LB Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2022
ALBANY, Ore. — Linn-Benton Community College announced the Class of 2022 for its Athletics Hall of Fame. Eight individuals and two teams will be inducted on Saturday, September 17, 2022 on the LBCC campus. For more information, visit athletics.linnbenton.edu/hof.
Dennis Balmer, Baseball
Balmer attended Linn-Benton from 1974-76. He led the Roadrunners baseball program to back-to-back OCCAA titles in 1975 and '76 as a key starter on the team’s pitching staff.
Balmer went on to play baseball and earn his bachelor's and master's degrees from Willamette University. He worked for Hewlett-Packard in Roseville, Calif., serving many years as its Financial Operations Manager.
Balmer was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1996.
Tim Bright, Track & Field
Bright participated in track & field at Linn-Benton from 1978-80, earning NJCAA all-America honors his sophomore year, and then transferred to perennial NCAA track & field powerhouse Abilene Christian University.
Bright represented the US in the decathlon at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and the 1987 World Championships. He won the American national championships in decathlon in 1987. At one point he held the Decathlon World Record for the Pole Vault, set during the 1988 Olympics.
Bright represented the US in the pole vault at the 1985 World University Games, the 1985 World Cup, the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Olympics. He also became American champion in pole vault in 1991 and 1992. His personal best jump was 19 1/4, achieved in July 1990 in Nice.
Bright served as an assistant coach for Concordia University (Oregon), Lewis & Clark College and Oregon State University.
Bright was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1991.
Dave Dangler, Baseball Coach
Dangler coached baseball and women’s basketball at Linn-Benton from 1976-83. His baseball teams won OCCAA titles in 1978, 1980 and 1983 and also finished runner up in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982. Dangler’s baseball teams posted an overall record of 214-84 (.718).
Dangler was also charged with starting the women's basketball program at Linn-Benton, and by its third season the Roadrunners claimed the OCCA title. The 1980-81 women's basketball team won the championship with a perfect 16-0 record while leading the league in team defense with a 51.9 ppg mark. At one point late in the season, the Roadrunners were 27-0 and ranked third nationally by the Associated Press.
Dangler was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Bob DeKoning, Basketball, Golf
DeKoning played on Linn-Benton's first two basketball teams from 1970-72. He earned all-OCCAA honors in 1972 when his 21.4 scoring average was fifth best in the league. He also participated in golf while at LB.
DeKoning went on to the University of Oregon where he earned a degree in Business and has spent his career as entrepreneur and business leader in the Portland area.
He was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1993.
Greg Hawk, Baseball Coach
Hawk baseball at Linn-Benton from 1983-2013 and also served as head coach for women’s basketball from 1983-87. Additionally, Hawk served as LBCC’s Athletic Director for 11 years.
Hawk posted a baseball career record of 602 - 526, and captured two NWAC Championships (1988, 1991). He was named NWAC Baseball Coach of the Year eight times, Rawlings National Coach of the Year twice (1988 & 1991) and has been selected to receive the ABCA Ethics in Coaching Award at the 2015 ABCA Convention.
Hawk also had success with the women’s basketball program, including two Southern Region league titles and two NWAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honors.
He was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 2014.
Dave Johnson, Track & Field
Johnson participated in track & field at Linn-Benton during the 1983 season. A Crescent Valley High School graduate, Johnson originally headed to Western Oregon State College (now University) to play football, but landed at LB the following year.
Roadrunners’ track coach Dave Bakley convinced Johnson to give the decathlon a try, and the rest is history. He won the NJCAA Region 18 decathlon title in 1983 and transferred to Azusa Pacific University. Johnson continued to compete on the national stage, winning national titles in 1989 and 1990.
Johnson earned a spot on the 1988 and 1992 USA Olympic Teams, and earned the Bronze medal in Barcelona, Spain at the ‘92 Games. He also participated in the 1990 Goodwill Games.
Johnson was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1992.
Linda McLellan- Volleyball, Basketball and Track & Field
McLellan participated in volleyball, basketball and track while at Linn-Benton from 1976-78. She was the second leading scorer and rebounder on the basketball team, behind fellow Hall of Famer Carol Menken-Schaudt. McLellan helped the Roadrunners to a historic 20-2 overall record under head coach Dave Dangler in 1978.
Also in 1978, McLellan represented LB at the NJCAA Track & Field National Championships Meet, where she finished fifth in the javelin.
McLellan earned a basketball scholarship at Portland State, where she also competed in track & field.
She went on to a 29-year career as a teacher and coach in the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL), coaching volleyball, basketball and softball at Cleveland and Benson high schools. McLellan earned PIL Coach of the Year honors seven times.
McLellan was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1993.
Ritch Price, Baseball
Ritch Price was a baseball player at Linn-Benton during the 1975 and 1976 seasons. An infielder from Sweet Home, Price helped lead the Roadrunners to back-to-back Oregon Community College Athletic Association (OCCAA) championships in 1975 and 1976, and earned 1st Team all-Conference honors each season.
Price went on to play at Willamette University, graduating in 1978. He began his coaching career at Southern Oregon's Phoenix High School and went on to coach at three California Community Colleges (American River, Menlo, De Anza).
Price went on to coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo from 1995-2002, and accepted the head coaching position at University of Kansas after the 2002 season. He led the Jayhawks to two NCAA Tournament berths along with their first Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament title in 2006. He is the winningest coach in KU baseball history.
Price was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1996.
1980-81 Women's Basketball Team
The 1980-81 women's basketball team won the OCCAA championship with a perfect 16-0 record while leading the league in team defense with a 51.9 ppg average. At one time, they were 27-0 and ranked third nationally by the Associated Press.
The Roadrunners qualified for the NJCAA Region 18 Tournament at North Idaho College but fell short in the championship game and missed a chance to play in the NJCAA Tournament. Their 28-2 record is still the best in school history.
The 1980-81 team members were: Desiree Anderson, Linda (Quigley) Butsch, Linda Friesen, Debbie (Prince) Herrold, Kerri (Anderson) Lemerande, Joelle (Quesinberry) Lewis, Debbie Mothershead, Susan Newhouse, Tracie Odden, Jean (Melson) Siefer, Sheri Steiner, Pamela (Snyder) Tams and Head Coach Dave Dangler.
The team was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 2005.
1971 Baseball Team
1971 marked the first year that the Roadrunners had a baseball team that competed in intercollegiate athletics. The team was coached by Dick McClain and consisted of just 17 players.
Linn-Benton won more than 30 games on their way to claiming the Southern Division Oregon Community College Athletic Association (OCCAA) League title.
The team had several All-League players including Terry Cornutt, Ethan Bergman, Dennis Coon, Tim Faville and Tim Labrouse. Cornutt led the League in batting average .519.
The 1971 LBCC baseball team is the only team to win a OCCAA championship in their first year. Members of the 1971 Roadrunner team include: Head Coach Dick McClain, Roger Bauer, Ethan Bergman, Larry Brown, Steve Carothers, Terry Cornutt, Dennis Coon, Tim Faville, Rick George, Steve Hagen, Tim Labrousse, Dan Lipsey, John Lowden, Terry Simons, Mikal Stampke, Winston Tucker and Dave Whitney.
The team was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 2011.