Bob Haack as a Willamette Bearcat? It almost happened!

Bob Haack lettered playing Linfield football in the 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968 seasons. He also played JV baseball and basketball for the Wildcats and even wrestled in one match for Linfield.

But, you know that. Are you aware that out of high school, Bob almost became a Willamette University Bearcat? (See WU “Barney Bearcat” logo.)

Born in Remsen (Plymouth County), Iowa, Bob was raised on a hog farm in that Midwestern state. He moved with his family from Iowa to Oregon and lived in Eugene two years before his family moved to Dallas, Ore., near Salem.

The move was at what would have been the start of his junior year at North Eugene High School.

“My North Eugene coaches -- Mel Krause, Ron Walp, Nick Robinson and Tom Stone -- wanted me to stay there and had arranged for me to live with another family in Eugene. When my dad learned about this plan, he said, “Bull****. You are moving with the family to Dallas,” Bob said.

“So, move I did. I played sports at Dallas High School, home of the Dragons .” (See photo of  Bob’s Dallas “D” athletic letter.)

He played football at Dallas for Wes Ediger (1963) and Bill Dressel (1964); basketball under Ray Olson (1963-1964) and Bob Cantonwine (1964-1965); and baseball under Ray Olson (1964) and Del Kerber (1965).

Coaches Dressel and Olson are Linfield graduates and they had several Linfield graduates assisting: Paul Ward, Jim Fairchild, Ron August and several others at Dallas Junior High School.

But, none of them spoke to Bob about Linfield. He’d never heard of Linfield until it was time for him to tell Willamette University he was going to there and play sports.  “Coaches for the Willamette Bearcats had been talking to me all through football and basketball, taking me to lunch about every other week during basketball and baseball during my senior year (1964-1965),” said Bob. During this time  he was baseball 1st team TYV (Tualatin Yamhill Valley) League, 2nd Team All State, Oregon Statesman newspaper of Salem. As a junior, he was 1st team TYV League pitcher and 2nd team All State, Statesman.   He had an elbow injury and did not pitch during his Dallas High senior year.

“When Bill Dressel heard that I was going to Willamette, he told me about a great small college, Linfield in McMinnville,” said Bob.

“I had no warm feelings when I heard “McMinnville,” due to the bitter Dallas vs. McMinnville TYV League high school sports battles. However, I agreed to go with Bill Dressel to meet Linfield coaches who were playing that weekend at the Bayou Golf Course in McMinnville.

“When we arrived at the Bayou, Bill arranged for me to be the caddie for the coaches. So, during the nine holes, I rotated from Paul Durham (football), to Roy Helser (baseball) and closing with Ted Wilson (men’s basketball).

“It was fun and I heard many stories about the Northwest Conference and Linfield battles with conference opponents. I also, learned a great deal about each of the coaches and how committed they were to Linfield. But, more importantly to me was their commitment to the lives of their Linfield student-athletes!

“We all met in the Bayou club house afterwards. I was prepared for food and beverage, but discovered quickly I was on my own dollar. So, I purchased a Coke and a bag of peanuts. Coach Dressel told me it was time to go. As we walked towards the car, Coach Durham met us and had a question for me.

“Before the question, Coach Durham praised the academic excellence and the athletic programs of Willamette and the long traditional rivalry between Linfield and Willamette.

Then, coach asked me, ‘How important is winning to you, Bob?’

“I realized right there and then, Linfield was the school for me.”

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Bob Haack (#43) as an All-TYV (Tualatin Yamhill Valley) League basketball player for Dallas High School as a senior, 1964-1965 season, in a game at Forest Grove. Thanks to Tom Rohlffs (Class of 1969) for photo.

Margaret Lever plays Linfield Lacrosse

8/4/2015
 

Speaking of Linfield College Wildcat sports, the last name of “Lever” and Linfield go together like two peas in a pod.

