Nancy
Susan Steinbach Haack (Linfield Class of 1969) and Kathleen "Kathy" Ann Steinbach
Washburn (Class of 1968) became Linfield Wildcat fans in 1956.
They can be called Steinbach 'Splash Sisters' because as
Linfield students they were members of the Linfield Swim Team and over the
years competitors for other teams and standouts in a variety of swimming
competitions.
Back to 1956. That was the year the Steinbach family -- the
sisters and parents Tye and Ellen Steinbach -- moved to McMinnville
from Portland when Tye became director of the McMinnville city pool and coach
of the McMinnville Swim Club.
(His fame included coaching U.S. Olympic swimmers including Don Schollander
of Lake Oswego. He was a five-time Olympic swimming champion, and former world
record-holder in four events. Schollander won five gold medals and one silver
medal at the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics. With four gold medals, he was the
most successful athlete at the 1964 Olympics.)
Nancy points out the family moved to McMinnville the year
Linfield Football famous Streak began. During 1956 the sisters "watched
some of the Linfield football games since our dad would bribe us with candy. We
knew a lot about Linfield campus before we ever attended."
In the Sept. 5, 1957 McMinnville
Daily News-Register the newspaper's sports editor, Paul Durham, wrote in his popular "Dodging with Durham"
column, "Tye Steinbach's youngest daughter is named Nancy Susan Steinbach,
after two of the greatest girl swimmers to ever perform in Oregon, Nancy Merki
and Suzanne Zimmerman ... Nancy Steinbach was born the last day of the Jantzen
Beach "Learn to Swim" school in July, 1947 as Tye was busy running
off graduation day exercises."
(A story in the Salem Oregon Statesman daily newspaper said
Nancy Merki was named "Oregon's outstanding athlete of 1947 by Portland's
Multnomah Athletic Club. Miss Merki is rated one of the nation's foremost swim
stars.")
Photos provided by Nancy: =8-year-old
Kathy (left) and 7-year-old Nancy at Aero Club in Portland. =Linfield freshman Nancy (front) and sophomore Kathy in 1966 Linfield Oak Leaves yearbook.
