DAVE NIEHAUS – Media
“My oh my!” What a legacy Dave Niehaus created as the voice of the Seattle Mariners from their inception in 1977 to his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Niehaus as the Ford Frick Award winner, the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. In 1977, new Mariners owner Danny Kaye brought Niehaus up from California where he had been on the radio team for the California Angels and also did play-by-play for the L.A. Rams and UCLA football and basketball.
He was twice named the Washington Sportscaster of the Year. He was inducted in the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2000. Niehaus broadcast 5,284 of the 5,385 Mariners games that were played in his lifetime. A bronze statue of Niehaus was unveiled on the left-center field concourse on September 16, 2011.
BEN CHENEY – Administrator
Legendary supporter of youth and adult athletics. Ben Cheney’s sponsorship of numerous sports teams in the state enabled thousands of individuals to participate in their favorite sport. Baseball was his passion. He was instrumental in bringing the Pacific Coast League to Tacoma in 1960. Cheney Stadium is named in recognition of his efforts. His other baseball connections include part ownership of the San Francisco Giants and sponsorship of the famous Cheney Studs semi-pro national champions.
FRANK BURGESS – Basketball
When Frank Burgess was stationed in Germany with the Air Force, the 6-foot-1 sharpshooter averaged 33 points in a league there and connected with Gonzaga alum Mel Porter, who told Gonzaga coach Hank Anderson about the Arkansas native.
Burgess enrolled at Gonzaga University as a married father of two in the fall of 1958. He led the Bulldogs in scoring for three seasons, scored 40+ seven times with a career-high 52 points against UC Davis, and led the NCAA with a 32.4 points per game average for the 1960–61 season. He received All-American honors in both his junior and senior seasons. Despite all the success Gonzaga has had since Burgess graduated in 1961, his name is still atop many categories in the school’s record books. Gonzaga retired his No. 44 jersey Feb. 19, 2005.
After two seasons with Hawaii in the professional American Basketball League, he returned to Gonzaga to attend law school. In 1994, he was appointed a full federal judge by President Bill Clinton, a lifetime appointment.
STEVE HAWES – Basketball
Following graduation from Mercer Island High, Steve Hawes starred as an All-American center at the University of Washington in the early 1970s. He is the only Husky to average more than 20 points per game for three seasons (1969-1972). Before spending 10 seasons in the NBA, he played two years in Europe, then joined Houston in 1975. Hawes, at 6-foot-9, played with four NBA teams scoring a career total of 5,768 points and grabbing 4,272 rebounds. His final two seasons in the NBA (1982-83 and 83-84) were played with the Seattle SuperSonics.
STAN NACCARATO – Administrator
Considered the master of sports promotion, Stan Naccarato established a brilliant career in the athletic field. A promising pro prospect as a pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds farm system, an arm injury ended Stan’s playing days. However, he later excelled as the General Manager of the Tacoma Pacific Coast League team, winning several national honors over two decades of service. His many other athletic accomplishments include his long-time tenure as a State Boxing Commissioner.
TERRY METCALF – Football
Terry Metcalf was an All-Metro League running back his junior and senior seasons at Seattle’s Franklin High. He also excelled as a jumper on the track. He set the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) record in the long jump while at Everett Community College. From there, he went to Long Beach State and then the National Football League.
At LBSU, Metcalf led the country in rushing yards and touchdowns. He played six pro seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Redskins. In 1975, Metcalf set an NFL record with 2,462 multi-purpose yards. He then joined the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for three years. He was named All-Pro five times (three years in the NFL and two years in the CFL.
