KEITH LINCOLN – Football
From his Washington State University athletics Hall of Fame bio:
“Keith Lincoln – the “Moose of the Palouse” – may be remembered best by football fans across the nation as the Golden Boy of the San Diego Chargers in the early 1960s, but Cougar fans will never forget the great triple-threat back of the 1958-60 teams at WSU. Lincoln ran, passed and kicked for Coach Jim Sutherland’s Cougars, setting a school career rushing record (1,501 yards), a single season punting average record (43.4 in 1959), and a career punting average record (40.3). Lincoln was an All-West Coast selection at halfback in 1959, a season in which he rushed for 670 yards, caught 11 passes for 182 yards and scored five touchdowns. He capped that season by playing in four postseason all-star games. A two-time American Football League all-star, he was the MVP in the AFL championship game in 1963 and MVP of the AFL All-Star game following the ’63 season. A member of the San Diego Chargers, State of Washington and Inland Northwest Sports Halls of Fame, he was named to the Chargers’ 40th Anniversary All-Time Team and WSU’s all-time Cougar team to commemorate the 100th anniversary of WSU football in 1995. Lincoln returned to Pullman following his playing career and served as the executive director of WSU’s alumni association for more than 25 years.”
Lincoln was born in Michigan and went to Monrovia High near Los Angeles. He died in Pullman in 2019.
JOYNER “JO-JO” WHITE – Baseball
A Seattle baseball legend, Jo Jo White spent nine seasons with Detroit in the majors before three stints with Seattle in the Pacific Coast League. His first professional season was at age 19, his last was at age 40. After being a player-manager for the Seattle Rainiers from 1939-1942, White returned to the majors for two seasons then managed several minor league teams. He was a starter for the 1934 and 1935 Detroit Tigers World Series teams. He reached base 10 times (5 hits and 5 walks) when the Tigers won the 1935 Series. White remained in the Puget Sound area much of his post-baseball life and died in Tacoma in 1986.
SAMMY WHITE – Baseball
A standout prep athlete at Seattle’s Lincoln High and a two-time All-Pacific Coast Conference basketball star at the UW, he chose baseball as a career. He finished 3rd in 1952 American League Rookie of the Year voting and was an All-Star in 1953. He spent 11 seasons with the Boston Red Sox. His batting average was third best among all American League catchers in the 1950s.
In his Society of American Baseball Research bio, it is noted how good White was as a catcher framing strikes. New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel said: “He [White] steals more strikes from umpires than anyone else,” Stengel would tell anyone who would listen. “I’m not being critical,” Stengel would add, “I’m just bowing to his skill.”
BRIAN STERNBERG – Track and Field
In his prime, he was the greatest pole vaulter of them all. The talented University of Washington athlete probed his ability by establishing three world records. In May 1963, using the new fiberglass pole at a meet in Modesto, California, Sternberg cleared 16 feet 7 inches. A month later, the NCAA pole vault champion moved the world record to 16 feet, 8 inches. Shortly thereafter, Sternberg was paralyzed in a trampoline accident while training at UW’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion for an upcoming competition in Russia. He was the holder of the record then an unfortunate gym accident ended his outstanding career. He is a member of the Husky Hall of Fame and a graduate of Seattle’s Shoreline High.