The Lever family patriarch is Henry W. Lever (1883-1980), a Linfield Athletics Hall of Famer, who served as a Linfield athletic director (1930-1949) and coached a variety of sports starting in 1930 and ending in 1947.

http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2008/06/biography-of-henry-w.html

http://www.linfield.edu/sports/hof-member.html?m=11&y=6

As this is written, Margaret Lever (see Linfield Sports Info photo), a great-granddaughter of Henry and Marguerite Lever, is a member of the Linfield Lacrosse team.  

A 2013 Canby, Ore., High School grad, her Linfield Lacrosse player biography for the 2014-2015 academic year says:

Newcomer to Wildcats lacrosse…played soccer, tennis, and basketball at Canby High School…earned five letters and ten-sport athlete award…tennis team captain and top singles player as a senior, top doubles player as a junior…helped 2012 soccer team to highest number of wins and most playoff successes in program history as a senior.

A Canby Herald article (4/24/2013 or 5/27/2013) headlined  "Girls tennis: Canby's Margaret Lever to continue family tradition at Linfield" includes, “Margaret Lever can’t help her attraction to Linfield College. Running along the west side of the school’s football stadium in McMinnville is Lever Street, which is named after her great-grandfather Henry. An athletic director and multi-sport coach there in the 1930s and 1940s, he established a legacy that Margaret plans to continue more than eight decades later.”

 

(With this story see Wildcatville photos taken 8/4/2015 of a Lever Street sign and a near Memorial Stadium plaque created in 1961 when McMinnville’s Stadium Avenue was renamed Lever Avenue. It’s now called Lever Street.)

  

In the Aug. 7, 2013, Canby Herald in an article headlined, “College sports: Members of Canby's Class of 2013 continue athletic careers.” It says: 

Margaret Lever | (Canby Women’s tennis | Linfield

Location: McMinnville, Ore.

Conference: Northwest Conference

Level: Division III 

At Canby: Margaret Lever was a top singles player during her tenure with the Cougars and also played on the girls’ soccer team. She continues a long family legacy at Linfield College.

…………

She is the granddaughter of Daniel Deforest Lever, the youngest son of Henry and Marguerite Lever.  Her father is Dan Lever (Daniel Dean Lever) and her brother is Dan Lever, a 2009 Linfield grad and former Linfield football player, now an assistant football coach at California’s Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). His coaching bio info as of 8/4/2015:

Dan enters his second season as offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Vaqueros. He brings experience as a high school head coach, Division II assistant, and Division III assistant. Before joining the staff at SBCC, he was the offensive line coach at the University of Puget Sound for the 2013 season. Lever previously coached at Southeastern Oklahoma State for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

In addition to coaching an All-American tight end, Lever earned his Master’s in Sports Studies and Athletic Administration from Southeastern in the fall of 2012. Prior to the 2011 season, Lever served as the head coach at Gervais High in Oregon.

A 2009 graduate of Linfield College, Lever majored in health and physical education where he also lettered three times for the Wildcats. While at Linfield, Dan was honored as the 2007 physical education major of the year. Dan follows in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great grandfather as a 4th generation educator and coach.

Coach Lever is married to Corinne Lever of Boise, Idaho.

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Lawn Mower Racer Randy Marshall

As an athlete at Mill City's Santiam High School, Linfield College and for the NFL Atlanta Falcons, Randy Marshall was ultra-competitive.

It's been a "few" years since Randy's prep, college and pro exploits, but his sporting competitive juices still flow.

But, you might not guess the sport occupies some of Randy’s time when he's not operating 1,700-acre RD Marshall Ranch in Wamic, 40 miles south of The Dalles, where he runs 250 cows-calves and raises wheat and hay.

The sport is Lawn Mower Racing.

Randy is a key organizer of the Sportsman's Grasscar Racing Association which operates, according to its website, for the entertainment of the general public as a family friendly activity. Funds earned by the association are donated to the Wamic Rural Fire Protection District and other non-profit organizations.

