Six inducted into Inland Northwest Hall of Fame

When officials from the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame informed Roy Graffis he was one of four members of the 2009 class, Graffis was understandably elated. The longtime coach started calling family and friends to share the good news.

And then it hit him. No, not the gravity of the award, but the possibility that somebody was pulling a prank.

“This is something I dreamt of happening,” said Graffis, who joined ex-Idaho and NFL quarterback John Friesz, volleyball coach Irene Matlock and Hall of Fame chairman Jon Heimbigner for induction ceremonies Tuesday at the Arena.

“When I slowed down and thought about it, I thought I’ve got coaching friends that are ornery enough to do it as a practical joke,” Graffis said. “I had to call the Hall of Fame people back and make sure.”

And then he got around to what the award meant to him. “I have an old corny expression,” said Graffis, who coached the Oakesdale boys basketball team to the 1973 State B title, the Columbia girls basketball to the State B title in 1986 and Columbia football to State B-11 crowns in 1987 and 1988. “I have no more mountains to climb. This is as high as I can go.”

Those sentiments were echoed by his classmates as they took their places among Spokane’s sports icons. The four were joined by Scroll of Honor recipients Dale Goodwin, a long-time volleyball official who has worked six NCAA Division I tournaments, and Marcia Saneholtz, who served 28 years as senior associate athletic director and administrator at Washington State University.

All the honorees pointed out that they were, in effect, part of bigger teams and those folks deserve much of the credit for their individual success. Friesz, who starred at Coeur d’Alene High, the University of Idaho and played 11 seasons in the NFL, recalled the gentle prodding of parents Mel and Mary Jo.

“It’s the only time they nudged me along the way, to go ahead and play high school football because I didn’t have the confidence to do it,” said Friesz, now a member of four Halls of Fame. “I guess, as they say, the rest is history.”

Friesz said he played the ultimate team game and the ultimate team position, and that his success was dependent on those around him.

“I hope this is a big deal for them,” said Friesz, who lives in Hayden and helps coach his three sons’ teams. “The one nickname I remember my offensive line (at Idaho) gave me was ‘Holiday Inn’ because I stood back there in the pocket like I was checking in at the Holiday Inn.”

Matlock coached Sandpoint High to a 101-7 record and four state titles from 1982-85 before moving on to Community Colleges of Spokane, where she won 715 matches and four conference championships. She guided Eastern Washington to a 12-4 conference record as interim head coach in 2007.

While Graffis knew at a young age he wanted to be a coach, Matlock wasn’t really interested.

“I came to Eastern to get my master’s and I meet (then EWU volleyball coach) Pam Parks and we’d played against each other,” Matlock said. “She said, ‘Come and help me.’ I said, ‘No, I’m here to get my degree.’ A couple days later I’m in the gym and there you go. I never quite got into the administrative stuff.”

Matlock and Parks helped start club volleyball in Spokane in 1986. The key to club success, Matlock discovered early on, was finding eager parents with large vehicles to help transport as many kids as possible to tournaments “before there were seat belt laws,” she joked.

One of those supportive parents was Heimbigner, whose daughter played for Matlock at CCS. There are connections among several of the honorees. Goodwin officiated Matlock’s 700th victory. Saneholtz served on numerous NCAA committees and helped spearhead WSU’s efforts to host NCAA volleyball and basketball tournaments in Spokane. Heimbigner’s late father, Jonah, was close friends with Graffis.

“I had a business career and to be able to blend my business career with my passion for sports, I’m truly thankful,” said Heimbigner, who will turn 62 next month and still plays basketball competitively. “Dick Wright asked me to chair the Hall of Fame 27 years ago. This is my favorite thing I get to do, chairing the committee and to be part of the sports history and heritage in Spokane. It’s very humbling.”