PORT ANGELES — Two of the best teams in the history of Port Angeles High School athletics will join 11 individuals in being inducted into the Port Angeles High School Hall of Fame on Aug. 20.
Organizers are honoring the 1967 football squad, only one of two Port Angeles High School football teams to go undefeated, and the 1983 girls’ gymnastics team that finished third in the state, the Roughriders’ highest finish in that sport.
Coached by Rich Smith and Jan Urfer, the 1983 gymnasts team began a long run of teams placing at state. They went on to finish in the state meet in the three years that followed — sixth, fifth and fourth.
They also had strong individual performances at the 1983 state meet. Kathy Kaune placed in four events — seventh in the all-around, sixth in the beam and the uneven bars and 11th in the floor exercise.
“While the team had a great leader in Kathy Kaune, what really made it successful was depth,” Smith said. “Lots of the girls were capable of competing all-around — their special skills in one, two or three events is what made them a top team.”
“Gymnastics was a club sport in Seattle,” said Hall of Fame organizer Bruce Skinner. “For Port Angeles to keep up with that is an amazing feat.”
1967 Football
The 1967 gridiron team went 9-0 on the season and was coached by Pete Hohman, who had the highest winning percentage of Port Angeles High School football teams in history, and was inducted into the Roughrider Hall of Fame as an individual last year.
The team was led by end Bernie Fryer, who was named all-state and an All-American. He was recruited by several Division I schools for football but chose to play Division I basketball at the University of Washington and Brigham Young University. He is the only Roughrider athlete to ever play in the NBA for the Portland Trailblazers.
“But he was an incredible football player,” Skinner said.
It will be the third time Fryer is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He entered as an individual and as a member of the 1966 boys basketball team that finished second at state.
The team not only excelled on offense, but also on defense. The ’67 Riders shut out four opponents, and only one team was able to score more than twice.
Ceremony at Civic Field
The induction ceremony will be held at Civic Field as it was in 2021. Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.pahshof.org or by calling 360-417-7144.
The two teams will be joined by 11 individual members of the fifth Roughriders Hall of Fame class.
• Judy Brodhun Vose was a national junior and collegiate badminton champion, winning several national championships.
• Coach Bruce Webster developed the Port Angeles track and field and cross country programs, with his teams placing in several state meets.
• Four athletes played at Division I schools — Jerry Payne was a football player at Washington State, Julia Cheney was a star third baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, Marcia Isenberger was the Eastern Washington tennis player of the decade, while Eric Lane was a starting third baseman at Gonzaga.
• Jack Estes was a coach and player — he coached Peninsula College to its first state basketball title, was a three-sport star in high school and played for Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
• Two were members of the 1967 Port Angeles High School swimming team that finished second in the state, that program’s highest finish ever. Robin Allen was the state’s top diver, while Greg Galles was the state champion at 100 yards and broke the state record. Galles also won the event as a senior in 1968.
• Mary Fryer, Bernie’s sister, was the state’s leading scorer for the first Port Angeles High School girls basketball team in 1975, while Ron Suslick was an all-state player for the 1957 Port Angeles High School football team.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
Leaders of the unbeaten 1967 Roughriders football team receive honors.
The 1983 Port Angeles gymnastics team finished third at state.
