The Class of 1993: ATHLETES

GIB GILMORE (1965-1969)

Gib Gilmore was drafted by the New York Yankees and tried out for the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 after a three-year, three-sport collegiate career. In football, his record of 51 passes caught in a season stood for 22 years and he still shares the Willamette standard for four touchdown passes caught in a game. He was an honorable mention Little-All-American in 1968. In baseball, he hit .410 as a junior to earn honorable mention Little All-American honors in center field. He also played basketball for the Bearcats. More recently, Gilmore has excelled in handball, winning the national 35-and-over singles championship in 1985.

BRENDA HANSEN-COATS (1978-1982)

Brenda Hansen led the conference in scoring three times in basketball, making the all-conference team each year. As of her induction, she still held the Bearcats basketball record for highest scoring average in a single season (15.3 ppg 1979-1980). Willamette was 46-20 in the three years she played basketball, leading the Bearcats to conference titles in ’79 and ’80. Hansen was also a four-year starter in volleyball and twice was an all conference selection. She was the most valuable player on the 1979 volleyball team that finished 31-9 and won the school’s first conference championship in the sport. That team advanced to regionals and placed third.

STEVE KOGA (1978-1982)

Steve Koga owns the most individual NAIA national championships in school history- in any sport- with five titles in swimming. The four-time NAIA All-American (1979-1982) won the 100 freestyle three times at nationals from 1980-1982 and the 50 freestyle as a junior and senior. He also placed second in the 50 freestyle as a sophomore and second in the 100 butterfly as a junior, when the Bearcat men recorded their highest- ever finish at the national meet by placing sixth. As of his induction, Koga still held all-time Willamette records in the 50-yard freestyle (20.88), 100 freestyle (45.85) and 100 butterfly (51.43) – the three oldest records in men’s swimming.

JOE STORY (1971-1975)

Joe Story was an all-star wide receiver in football, who later became captain of the United States Olympic Team Handball Squad. He was a four-time Northwest Conference all-star in football and led the Bearcats in scoring three years-amassing 108 points in his career. He was also a two-time NAIA District 2 all-star. Story was a member of the U.S. Team Handball squad from 1978-1988. He was the team’s captain from 1986-1988 Olympics. He was named the team’s player of the year in 1980 and 1986. Story helped organize team handball as a club sport at Willamette and the 1975 team won the collegiate division national championship.

DICK WEISGERBER (1934-1938)

Dick Weisgerber was a 1936 Associated Press Little All-American at running back and later played four years for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (1939-40, 1942). He also made the 1936 AP All-American honorable mention list, which included all colleges and universities in the country. At Willamette, he led the nation in points-after-touchdowns his freshman year (1934) and was third in the country in scoring his junior season (1936), when he started at running back. He was a four-time Northwest Conference all-star. The Bearcats were 26-8-1 overall and 18-0

The Class of 1993: TEAM

1968 FOOTBALL TEAM (9-1)

The 1968 football team advanced to the national semifinals before ending its season with a 9-1 record and a No. 6 ranking in the final NAIA poll. The Bearcats were ranked No. 3 prior to their semifinal loss to eventual national champions Troy State (Ala.) – the highest ranking of any Willamette football squad to date. The Bearcats- led by Hall of Fame coach Ted Ogdahl- shut out three teams and outscored their opponents 241-78 during the regular season. Willamette threw for more than 1,600 yards and had eight running backs each run for over 100 yards. The Bearcats averaged 25.1 points per game and three times scored 40 or more points. Willamette’s nationally- rated defense allowed just 14.1 points per game and intercepted 17 passes. The Bearcats ended the season rated 15th in the nation in total defense) 181.0 yards per game), led by the sixth-ranked rushing defense (60.0 ypg.)

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