PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Roughriders Hall of Fame will include a pair of groundbreaking teams from the 1960s and ’70s and a record-setting unique relay team in its team category for induction.
The induction ceremony will be held Aug. 17 outdoors under a tent at Civic Field in Port Angeles. The three teams join 10 individuals previously announced for induction in August.
Selected for induction this year are the 1967 and 1968 boys swim teams, both of which finished second at the state 3A meet — the highest division in the state at the time, the 1982-1985 girls cross country teams that finished sixth, third, fifth and 11th at the state meet, and a four-man track relay team that set the state indoor two-mile relay record in Seattle in 1972.
“Usually we induct teams one year at a time,” said Hall of Fame chairman Bruce Skinner. “But there was so much overlap on these teams of individual competitors that we decided to bring them in at the same time.”
Port Angeles’ first-ever swim team in 1967 finished second in the state in a time when it was almost impossible for any school other than Wilson High School to win the state title. Wilson won 24 straight state championships and 323 straight dual meets.
Yet, the Riders 1967 team nearly broke that streak, losing 49-46 against Wilson in a dual meet.
Coached by Don Fairbairn, already in the Roughriders Hall of Fame, the 1967 team was led by Greg Galles, who won the 100-yard freestyle at state, and Robin Allen, who captured the diving title. Regular season points leader was Dale Ridgway, who finished third in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.
In 1968, Galles set the state record in the 100-yard freestyle, sophomore Bob Spencer won the 200-yard medley relay and Mike Chamberlin won the 100-yard breaststroke. Taking second place finishes were Spencer in the 400-yard free, Ridgway in the 100 freestyle, Mike Darling in diving and the 200-yard medley relay team of Chamberlin, Mike Krattli, Bruce Johansen and Bill Stossel.
Galles was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an individual in 2022.
The 1982-85 the girls cross-country teams went undefeated in league, going 23-0 over the four seasons, winning league meet championships every year. At the district meet they placed second, first the next two seasons and sixth.
Robin Mather won the league individual championship three times (1982, 1983 and 1985) and still holds the Port Angeles girls 3,000-meter record. Mather, Heather Lucas, Monica Barlow and Teresa Bower were the nucleus of these teams, running in the state championship all four years. Jeri Becker and Jennifer Foley ran three out of four years, while Kari Nordby competed in 1982 and 1983 and Julie Blore competed in 1982-84. Lucas is also being inducted this year as an individual.
The record-setting two-mile relay team of Steve Phillips, Dave Rains, Robin Chavis and Rick Melvin had four of the best middle and long distance runners in Riders history. They set a mark of 8 minutes, 2 seconds, four seconds faster than the previous state record.
The Port Angeles team set the record at an indoor track and field meet in the old Seattle Center Coliseum, which later became Key Arena. Indoor track has banked corners with a track made of plywood.
“It was a huge event in the 1960s and ’70s,” Skinner said.
The relay members had individual success, too. Phillips ran the second-fastest half-mile time in school history at 1 minute, 53.6 seconds.
In his senior year, Rains ran a school-record 4:19 mile.
Only 15 years old when the record was set, Melvin was the youngest member of this team. He went on to compete at the University of Washington in track.
The teams will be joined by 10 individual members of the seventh Hall of Fame class who excelled both at Port Angeles High School and after their high school careers.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.pahshof.org.
Individuals were announced several weeks ago. To read that story, go online at https://tinyurl.com/2024PAHallofFame.
The individuals include:
Cameron Braithwaite, 2012, track and field.
Derek Church, 1993, swimming.
Burdette Greeny, baseball, 1993.
Kiah (Jones) Sullivan, volleyball, 2012.
Heather Lucas, 1985 track.
Mike Madison, 1977, basketball.
Liz Money 2002, soccer.
Jesse Schouten, 1999, tennis.
Julie Shevlin (Urfer), 1992, gymnastics and track.
The Port Angeles 1972 indoor two-mile relay team that set a state record at the Seattle Center Coliseum includes, bottom row from left, Rick Melvin and and Robin Chavis. Top Row, from left Steve Phillips and Dave Rains.
The 1967 Port Angeles boys swim team are from front row, Dennis Hofer, Mike Darling, Kim Folk, Robin Allen, Mike Krattli, Greg Galles, Dean Ridgway, Steve McMahn, diving Coach Bob Wheeler. Back Row, from left, head coach Don Fairbairn, Bruce Johansen, Brian Edgar, Larry Anderson, Mike Chamberlin, Bill Stossel, Andy Simpson, Bruce Sandison and Dale Ridgway.
