VINCE HANSON – Basketball
Vince Hanson gained national prominence as a sophomore for the WSU Cougars in 1945, setting a national scoring record with 592 points. He was accorded Helms’ Foundation All-America recognition and earned All-PCC honor in 1945. During his basketball career, he set single-season records for points and field goals and career marks for field goals (460) and points (1153). Hanson, who attended Lincoln High in Tacoma, played with the Goodyear Wingfoots out of Akron, Ohio, in the old AAU league in 1948 before entering the insurance business.
LAURIE NIEMI – Football
One of the all-time Washington State Cougar football greats as a player and coach. Laurie Niemi was named to the International News Service All-America team as a tackle in 1948 following. He also won the coveted J. Fred Bohler Award for inspirational play his final year. Niemi played five years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, including two Pro Bowls, and later returned as an assistant Cougar coach. From Clarkston, Washington, he died in 1968.
BOB ROBERTSON – Media
Acknowledged as one of the top TV and radio play-by-play announcers in the Northwest, Bob Robertson was the long-time voice of WSU Cougar football and basketball. He did play-by-play for WSU football from 1964-68 and 1972-2018, moving across the Cascades to call UW Huskies football in between. He was the WSU basketball play-by-play man from 1972-1994. In the summers, he was the voice of the Tacoma triple-A baseball teams and, from 1999-2010, the single-A Spokane Indians. The broadcast booth at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium is named for Bob, as is the radio booth at WSU’s Martin Stadium. He was named Washington State Sportscaster of the Year 12 times. In 2004, Bob won the Chris Schenkel National Football Foundation award and is a member of the broadcaster’s wing of the College Hall of Fame. Robertson was known for his sign off: “Always be a good sport, be a good sport all ways.”
FROSTY WESTERING – Coach
A member of the College Football and NAIA Hall of Fame, Frosty Westering compiled an incredible 305-96-7 overall record in 40 seasons as a college coach. His 32-year career at Pacific Lutheran University included three NAIA Division II titles and the 1999 NCAA Division III championship, in addition to four national runner-up finishes. Frosty is known for emphasizing the double-win theme: victory on the scoreboard and the satisfaction of playing to one’s personal potential.
