RENTON, Wash. (Friday, April 17, 2015) – The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced the 2015 Hall of Fame class, Friday.
The nine inductees will be recognized throughout the year at various WIAA State Championships and will be honored with the Hall of Fame Class of 2016 at the induction ceremony in May of 2016.
“These nine inductees exemplify the spirit of high school sports and activities and the Association is honored to have such accomplished coaches, athletes, contributors and officials enter its Hall of Fame,” WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese said. “We are excited to invite each of the inductees to State Championships over the next year and recognize them in a ceremony along with the 2016 inductees.”
Washington soccer legend Kasey Keller headlines this impressive class. A Lacey, Wash., native, Keller attended North Thurston High School and enjoyed an illustrious career as a Ram. After high school, Keller attended the University of Portland where he guided the Pilots to the NCAA Division I semifinals. He was a First-Team All-American and recorded 40 shutouts in 82 games. Keller played 17 seasons in Europe before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a member of the Seattle Sounders. He played three seasons for the Sounders and was named the Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011 after claiming 18 wins. Most notably, Keller played 102 games for the United States men’s soccer team from 1990-2007.
Joining Keller as an athlete in the WIAA Hall of Fame is Ugur Taner from Newport (Bellevue) High School. Taner dominated prep swimming from 1988-92. A high school All-American, Taner set meet records in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, which still hold today. More impressively, Taner broke the National High School record in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard freestyle. After competing in the Barcelona Olympics for Turkey, Taner attended the University of California, Berkley where he was a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion.
The 2015 Class will include two coaches, Greg Brashear of Garfield High School and Dan White of Eastmont High School. Brashear coached the girls track and field teams for the Bulldogs, which captured eight State Championships during his tenure. White was at the helm of the Wildcats baseball program for 33 years. During his career, Eastmont amassed over 600 victories, nine semifinal appearances, and claimed the 1981 State Championship.
The Fine Arts inductee is Bruce Gutgesell, the former music teacher at Juanita High School. During his career, Gutgesell was named Kirkland’s Teacher of the Year, Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) Educator of the Year, and was the National Federation of State High School Associations Outstanding Music Educator. Gutgesell retired from teaching in 2006, but remains the Director for the WIAA/WMEA State Solo and Ensemble contests.
This year’s class will also feature three contributors; John Crawford, Dick Langum and Jim Meyerhoff. Crawford was the Meet Manager for the State Cross Country Championships from 1988-2003, and still oversees the results. He was also the State Track and Field Manager from 2003-08. Langum has actively worked with Canfield and Associates to service insurance needs for Washington schools to create safe environments for the education of students. Meyerhoff will be inducted as an administrator and a contributor. The Puyallup native was an administrator for Franklin Pierce High School and the White River School District before joining the WIAA staff as an Assistant Executive Director. In addition to his accomplishments as an administrator, Meyerhoff was one of the original Co-Directors of the Mat Classic.
The final inductee is Cindy C-Wilson, who will be inducted as an official. C-Wilson has officiated multiple State Volleyball Championships and has been the officials' coordinator. She was the Washington Officials Association Board President from 2007-11 and has also served multiple terms as the Greater Seattle Volleyball Officials President.
The event, location and time of when the inductees will be honored at State Championships will be posted on the WIAA website as they are finalized.