CV’s athletic Wall of Fame honorees
Class of 2012
Bob Cox: A 1937 CV grad, Cox was the school’s first state champion in any sport, winning back-to-back state titles in the shot put in 1936 and 1937.
Bob Keppel: Keppel was a member of the 1962 basketball team that finished the regular season undefeated and placed sixth in the state tournament. A first-team all-city and honorable mention all-state pick in basketball, Keppel is best known as a high jumper, where he won the state championship as a senior with a jump of 6 feet 3 inches, and broke the Spokane City League record by clearing 6-5½. He won the Pac-8 championship in 1966 with a jump of 6-9 and after his college career, cleared 7-0 at an all-comers meet at Shadle Park High School. As a King County detective, he participated in both the Ted Bundy and Green River investigations.
Sig T. Hansen: A longtime teacher, coach and administrator at CV, Hansen coached basketball, track and served as an administrator, but is best known as football coach, a position he held for 21 seasons (1933-1953). He was instrumental in having lights installed at the football field in 1941, enabling CV to be the first high school in Spokane County to host night games. The football field is named in his honor.
Jon Lloyd: A 1974 CV grad, Lloyd excelled at football, track and wrestling. As both a junior and senior, he was an all-league honoree in football and a district and regional champion in track. As a senior wrestler he was 22-0 with 19 pins, but had to withdraw from the state tournament due to illness.
Ray Blowers: A teacher and coach at CV for 33 years, he was head baseball coach from 1965-’69 and head cross country coach from 1959-’61. As events manager, he oversaw all home activities, monitoring ticket sales and concessions at athletic contests. If there was an activity at CV, Blowers was there.
George Chalich: A 1948 graduate, Chalich competed in football, basketball, track and baseball. A first-team all-league pick as a sophomore, junior and senior, he led the league in scoring twice and broke the league scoring record his senior year with a 13.7 points-per-game average. He went on to play college basketball at both the University of Washington and Gonzaga. He taught and coached for 28 years and served as an official in both baseball and basketball for 40 years.
Ed Stephan: A 1944 graduate, Stephen lettered in football, basketball and track. He was the state javelin champion as a senior with a throw of 171 feet, 9 inches.
Dan Vickery: A member of the class of 1979, Vickery was a standout hurdler. His school record of 13.8 in the high hurdles remains one of the fastest hand-held times in state history. He was Athlete of the Meet at the Pasco Invite meet as a senior, his 14.04 time in the hurdles is the oldest record standing in the history of the event.
Annette Hand: A 1983 graduate, Hand was one of the nation’s premier long-distance runners. She was team leader for the 1982 girls state championship cross country team, and was state champion in the 1,600 as a senior. After graduating, she went on to smash records at the University of Montana and at the University of Oregon. She was the NCAA 5,000 meter champion in 1988 and was named to the Pac-10’s All-Decade Team. She competed in the 1990 Goodwill Games and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
1982 Girls State Championship Cross Country team: Coach Bill Berg, team members: Annette Hand, Missy Madsen, Janelle Allen, Monica Kirkpatrick, Lisa Rudgers and Lauriea Delong. State placers: Hand (2nd), Madsen (4th), and Allen (12th).
Class of 2010
Bill Ames: Ames became principal at CV in 1956 and served in that capacity for 20 years. The Bill Ames Memorial Scholarship is awarded each year to the senior who exemplifies outstanding citizenship, scholarship, positive attitude and an involvement in activities.
Vern Tucker: A student leader for the CV class of 1946, Tucker was a three-sport standout. At Whitworth College he earned Little All-America honors in football. He began his teaching career in Kennewick before returning to CV, where he coached track, football and instituted the wrestling program at CV. The Vern Tucker Award is given each year to the graduating senior who most exemplifies high moral standards, consideration for others, academic excellence and involvement in school activities.
Bruce Wendelburg: Wendelburg began his teaching and coaching career at CV in 1968 and retired in 1997. A football player and wrestler at Whitworth, he taught social studies and was a longtime assistant coach in football, track and wrestling.
Greg Horn: A 1981 graduate, Horn earned all-league honors in football, basketball and baseball, leading the Greater Spokane League in rushing and touchdowns scored in 1980 and 1981. He declined football scholarships and an appointment to the Air Force Academy to attend Stanford University. He became a minister in New Jersey and taught graduate level theology in New York City.
1997 State Championship Football team: Coach Rick Giampietri led the Bears to a 13-1 season, capped by a 49-13 win over South Kitsap in the title game.
Class of 2008
Charlie Dean: Football coach from 1964 through 1974, coaching the Bears to seven undefeated seasons and 10 Border League championships, with a career record of 82-11-2.
Anton Rasmussen: Head football coach from 1954 through 1961 and instrumental in developing the athletic facilities at Central Valley High School.
Ray Thacker: Head boys basketball coach from 1942 to 1971 and athletics director from 1954 to 1971. Led the Bears to the state tournament 11 times, earning eight trophies, including a second-place finish in 1960 and a state title in 1968.
Dave Braucht: A 1947 graduate and a three-sport student athlete. After college, he returned to CV to teach, coach baseball and football, and served as a longtime basketball assistant to Thacker. As an educator he created the first full-time computer lab at the school.
Jay Rydell: A CV teacher for 26 years, Jay was head wrestling coach for 10 years, with a 151-42 record, coaching 42 district, 22 regional and 6 individual state placers.