Perhaps not well known in the U.S. West, it's a national sport especially popular in the country's Midwest and South. Competition takes place on tracks outside and in  covered facilities.

And, by the way, although these racing machines are called lawn mowers, there's no lawn mowed in competition.

Take a look at this slide show. Then, look at the video to easily understand that when Randy's at the wheel of his lawn mower his competitive juices still flow!

Credits: Still photos from Randy Marshall Racing. YouTube-posted video by Gage Garrison from Prairie City MeMOWrial Day Classic Mower Races 05/26/13 B/P Class heat Race #2 in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Randy finished first in that heat.

Maxwell Field re-turfing continues 7/29/2014 morning

Morning of 7/29/2014, Linfield Maxwell Field re-turfing project continued. See Wildcatville photos in slideshow. An interesting aspect of the work was an installer trimming around letters in end zone (and presumably elsewhere) using a pair of large electric shears.

Quick look 7/24/2014 Maxwell Field re-turfing

GIL HARGREAVES, Rest In Peace (1949-2014)

Top three photos from Gil's Aug. 9, 2014, memorial service in Salem at  Capital Park Wesleyan Church.

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Gil died in Salem, Ore., in July 2014.

Wildcatville photos


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http://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?pid=171934109

Gilbert Evans Hargreaves

Hargreaves, Gilbert Evans 64 Sept. 12, 1949 July 10, 2014 Gilbert Evans Hargreaves left to be with the Lord after passing away July 10, 2014, in his home in Salem. Gil was born in September of 1949 in Portland, and was a graduate of Franklin High School. He earned his bachelor's degree from Linfield College in 1971. A celebration of life memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, at Capital Park Wesleyan Church in Salem. Donations in his memory may be made to the Southeast Neighborhood Community Center, Capital Park Wesleyan Church or the Linfield College Alumni Scholarship Fund (designate in memory of Gil Hargreaves). Arrangements by Restlawn Funeral Home.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heraldandnews/obituary.aspx?n=gilbert-evans-hargreaves&pid=171870811

Gilbert Evans Hargreaves (1949 - 2014)

 Gilbert Evans Hargreaves left to be with the Lord after passing away during his sleep at the age of 64 in his home in Salem, Ore., on July 10, 2014. Gil was born in Portland on Sept. 12, 1949, to Edward G. and Lucile E. Hargreaves and was raised in their Southeast Portland home with his sister Judy in the Mt. Tabor area. He graduated with honors from Franklin High School in 1967 and Linfield College in McMinnville in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration. In 1976, he began working for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which he would continue to work for until his retirement in 2006. His loves included his family, softball, golf, basketball, trains, the San Francisco Giants, and Oregon's outdoors. He made many friends and was loved by them all. He is survived by his wife, Vickie; sons, Edward and Raymond; sister, Judy Aalto (Sergei); cousin, Tilzer Hargreaves (Martha), cousin Edward F. Hargreaves (Terrilee), and numerous nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his mother and father. A celebration of life memorial service will be on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m. in Capital Park Wesleyan Church in Salem. Donations in his memory can be made to the Southeast Neighborhood Community Center, Capital Park Wesleyan Church, 410 19th St. SE, Salem, OR 97301, or the Linfield College Alumni Scholarship Fund (designate In Memory of Gil Hargreaves), 900 SE Baker St., McMinnville, OR 97128. Arrangements by Restlawn Funeral Home Salem, Ore.


Gilbert Evans Hargreaves
 September 12, 1949 - July 10, 2014

 Gilbert Evans Hargreaves left to be with The Lord after passing away during his sleep at age 64 in his home in Salem, Oregon, on July 10, 2014.

 Gil was born in Portland, Oregon, on September 12, 1949, to Edward G. & Lucile E. Hargreaves and was raised in their Southeast Portland home with his sister, Judy, in the Mt. Tabor area.

 After graduating with honors from Franklin High School in 1967, he attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where he met his future wife, Vickie Boyer. Gil and Vickie married in Portland in 1976 and remained married for 38 years.

