Linfielder Jeff Basinski was among five inducted into the
2017 Oregon Athletic Directors Association (OADA) Hall of Fame.
Honored posthumously, Basinski -- Linfield Class of 1968 and
a former Linfield football player -- and the four others were praised by the
OADA for making “significant contributions to their schools and communities in
their role as a high school athletic director."
The induction of the five during the 9th annual OADA Hall of
Fame banquet was held April 22 2017, at Sunriver in central Oregon.
During his career, Basinski was athletic director of St.
Helens, Sunset of Beaverton and Forest Grove High Schools.
Hall of Fame citation for Basinski, who died at age of 65 in
May 2011, reads:
“Jeff graduated in 1964 from Wilson HS in Portland where he
competed in football, wrestling, and basketball. He attended Linfield College,
graduating in 1968 with a BS in Business. A four year football letterman, whose
1965 team was NAIA National Championship runner-up team was later inducted into
the Linfield Hall of Fame in 2010.
"He completed his Master’s in education in
1970 at Linfield while serving as a graduate assistant to longtime coach Ad
Rutschman. Jeff’s teaching and coaching career began at St. Helens HS in 1972.
He moved to Sunset HS in 1972, and ultimately landed at Forest Grove HS in 1976
where he continued to coach, teach and serve as an assistant principal and
director of athletics and activities until 2005.
“He joined the Centennial HS football staff in 2005 until
2011, having the opportunity to coach with his son BJ. Some of Jeff’s
professional honors include: 1981 State Football Coach of the Year, Shrine
North team coach, Willamette Valley League Football coach of the year (1985),
inducted into the Forest Grove HS Hall of Fame in 2011, and in 2013 the
Basinski Center at Forest Grove HS was named in his honor.
"Jeff had many
community service projects he was involved with throughout his career at Forest
Grove HS. These included membership in both the Kiwanis and Rotary
International organizations, a charter member of the Forest Grove HS Booster
Club and a member of the Forest Grove HS Hall of Fame Committee. Jeff was
instrumental in helping raise over $500,000 to keep the athletic and activities
programs at Forest Grove HS.”
A story in the March 31,
2017, Portland Tribune said, “Jeff Basinski played
football and basketball and wrestled in the Wilson High (Portland) Class of
1964, and received a Bachelor’s of Science in business from Linfield College
(McMinnville) in 1968.
“He, a four-year Linfield
football letterman whose 1965 Wildcats were National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship runners-up and 2010 Linfield
Hall-of-Famers, graduated with a Master’s in education as a graduate assistant
to coach Ad Rutschman in 1970.
“His athletic directing
career began at St. Helens High and Sunset High (Portland) in 1972, and he
continued to Forest Grove High from 1976 to 2005.
“ 'Coach Bass' Basinski
served on the Centennial High (Gresham) football staff from 2005 to 2011, and
coached with his son, BJ.”
More about Jeff Basinski
here:
OADA supplied photo of Jeff Basinski
in front of Forest Grove High School. Photo possibly taken by the Forest Grove
News-Times.
:::::::::::
A legacy of success
By Jonathan Crowl, Forest
Grove News-Times, Aug 16, 2011
Jeff Basinski dedicated his
entire career as an educator and coach at Forest Grove High School (FGHS) to
helping prepare his student-athletes for the realities of life after high
school
In addition to teaching at
FGHS, he was also its athletic director and had stints as head football and
wrestling coach of the FGHS Vikings
Jeff Basinski is easily
remembered for the big things he accomplished as a coach and athletic director
at Forest Grove. His son remembers him more for what he did in private.
Basinski's door was always
open to his students - as a teacher, coach and later the athletic director at
Forest Grove High School, 'Coach Bass' was always on the clock.
'I can remember as a fairly
young kid, players would come up to the house with a range of life problems,'
recalled his son, B.J. Basinski. 'As a kid, seeing them come up to my dad and
ask for advice countless times, that spoke to the selflessness of him as a
person.'
Jeff Basinski's career at
Forest Grove spanned four decades, two varsity sports, a spirited effort to
save athletics from budget cuts and finally lengthy service as athletic
director. In a tribute to his service to the school, Basinski will be inducted
into the Forest Grove Athletic Hall of Fame next month.
