Now
there is one: ONLY AD RUTSCHMAN SURVIVES OF THREE LINFIELD FOOTBALL PLAYERS
WHOSE JERSEY NUMBERS ARE RETIRED
Three Linfield football jersey numbers are retired:
#32 Ad Rutschman,
played 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1953.
#43 Howard Morris,
played 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.
#47 Vic Fox,
played 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.
Now, Ad Rutschman, age 88*, is the lone survivor of the
three, all of whom played for Wildcat Coach Paul Durham and, like Durham, are
members of the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame.
=Howard Morris died at age 81 in Klamath Falls on July 27,
2017.
=Vic Fox died at age 84 in Portland on Sept. 21, 2020. Here’s
his obituary (with light editing) and photo (probably taken by Coach Durham) from
the Sept. 29, 2020, McMinnville
N-R/News-Register:
VICTOR
JAMES FOX, 1936-2020
Victor James “Vic” Fox passed away September 21, 2020, at
Providence Hospital in Portland. He was 84 years old.
Vic was born at Culp Creek, Oregon, to parents Clinton
Edward “Jack” Fox and Alice May (Smythe) Fox. He married Sandra Lee Battles in
1957, and together they have five children.
He graduated from Cottage Grove High School in 1953. He
attended Linfield College from the fall of 1953 until the spring of 1959, where
he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education (’58) and a master's degree (’59).
While at Linfield, Vic played two years of baseball as a
catcher, played four years of football as a linebacker on defense and an
offensive guard. He was a member of the 1956 football team, whose winning
season started “The Streak” for Linfield’s football program. Vic’s No. 47
football jersey was retired by Linfield College at the conclusion of the 1957
football season. After his playing days, he was a Linfield grad assistant
football coach.
In 2002 he was inducted into the Linfield Athletics Hall of
Fame and in 1990 into the NAIA District 2 Player Hall of Fame.
Vic had a 33-year career in public education as a teacher,
coach and administrator at Gold Beach High (’59-60), Yamhill-Carlton Union High
(’60-’64) and Molalla Union High (’64-’91). He coached football, wrestling,
track and field, and baseball. Victor was also a member of the Oregon National
Guard. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and woodworking, and was a devoted husband,
father and grandfather.
Vic was preceded in death by his parents, “Jack” and Alice
Fox; and his older sister, Jackileen Johnson. He is survived by his loving wife
of 63 years, Sandra; his children, Yolanda (Jim) Shaver, Diane (Thomas) Kloos,
Todd (Lisa) Fox, Jill (Matthew Denley) Fox, and Beth (Calvin) Fox-Nunn; 16
grandchildren; his sisters, Jeraldine Demorest and Jeanne Fox; and brother,
Thomas Fox.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the
American Cancer Society and Boys Town.
……………………….
*Ad Rutschman was born Oct. 30, 1931, in Hillsboro,
Oregon.
