The Class of 2001: ATHLETES

BRUCE ANDERSON ’66 (1962-66)

Bruce Anderson ’66 (graduated in 1962 from Marshfield High School, Ore. – now lives in Roseburg, Ore.) played for six seasons in the National Football League after being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round in 1966. He played for three NFL teams: the Rams (1966-67), the New York Giants (1967-69) and the Washington Redskins (1970-71). On Oct. 11, 1970, he was named NFL Player of the Week. Anderson was a dominant defensive lineman for four seasons at Willamette. He was named to the All-Northwest Conference team each year and also won all-district and all-coast honors. He capped his collegiate career by being named to the Little All-American team in 1965. Anderson was also an All-Methodist selection three times (1963-65.)

CARLA PILUSO ’77 (1973-77)

Carla Piluso ’77 (graduated in 1973 from Jackson High School, Ore. – now lives in Gresham, Ore.) won all-conference honors in three of the four sports she competed in from 1973-77. She was named all-conference three times in field hockey (1975-77), twice in badminton (1974-75) and once in basketball (1974-75.) She also played on the Willamette softball team. All four teams won conference titles at least once during Piluso’s tenure. She is currently serving as a board member of the Mt. Hood YMCA and the police activities league in Gresham. She is a captain for the Gresham Police Department.

CARRIE PIETIG ’91 (1987-91)

Carrie Pietig, ’91, (graduated in 1987 from Centralia High School, Wash. – now lives in Taylor, Texas) has won more individual national championships (three) than any woman, to date, in Willamette history. As a junior in 1990, she won the NAIA discus and shot put titles. Pietig followed that up by winning the 1991 NAIA discus crown as a senior and placed second in the shot put. Her NAIA-winning discuss throw of 167-4 in 1990 set an NAIA record at the time. That mark, along with her 1990 national champion shot put toss (48-11) is a Willamette school record. Pietig was a three-time Northwest Conference shot put champion and two-time NWC discus title winner. She held the NAIA District II records in the shot put (48-1) and discus (148-8) until the meet was discontinued in 1995. The four-time NAIA All-American helped the women’s track & field team place 10th at nationals in 1991 and 11th in 1990. Pietig also played volleyball as a freshman

ERIK CLARKSON ’91 (1987-91)

Erik Clarkson ’91 (graduated in 1987 from South Salem High School – now lives in Gig Harbor, Wash.) broke every major Willamette scoring record during his four-year basketball career. By the time his senior season was complete, Clarkson moved pas Doug Holden for career points (2,071), career average (18.3), season points (678) and season average (23.4). He set a single-game scoring standard with 47 points his senior year against Southern Oregon. He was a two-time NAIA All-America honorable mention selection (1990-91) after winning Northwest Conference Player of the Year honors those same seasons. Clarkson was also a first-team NAIA District II choice his last two years after leading the Bearcats to back-to-back District II West Division titles in 1990-91. He also helped Willamette win the NWC during his freshman (1987-88) and sophomore (1988-89) years. The Bearcats were 77-38 in Clarkson’s four seasons and went a perfect 8-0 in winning four John Lewis Classic championships.

The Class of 2001: TEAM

1979 MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM

The 1979 men’s cross country team placed 14th at the NAIA national championships after winning the Northwest Conference and NAIA District II titles in convincing fashion. The team was led by the trio of David Fleming, Kelly Sullivan, and David Johnson. That group placed 1-2-3, respectively, in both the conference and district championship meets to earn all-conference and all-district honors. Fleming led the Bearcats at nationals, placing 28th overall. Tim Rutledge and Rick LaGriede placed fourth and sixth, respectively, in the conference meet to earn all-conference honors.

The Class of 2001: MERITORIOUS SERVICE

BILL TRENBEATH (1973-2000)

Bill Trenbeath (lives in Salem, Ore.) served at Willamette for 27 years as director of athletics (1988-2000), head baseball coach (1974-86), assistant football coach (1974-86) and assistant professor of physical education. In 13 seasons on the baseball diamond, he coached the Bearcats to three Northwest Conference crowns and five NAIA District II playoff appearances. IN his final campaign in 1986, he was named NAIA District II Coach of the Year after WU won its first-ever District title. However, Trenbeath will likely be best remembered for his tenure as director of athletics. In 11 years, he oversaw the construction of Roy S. “Spec” Keene Stadium for baseball (1988), the renovation of Charles E. McCulloch Stadium (1993) for football and track & field, the addition to the Lestle J. Sparks Center (1996), the building of a boathouse and dock for the rowing program (1998) and the construction of a new softball facility (1999). Of the many athletic highlights since 1988, the most prominent would have to be the 1993 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship won in Nampa, Idaho – the school’s first national title in a varsity sport. The 1997 football team nearly won a national crown under head coach Dan Hawkins, who was hired by Trenbeath. That team won 13 straight games before losing in the NAIA national championship game to Findlay (Ohio), 14-7.

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