Basinski's admission is
particularly fitting since he was one of the loudest voices calling for the
high school to establish a hall of fame.
'It was his idea when he was
athletic director to have this athletic coliseum,' said current Forest Grove
athletic director Doug Thompson. 'When I took over he said, 'Hey, one of my
goals is I want this hall of fame to happen.'
'I said, 'We'll do it
together.''
Thompson credits Basinski as
the reason he has any job at Forest Grove, much less one as the athletic
director. Basinski was the head football coach when Thompson attended FGHS as a
student. When he applied for a teaching job at the school after college,
Basinski lobbied for his hire.
'I know behind the scenes he
was working pretty hard to get me hired,' Thompson said.
Basinski wore many hats at
Forest Grove, and did so successfully. As a football coach he enjoyed seven
winning seasons in 11 years, including a league championship in 1985. He also
served as a wrestling coach, leading the team to a league championship in 1978
and coaching three individual state champions.
B.J. Basinski was able to
play football under his father, who resigned as football coach after B.J.
graduated in 1992. His son said he was good at managing his different roles as
a dad and a coach, and at maintaining balance in other areas of his life as
well.
'He had some very successful
seasons (as head football coach) and some not-so-successful seasons, but he was
able to separate it from his life,' B.J. said.
'He found time to take (his
kids) fishing and camping and help with homework.'
And when the athletic
department needed extra effort to save its programs from closure, Basinski took
on a leadership role in fundraising efforts to save sports at Forest Grove.
Basinski worked with other local leaders to generate money for the school's
athletic programs and founded the football team's booster club to generate
revenue in future seasons.
Thompson said Basinski's
financial savvy is a main reason the football team now enjoys an artificial
turf field. It also made his personal finance class a hot commodity among
students.
'There's probably hundreds
of people he helped do their taxes in that class,' Thompson said. 'I think
that's one of the reasons he did so well fundraising. He just understood
finances, he knew where to look to make money.'
Jeff Basinski enjoyed his
role as a coach and athletic director, but B.J. Basinski said his greatest
pleasure - and most important role - was being there as a role model and
supportive adult figure for his students. Not every child at Forest Grove High
School came from stable home environments, but Coach Bass wanted his students
to depend on him.
Basinski stuck with Forest
Grove as long as he could. To help ease budget cuts made by the school district
in the late 1990s he offered to retire from his position in exchange for being
re-hired as a part-time athletic director. He served in that position until
2005 when the school district decided it wanted a full-time athletic director
again.
When the school tabbed
Thompson as his replacement, Coach Bass gave him his full support along with
all the advice he needed.
Thompson took advantage.
'His wife, Connie Mumper Baskiski, Linfield Class of 1968, was
probably laughing at me and cursing me that whole first year,' Thompson said.
'I would call him at 11:30 at night to ask him questions. I don't think there
was a decision that was made without Bass that year.'
In his retirement Jeff
Basinski decided to team up with his son, then an assistant football coach at
Centennial High School in Gresham. Coach Bass would make the hour drive each
day to volunteer coach with the team.
On May 27 this year he died
at his home. He was 65.
Next month Coach Bass and
the rest of the 2011 Hall of Fame class will be honored at halftime of the
Sept. 16 home football game against McMinnville. A Hall of Fame dinner the next
day will serve as his official induction into the hall he helped build.
Basinski's work at Forest
Grove has left a visible mark on the high school, and the shoes of his service
are hard to fill. Thompson said it's not only parents and faculty reminding him
of the long shadow he works under.
Students also appreciated
Basinski's contributions to the school. In the first school year after Thompson
took over for Basinski, the new athletic director made a controversial ruling
against students' liberties when cheering during basketball games. At the next
game a number of students had scrawled 'WWBD' onto their shirts.
'I thought, 'All right,
these are probably inappropriate,'' Thompson said. 'I got onto the kids about
it and one kid came to me and admitted that they were upset and the shirts
stood for, 'What Would Bass Have Done?''
'I couldn't even get mad
about that because I thought they were probably right. Of course I called Bass
immediately. He was laughing.'
