 and 1936 respectively); Marv Heater, Bill Dressel and Gary Stautz (Linfield Classes 1951, 1962 and 1975 respectively).

Thanks to Bob, NFF/National Football Foundation’s Walk of Champions Award plaques honoring Ad and his 1966 Hillsboro state champ team, Bill and his 1988 Benson state champ team and Gary and his 1982 Gresham state champ team are in the NFF Hall of Fame in a walk at the “Hall” in Atlanta.

In 1998, Ad was inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame in the small colleges division because of Bob’s research and nomination.

Linfielder Vern Marshall (Linfield Class of 1957) and Bob worked hard with the “Linfield family” to get Paul recognized in the NFF “Hall.”

When Vern’s health failed, Bob says he “carried the water. I remember a huge number of Wildcats joining the NFF membership to receive ballots in order to vote.”

Paul was initially nominated for the “Hall” in 2003 and has been renominated. Each time, Paul has not received enough votes to be inducted.

When he researched Paul’s career, Bob says he was “impressed by the tremendous legacy he left at Linfield. The legacy he established has been carried on through today’s program. (Paul) considered Linfield people family. It was impactful. The number and the quality of the Linfield men that have become coaches themselves speaks volumes. I recognized (his) relationship ability earned him personal respect, mostly due to (Paul’s) communication skills be it by phone, a letter or a timely note.”

In It’s In Their Blood, Bob wrote that Paul’s “primary wish was to produce good coaches...We didn't want (our coaches) to push (our players) around and swear at them. That placed a strong requirement on our coaching staff, but they lived by what they said. They were terrific examples.”

Bob says as a sports historian he endeavors to “seek complete and accurate information. It's essential when our reporting becomes the final word for many Hall of Fames to judge and compare their nominees. Even the best athletes of eras of the past should expect sound levels of measurement for their recognition."

Photos provided by Bob Gill

--As a football player at Portland’s Jefferson High School.

--As an official of Oregon’s Les Schwab Bowl, previously The Shriners/Shrine All-Star football game.

Bob Gill’s books …

…. It's in Their Blood: Oregon Football Coaches and Their Legacies is out of print, but Mel Renfro: Forever a Cowboy, published by Inkwater Press in 2016, may be ordered by contacting Bob by email at rfgill@comcast.net or by US Mail at 13115 SE Pennywood Ct, Milwaukie, OR 97222.

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Autobiographical info for Bob Gill, my story

Jefferson High School ‘54

Football and track (sprints and relay in ‘54)

In 1952, I was a part-time QB starter for the legendary Eric Waldorf’s last city championship team. Waldorf retired in the spring of 1953 after 23 years at Jeff.

In 1953, I became new coach Tom DeSylvia’s first QB. As a passing QB, I was allowed to call the plays in a modern split-T offense for a small, but fast record-scoring Jeff team. We lost the PIL championship in a heavy rainstorm to Benson 7-0. Our second loss was to Grants Pass in the State Semi-finals. I earned All-City QB and played in the 7^th Shrine game for the Metro team.

OSC coach Kip Taylor offered me a FB scholarship via a telephone call in the spring. “I understand you can pass. How would you like to come to Oregon State?” Tuition and $75 a month got me to college.

In 1954, I was one of three Rook quarterbacks with Hawaiian Joe Francis, and Texan Sam Wesley. We alternated starting our 3 freshman games. I would also spend some time as the varsity “scout” team QB before upcoming opponents who utilized the Split-T formation. Taylor got fired after the Civil War loss to the George Shaw-led Oregon Ducks. Enter UCLA assistant Tommy Prothro with his single wing offense in January of 1955.

I enrolled as a pre-dent student and actually learned how to study at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. With the confidence I gained making my grades, I looked forward to dental school. I knew there wasn’t a future for me as an under-sized 18 year old in the PCC, despite the fact the other two QBs became starters for the Beavers as sophomores- Francis at tailback and Wesley, a 23 year old Afro-American at wingback.

Ralph Davis, a one year FB assistant at Jeff in 1953 had moved on to Portland State in 1954, needed some help recruiting players when he was elevated to the head football job. With my contacts, I lined up 12 guys for him. As a full-time life guard at Seaside in the summers, Davis made me a desperate offer, “Bob, I need a quarterback.”

