1975 Tyee/Bel-Kirk Senior Babe Ruth Team - National Champions
Inducted 1989
In 1973, two Kirkland teams combined to form the Tyee/Bel-Kirk Senior Babe Ruth Baseball Team. Players were chosen from the best baseball players in the greater Kirkland area. The 1975 team quickly proved they could be world champions. After capturing the Chinook League championship, they won the 1975 state championship in Redmond. Then it was off to the Pacific Northwest Sectional Tournament in Oregon, where, after losing the first game bounced back to win six straight games and the Pacific Northwest crown. Fans traveled from the Peter Kirk Park grandstand to Sicks Stadium in Seattle to watch their home team compete in the National Tournament of Champions. The championship game was fierce. Finally, in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 0-0 game, Tyee/Bel-Kirk scored the only run and the 1975 National Senior Babe Ruth Championship.
Ron Brown, Manager |
Cam Ackley |
Mike Gibson |
Tom Neir |
Jerry Zylstra, Coach |
Ron Bess |
Dan Grager |
Jeff Pollard |
Ken Broches, Assistant Coach |
Roger Blier |
Rod McHattie |
Tony Provenzo |
Mike Brown, Bat Boy |
Lew Bodman |
Greg Hunter |
Jim Reynolds |
Bill Petter, Sponsor |
Steve Burns |
John Lecoq |
Frank Rutt |
E.B. Sargeant, Sponsor |
Jeff Dilley |
Jeff Maltese |
Frank Williams |
Steven Earl Todd - Wheelchair Athlete and Coach
Inducted 1989
Like many young boys, Steve loved sports and his dream was to be a professional baseball player. He was a star athlete and excelled as he advanced through the Kirkland baseball system. But when Steve was 15 he started having terrible pains in his back and legs, by the time he graduated from Lake Washington High School, he was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Victimized by a rare malformation of his vascular system, Steve’s professional sports aspirations had ended. He found new ways to enjoy his love for sports, becoming president of the Kirkland Slow Pitch Softball Association and leading a team of able-bodied players as a coach and pitcher. He became the star on a champion wheelchair basketball team and even found time to coach local Little League Baseball. Steve also worked with Bellevue Community College administration to help make the campus more accessible for handicapped individuals. In 1980, three years after Steve passed away, he was inducted into the Seattle Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame for significant contributions to the advancement of local and national wheelchair athletics.
Andrew S. Okada - 1981 National Collegiate Boxing Association Champion
Inducted 1989
Andrew Okada had been an achiever ever since his high school days. He distinguished himself by becoming a wrestling champion during his sophomore and junior years. Unfortunately, Andrew was hit by an automobile, shattering his leg and preventing him from competing in his final season. After graduation he moved on to college where his focus turned to boxing. After only 10 lessons Andrew won the regional title for his weight class. By his junior year he had won the Silver Medal at the National Collegiate Boxing Association Championships. In his senior year, Andrew was selected as a wild card entry and went on to win first place in the 112 pound division, National Collegiate Boxing Association Championships, where Sugar Ray Leonard was one of the judges.
1982 Kirkland National Little League All-Stars - Little League World Champions
Inducted 1989
In June of 1982, coaches from the Kirkland National Little League Association gathered to choose an all-star team to compete in the upcoming district tournament. No one knew just how far the team would go over the next two months. They practiced twice a day while the coach and manager took leave from work so they could prepare the team. Soon after, the all-star team had won district and state championships. Once they had won the title, it was off to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. After beating out other teams for the chance to play in the World Championship and with family and friends in the stands and millions of others viewing from home, the Kirkland All-Stars beat Taiwan 6-0 and were crowned the Little League World Champions.
Don Cochran, Manager |
Bill Cook |
Taikan Sekine |
Pat Downs, Coach |
Chad Hartvigson |
Mark Swain |
Mike Adams |
Erik Jonson |
Perry Travis |
Brian Avery |
David Keller |
Cody Webster |
Gibbie Black |
Greg Miller |
|
Shawn Cochran |
Mark Peterson |
|
1980 Kirkland National Little League All-Stars - First team from Washington to play in the Little League World Series
Inducted 1989
Third in the world, second in the nation, and the first team from Washington state to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Don Cochran, Manager |
Pat Coyle |
Rich Miailovich |
Pat Downs, Coach |
Doug Demetre |
John Nipper |
Richard Miailovich, Coach |
Doug Flajole |
Aaron Rawley |
Clay Carlson |
Greg Hunter |
Tom Ricketts |
Mike Chow |
Rick Matthews |
Nick Wharf |
Todd Coleman |
Darin Mercado |
|
Hot Dog USA - World Rope Skipping Team Champions
Inducted 1989
When Bob Melson first organized a group of rope skippers at Mark Twain Elementary School, it was to promote physical fitness and to help raise money for the American Heart Association. Hot Dog USA went on to become the elite rope skippers in the world. Competitors were always astonished to learn the team was not a state or even a city all-star team, they were just a group of elementary school kids. The team competed in more than thirty states and six countries. The American Heart Association was so impressed they flew the team all over the country to promote the “Jump Rope for Heart” program. In 1989, Mr. Melson was presented with the prestigious Presidential Award by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for his work with Hot Dog USA in promoting physical fitness.
Bob Melson, Coach |
Sarah Hamlin - 1988 |
Marie Nobriga - 1987 |
Allison Bell - 1989 |
Randi Kimura - 1989 |
Caryn Shiroyama - 1984, 87 |
Rene Bibaud - 1984, 87 |
Shelby Kraus - 1988 |
Jeni Smedberg - 1986 |
Kellie Cheadle - 1985, 86 |
Stacie Kraus - 1989 |
Amy Smith -1984, 87 |
Amy Dawson - 1988 |
Kristi LoDolce - 1984 |
Gerry Tritz - 1989 |
Lisa DeGuire - 1985, 86 |
Kellie Neilsen - 1988 |
Heidi Wharf - 1985 |
Katie Funai - 1989 |
Heather Nobriga - 1985, 86 |
Kari Zwiefelhofer - 1989 |
Dorothy (Didi) Anstett - 1968 Miss USA
Inducted 1989
Opportunities for educational scholarships initially attracted Didi to pageants. She was crowned Miss Kirkland on April 23, 1966, in the old Junior High School auditorium on Waverly Way. Other pageants and awards soon followed. In 1968, Didi represented Kirkland at the Miss Washington Universe Pageant in Ocean Shores, where she won the Miss Washington title. It was on May 18, 1968, in Miami Beach, Florida, with a viewing audience of over 60 million when Didi was crowned Miss USA.
Richard M. Acton - Professional Golfer
Inducted 1989
In 1989, Mr. Acton had won more major Pacific Northwest golf tournaments than any other player in the history of the Northwest. His many triumphs have included:
- Pacific Northwest PGA Champion – 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982
- Washington State PGA Player of the Year – 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
- Washington State PGA Championship – 1973,1975, 1984, 1985, 1987
- Pacific Northwest Open – 1973,1978, 1983
- Oregon Open – 1972, 1977 1978, 1985
- Washington Open – 1979, 1981, 1982
- Spokane Open – 1981, 1983
- Alaska Open – 1981, 1982
- Idaho Open – 1982
The Professional Golf Association (PGA) recognized Richard as the Top Golf Teacher in Washington as well as the Pacific Northwest region for 1988 and 1989, it's the first time a teacher has won the award two years in a row.