 While attending Linfield, he participated in intramural sports and made a number of lifelong friends. They later created the annual BWC Homecoming event and were honored by the college in 2012 with an Alumni Service Award for 25 years of reuniting alumni.

 Gil graduated from Linfield in 1971 with a Bachelor's degree in both Economics and Business Administration and soon began working with the Multnomah County Health Department as a Community Health Worker.

 In 1976, he moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon, to begin employment with the State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which he would continue to work for until his retirement in 2006.

 His first son, Edward G. Hargreaves, was born in Klamath Falls in November 1976. While living there, Gil made a number of lifelong friends while playing on Big O's Softball Team. He continued playing softball with multiple teams up until the week before his passing.

 A job transfer brought Gil and his family to Pendleton, Oregon, in 1983. And his second son, Raymond E. Hargreaves, was born there in 1985.

While living in Klamath Falls and Pendleton, Gil was an active supporter of the Salvation Army church, attending camps and supporting their ministry.

 He and his family moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1988, where he became a member of Capital Park Wesleyan Church and a season ticket-holder of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. He was always very involved with his sons' activities: 
volunteering with Little League baseball, Cub Scouts; and attending swim meets, band & choir concerts, and theatrical performances.

 His recreational passions also included golf, basketball, trains, murder mysteries, bagpipe music, the San Francisco Giants & 49ers, the music of Jimi Hendrix and the natural beauty of Oregon's outdoors. He made many friends and was loved by them all.

 He is survived by his wife and sons, sister Judy Aalto (Sergei) in Nova Scotia, cousin Tilzer Hargreaves (Martha) in Portland, cousin Edward F. Hargreaves (Terrilee) in Boise, and numerous nephews and nieces. He is preceded in death by his mother and father.

A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held Saturday, August 9, 2 p.m., at Capital Park Wesleyan Church in Salem. Donations in his memory can be made to the Southeast Neighborhood Community Center, Capital Park Wesleyan Church, 410 19th St. SE, Salem OR 97301; or the Linfield College Alumni Scholarship Fund (designate In Memory of Gil Hargreaves) 900 SE Baker St., McMinnville, OR 97128.

Arrangements by Restlawn Funeral Home

1965 PLU at Linfield football game played on Maxwell Field.

Also see
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2015/07/plu-saga-student-yearbook-pages-240-241.html

Coach Paul Durham monument will stand tall on Linfield campus

As a person, Paul Durham stood tall because of his exemplary character, leadership and skills.

Lead by a group of Linfield grads calling themselves, "Team Durham," funds are being raised to honor the legendary Linfield football coach and athletic director with a monument in his image. Standing at 8-feet tall, it will be bigger than life. Durham was 6-foot-4.

An artist will sculpt the monument in clay, and then it will be cast in bronze. It will be placed at a yet to be determined location on the Linfield campus.

Durham -- a 1936 Linfield grad who was a scholar, outstanding athlete and singer -- is the coach who started Linfield's national football record-setting winning season "streak."

He was also an important part of the McMinnville community with efforts ranging from directing the city's summer recreation program to serving a sports editor of the McMinnville News-Register, for which he wrote a popular column, "Dodging with Durham."

Durham died at 93 in 2007.

To learn how to donate, contact David Ostrander, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Linfield College at 503-883-2495.

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Photos from Linfield Oak Leaves yearbooks.

Linfield football history: 1982 national football title. 1948 Paul Durham named coach

Looking back: Linfield vs. William Jewell nat'l championship football game in McMinnville on 12/11/1982

http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2015/06/looking-back-linfield-vs-william-jewell.html

Photos from the Wildcatville Archives: 'Cats win 1982 NAIA Nat'l Football Title

http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2010/05/photographs-from-wildcatville-archives.html

Linfield football history: In 1948, Paul Durham named Wildcats' head football coach

http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2015/06/in-1948-paul-durham-named-linfield-head.html