Faith, my Jeff 1955 high school girl friend, decided to stay on her paying summer job with the telephone company and delay entering OSC until winter term after I relented to play football for the new fledging PSC team. For me, it was not well thought out. Davis, although a life-long friend at 96 years today, was over his head as a college coach. We had out-of-shape veterans, inexperienced players and a group of average players. We weren’t very organized. It was not a pretty sight, but I lasted out the season. I called the plays, passed and punted the football for a two-win season- one of which was over Linfield in the opener at Coos Bay’s Myrtle Bowl. By January 1956, I was back at Oregon State.

Winter term of 1957 I was accepted at UODS in Portland. Spring term I worked three jobs in Portland, married Faith Ulmer in June (59 years ago- we were just 20 years old) and started school on the Hill in the fall. For three years, our Friday night entertainment was watching Jefferson High football (Terry Baker, Mick Hergert, Raye and Mel Renfro, and others with a 34-1 w-l record) It was fun.

After four years of dental school, I received my only degree, DMD from UODS, now OHSU in 1961. We also had three of our four children. Upon graduation and passing the Oregon Boards, we moved to Camp Pendleton where I was attached to the Marine Corps as a Navy Lieutenant in the Dental Corps for two years. It became a great transition time. I passed the California Boards and worked Saturdays for a Buena Park dentist for extra money and to grasp a feel for California as a place to live and practice dentistry.

When a 1963 dental opportunity in Portland didn’t materialize, we moved to Medford and hung up a shingle. A brother–in-law was the hospital administrator at Rogue Valley. Medford was a great place to raise a family and to meet people. Alison, our fourth child was born in 1968. In 1970, due to the seasonal and housing slumps in Southern Oregon, we scouted the West Coast for other opportunities. They were slim to none. We returned to Portland for another “start up.” We lived in East Moreland until 1993 before we moved to Milwaukie.

I practiced full time on Woodstock from 1972 until my retirement at 71 in 2008.

Sports history has been an avocation since 1984 when I researched and wrote the Jeff sports history for the publication and produced a video on the school’s 75th anniversary.

That led to an invite to join the board of the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame as a director.

I said, “Fine, if I can be on the selection committee. That is my interest”

In 1986 the State HOF was an “Oregon–Oregon State ‘Good ole boy’ operation.” I helped correct that by expanding their scope. Since I was the only one interested in delving into the challenge of researching the small college athletes and coaches, and high school coaches, I was able to make my case. Paul Durham, Ad Rutschman, Joe Huston, Bill McArthur, Fred Spiegelberg, Tom DeSylvia, Eric Waldorf, Pete Susick, Hank Kuchera, Don Requa and Ted Wilson were all inducted on my watch.

Sports writer Carl Cluff hinted to me after I had done so much on coaches the information and bios needed to be archived. Thus the publication of “It’s In Their Blood” bio sketches of 53 Oregon football coaches self-published in 1998 and again in 1999.

My 40 years supporting the Portland Chapter of the National Football Foundation was also fruitful. The high school scholar-athlete dinners were our highlights. After my presidency of the group, I developed an interest in nominating five men for the College Hall of Fame. Of those, Tommy Prothro, Neil Lomax and Ad Rutschman have been inducted. Paul Durham was on the ballot in 2003 and appears again on the 2015 ballot. I went Lomax’s induction in South Bend, Indiana, in 1996 and sat with the Golden Domers.

When I studied Durham’s career, I was amazed by the tremendous legacy he left at Linfield. The legacy he established has been carried on through today’s program. He considered Linfield people family. It was impactful. The number and the quality of the Linfield men that have become coaches themselves speaks volumes. I recognized Durham relationship ability earned him personal respect, mostly due to his communication skills be it by phone, a letter or a timely note.

The last 30 years I have been in charge with the NFF’s Walk of Champions Award presented to retired high school mentors who have coached championship teams. Their plaques, honoring them and the championship teams are embedded in a walk at the Hall of Fame (now in Atlanta.) Ad Rutschman and his 1966 Hillsboro champions were honored in 2000; Bill Dressel and his 1988 Benson champions were honored in 2003 and Gary Stautz and his 1982 Gresham champions were honored in 2009.

20 years ago, I put the wheels to moving the high school All-star game back to Portland after a few years in Eugene and Corvallis. In 1998, the coaches bought into the plan and the former Shrine game of 50 years was returned to Portland as the Les Schwab Bowl with Promax as the management team. Today as the honorary game chairman, I still present the MVP award (The George Shaw Memorial Award).

After five years researching, writing, editing, rewriting and struggling to get a publisher, I authored Mel Renfro: Forever a Cowboy in 2015.