Athletic Hall of Fame dinner

Courtesy of Katherine Schiffner

Ken Johnson, medal-winning wheelchair athlete

EvCC celebrated the Athletic Hall of Fame for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Athletes and coaches were inducted at a dinner on Thursday, June 9, 2022 and was held at Walt Price Student Fitness Center on campus from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
The dinner started at 6 pm and the ceremony began shortly afterward. The second half of the ceremony is the end of the year awards which will include team of the year and athlete of the year for both male & female athletes.

“This year will be a little bit unique; we are having 3 years of inductees.” Garet Studer said. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 and 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame ceremonies released videos and media content instead of hosting a dinner. The dinner this year will allow athletes to celebrate together. Due to this, there is only one inductee for 2022.
The in-person event will be a little more personalized. “The inductees will have an opportunity for an acceptance speech. A lot of time the speech can be pretty powerful, sharing what college experience meant to them. Sometimes funny anecdotal stories.” Studer said.

Former University of Puget Sound head football coach Paul Wallrof (Courtesy of Katherine Schiffner)

The 2020 inductees include medal-winning wheelchair athlete Ken Johnson, cross-country champion Rachel Cundy, track and field athlete Bob Bruce, former University of Puget Sound head football coach Paul Wallrof, the 1956 men’s golf team and the 2011 men’s cross-country team.

EvCC will honor 2021 Hall of Fame inductees record-breaking track athlete and coach Sue Grigsby, the 2011 women’s cross-country team, football player Jim Linden, soccer player Brianna Ellis Navlet, javelin thrower and football player Ralph Sager, basketball player Corby Schuh, pitcher Allie (Milless) Taylor and Darrell Walker.

Larry Walker is EvCC’s Athletic Hall of Fame 2022 inductee. He retired in 2016 after 31 years of working with EvCC athletes. His son, Darrell Walker, a former EvCC basketball player and coach, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. Walker was a key player in the creation of the state-of-the-art Walt Price Student Fitness Center, which replaced the gym EvCC built in 1958 at 13th Street and Rockefeller Avenue.

“Walker was integral in the design of the new fitness center. He worked really closely with the campus administration team in working for funding and the design with the contractors.” said Studer. He brought back many sports including baseball, cross country, track and field, along with women’s soccer and softball.

Photo of Larry Walker (Courtesy of Garet Studer)

“This will be a really cool event to see people that have been at the college 40-50 years mix with the student athletes here now. We are bringing the past with the present. The inductees look at the new athlete and get to reminisce and remember what it was like being 18/19/20 competing in college. The current athletes get to look ahead and see what they are able to accomplish,” said Studer.