Another Award Comes To Ex-Gonzaga Coach

Longtime former Gonzaga Prep football coach William H. “Billy” Frazier will add another honor to the long list of accolades that have bestowed upon him when he receives the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award on Monday night from the Inland Northwest Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The presentation will take place at the chapter’s awards banquet at the Red Lion Hotel & Inns Spokane Center (formerly the Sheraton) at 7 p.m. Ten area high school seniors also will be honored, with one receiving the Ray Flaherty Award, and $12,500 in scholarships will be awarded.

Frazier, who turns 88 this year, is the first recipient of the local chapter’s Outstanding Contribution award, which recognizes “individuals who work tirelessly out of a pure love of the game and a desire to help our youth play it well.”

Frazier coached six years at Mead before moving to G-Prep in 1939. In the next 34 years, his teams won 34 championships, including 31 City League titles, 15 in football, 15 in baseball and one in basketball. Since his retirement in 1973, golf has became his passion.

His other honors include membership in the Inland Empire, Idaho, Gonzaga Prep, Gonzaga University and Washington State Coaches Association halls of fame, the latter both in football and basketball.

A few tickets at $25 each remain. Info: Paul Sorensen, (509) 924-7750.

Baseball

Former major league outfielder Jay Johnstone will be the featured clinician at the fifth annual Northwest Baseball/ Softball Festival on Friday and Saturday.

The clinic, conducted in conjunction with Spokane Athletic Supply, Gonzaga University and Spokane Falls Community College, also will include University of Washington baseball coach Ken Knutson, his assistant, Joe Ross, UW softball coach Teresa Wilson; and Central Arizona Junior College softball coach Clint Myers.

The festival begins Friday, from 8-10 p.m., at the Strike Zone Batting Cages located behind Spokane Athletic Supply, where Johnstone will talk on hitting.

Saturday’s program will be at the SFCC Student Center, with registration from 8-9 a.m. Johnstone will speak at 9. Sessions will be conducted through the afternoon.

Cost is $40 per coach, a staff of three registering together is $100 and players under 18 can attend for $10.

Registration can be made by calling Gonzaga coach Steve Hertz at 328-4220, ext. 4226, or by mail by writing Hertz at Gonzaga University, AD Box 66, Spokane, WA 99258. Registrations will also be accepted at the door from 7-8 p.m. Friday at Spokane Athletic Supply and at SFCC Saturday morning.

Johnstone was a 22-year major leaguer, playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s and California Angels. He played for two World Series champions.

Basketball

The Spokane Stars AAU girls basketball club is having tryouts for five age groups.

Interested players 10 through 14 years of age should call 928-8512 or 927-9167 for the times and places of the tryouts.

College scene

University of Oregon senior Kevin Roberts of Spokane (University High School), a two-time All-American, has been selected to participate in the 1996 National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic Jan. 29 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Roberts, ranked third in the nation at 118 pounds, has a 14-0 record. He was fourth in the NCAA Championships in 1994 and eighth in 1995.

Oregon teammate Scott Norton, ranked fourth nationally at 150, also will compete.

Seven Gonzaga University student-athletes received West Coast Conference All-Academic recognition for the fall sports season.

Volleyball: Wendy Wilson from Spokane (North Central High School), with a 3.32 grade-point average in physical education.

Women’s cross country: Andrea Harris, senior, 3.45, engineering; and Beth Mulligan, sophomore, 3.25.

Men’s cross country: Mark Bloudek, senior, 3.46, engineering; and Jon Neill, senior, 3.67, finance.

Men’s soccer: Rusty Arlig, senior, 3.30, art; Coby Carlson, junior, 3.55, chemistry.

Football

Spokane native Wally Gaskins has been hired as the running backs coach at Rutgers University under head coach Terry Shea.

Gaskins attended Lewis and Clark High School and played football at Columbia Basin College and the University of Montana. He was formerly the running backs coach at San Jose State and worked with Shea when Shea was the head coach at San Jose.

Gymnastics

Firsts by Matthew Croskrey and Justin Parks led a strong showing by Lilac City Gymnastics Center boys, who won the Level 7 and Class 5 championships at the Washington Open last weekend in Seattle.

Croskrey, 11, won the Class 5 all-around and Parks the Level 7 all-around.

Other top-six placings: Class 5-Nathan Price, second, ages 12-13; David Novak, sixth, 12-13; Shawn Gabriel, sixth, 10-11. Class 6-Jacob Shasky, third, 12-13; B.J. Downing, fifth, 12-13; David Baum, fourth, 10-11.

Softball

Four Spokane-area youth fastpitch teams brought back honors from a tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Dec. 31-Jan. 2.

USA 14-under, coached by Ken Van Sickle, won the championship in its age group with a 5-1 record.

In the 16U category, USA No. 2 lost 4-1 to Queensland in the title match. Queensland was the 1995 Australian national champion. USA No. 2, coached by Jerry Mertens, finished 6-3. USA No. 1, coached by Dick Mills, was third at 6-2-1 and USA No. 3, coached by Ron Bradstreet, was fifth at 4-4 in the 11-team division.

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