Area Hall of Famers
Sports figures with local ties who are national Hall of Famers:
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME (Cooperstown, N.Y.)
Stan Coveleski (inducted 1969)
Pitcher, Spokane Indians 1913-14, from Shamokin, Pa.; won 215 games in 14 major league seasons (1912-28) with the Athletics, Indians, Senators and Yankees
George “Highpockets” Kelly (inducted 1973)
First baseman, Spokane Indians 1914, from San Francisco; hit .297 in 16 major league seasons (1915-30) with the Giants, Pirates, Reds, Cubs and Dodgers
Edwin “Duke” Snider (inducted 1980)
Manager, Spokane Indians 1965, from Compton, Calif.; hit .295 with 407 home runs in 18 major league seasons (1947-64) with the Dodgers, Mets and Giants; replaced Pete Reiser as Spokane manager, compiling 53-81 record
Hoyt Wilhelm (inducted 1985)
Pitcher, Spokane Indians 1971, from Huntersville, N.C.; won 143 games and saved 227 in 21 major league seasons (1952-72) with the Giants, Cardinals, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cubs and Dodgers; was 2-3 for Spokane in 1971
Tommy Lasorda (inducted 1997)
Manager, Spokane Indians 1969-71, from Norristown, Pa.; compiled 1,599-1,439 record and won two World Series in 21 seasons (1976-96) managing the Los Angeles Dodgers; was 234-201 in Spokane, winning 1970 Pacific Coast League title
Don Sutton (inducted 1998)
Pitcher, Spokane Indians 1968, from Pensacola, Fla.; won 324 games and struck out 3,574 in 23 major league seasons (1966-88) with the Dodgers, Astros, Brewers, A’s and Angels; was 1-1 for Spokane in two starts
George Brett (inducted 1999)
Owner, Spokane Indians, 1985-present, from El Segundo, Calif.; hit .305 with 3,154 hits and 317 home runs in 21 major league seasons (1973-93) with the Kansas City Royals
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (Canton, Ohio)
Mel Hein (inducted 1963)
Played at Washington State 1928-30, from Burlington, Wash.; All-Pro center eight times and the 1938 NFL MVP, he was a 60-minute regular for the New York Giants for 15 years (1931-45)
Glen “Turk” Edwards (inducted 1969)
Played at Washington State 1929-31, from Clarkston; All-Pro tackle four times in a nine-year career (1932-40) with the Boston Braves/Washington Redskins
Tony Canadeo (inducted 1974)
Played at Gonzaga 1938-40, from Chicago; All-Pro halfback three times in an 11-year NFL career with Green Bay (1941-52), rushed for 4,197 yards and passed for 1,642 more
Ray Flaherty (inducted 1976)
Played at Gonzaga 1922-25, from Spokane (Gonzaga HS); compiled 80-37-5 coaching record and won two NFL titles with Washington Redskins, and two AAFC division titles with the New York Yankees
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (South Bend, Ind.)
Gus Dorais (inducted 1954)
Coached at Gonzaga 1920-24, from Chippewa Falls, Wis.; compiled 150-70-12 record as a coach at Loras, Gonzaga and Detroit, with a 20-13-3 mark at Gonzaga
Mel Hein (inducted 1954) See above
Francis Schmidt (inducted 1971)
Coached at Idaho 1941-42, from Downs, Kansas; compiled 158-57-1 record at Tulsa, Arkansas, TCU, Ohio State and Idaho, with 7-11-1 record at Idaho
Glen “Turk” Edwards (inducted 1975) See above
O.E. “Babe” Hollingbery (inducted 1979)
Coached at Washington State 1926-42, from San Francisco; compiled 93-53-14 record in 16 years at WSU, the most wins in school history, and took team to 1931 Rose Bowl
Forest Evashevski (inducted 2000)
Coached at Washington State 1950-51, from Detroit; compiled 68-35-6 record with Hamilton, WSU and Iowa, including an 11-6-2 mark with the Cougars
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME (Springfield, Mass.)
Marv Harshman (inducted 1985)
Coached at Washington State 1958-71, from Lake Stevens, Wash.; compiled record of 642-448 in 41 seasons of college coaching, including a 155-181 record at WSU
HOCKEY HALL OF FAME (Toronto, Ontario)
Lester Patrick (inducted 1947)
Coach, player and owner, Spokane Canaries, 1917, from Drummondville, Quebec; Player in the early days of the NHL, created the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and later coached and served as general manager with the New York Rangers from 1925-1946.
WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME (St. Augustine, Fla.)
Harry “Bing” Crosby (inducted 1978)
Attended Gonzaga 1921-24, from Spokane (Gonzaga HS); a 2-handicapper who played in both the U.S. and British amateurs, he started “Crosby’s Clambake,” now the AT&T Pro-Am and golf’s most celebrated non-major tournament, in 1937
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF RACING AND HALL OF FAME (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.)
Alfred (Albert) Johnson (inducted 1971)
Grew up in Milan, Wash.; won 503 stakes races, including the Kentucky Derby in 1922 (on Morvich) and 1926 (on Bubbling Over) and two Belmont Stakes
AUTO RACING HALL OF FAME (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Tom Sneva (inducted 2004)
Grew up in Spokane (Lewis and Clark HS) and graduated from Eastern Washington; 1983 winner of the Indianapolis 500, he was also second three times and the first to break the 200- and 210-mph barriers at the Brickyard
NATIONAL TRACK AND FIELD HALL OF FAME (New York, N.Y.)
Gerry Lindgren (inducted 2004)
Grew up in Spokane (Rogers HS) and graduated from Washington State; won 11 NCAA track and cross country championships, set a world record for 6 miles, set an American record for 3 miles and high school records from 1 mile to 10,000 meters.