This issue: Winter 2018

Seven Individuals, One Team Inducted into Sports Hall of Fame

Bruin Notes

Seven Individuals, One Team Inducted into Sports Hall of Fame

From top left clockwise: Amadu Koroma, Todd Bos, coach/administrator Craig Taylor, baseball standout Derrick Jones, former PA announcer Don Staples, football star Perry Kimberly, Michelle Forbes, and the 1977 men’s cross country team

Three track and field stars, a baseball player, a football player, a coach/administrator, a men’s cross country team and a legendary voice of the Bruins were inducted as the 22nd class of the university’s Sports Hall of Fame in September.

The 2017 inductees included track and field athletes Amadu Koroma, Todd Bos and Michelle Forbes, baseball standout Derrick Jones, football star Perry Kimberly, coach/administrator Craig Taylor, the 1977 men’s cross country team and former PA announcer Don Staples.

Koroma’s long jump of 23 feet, 9 inches in 1978 set a school record that still stands, and that same season he and three teammates set a 4x100 relay mark that remains No. 1 in the record books (41.3 seconds). Bos was an NAIA All-American in the 800 meters and claimed district titles in the 800 and 1,500 in 1991. He remains the school’s all-time record holder in the 800 (1:50.0). Forbes was an All-American high jumper who finished second in the event at the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2005. She qualified for nationals three times and is currently ranked No. 2 in the high jump at George Fox (5-8).

Jones was a four-year baseball player (2003-06) who earned Northwest Conference Player of the Year honors in 2006, finishing that season with a .364 batting average while also going 6-3 as the team’s No. 1 starting pitcher. He led the Bruins to a record of 132-50 in his career and a national title in 2004.

A coach and administrator for 45 years before retiring in 2017, Taylor had served as director of athletics since 1988. He added seven new sports during his tenure and helped guide the planning and building of the Austin Sports Complex, Stoffer Family Stadium and the Duke Athletic Center.

The 1977 men’s cross country team was the school’s first-ever NAIA district champion in the sport and the first to compete at the NAIA National Championships. George Fox won district by 39 points, led by all-district team members Steve Blikstad and Chris Mwaura.

Kimberly was a standout on both offense and defense for the football team from 1965 to 1967. He was an All-Oregon Collegiate Conference selection and made honorable mention on the 1967 Little All-Coast Team.

Staples served as the women’s basketball program’s PA announcer from 1999 until succumbing to brain cancer at the age of 54 following the 2016-17 season. He logged more than 350 games during his 18-year tenure and was honored for meritorious service.

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