The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Four individual athletes, a championship football team and a generous couple are the newest members of the Outlaw Hall of Fame following a ceremonial banquet at Sisters High School on Saturday, September 14.

The evening’s festivities began with a catered dinner, which was followed by a welcome from Hall of Fame committee member Dennis Dempsey. High school junior Sarah Kissinger then sang the national anthem.

Everyone took part in a moment of silence for Hall of Famer Stan Williams, who passed away in the past year.

Sarah Renk Thorsett, the keynote speaker, shared some wisdom from her time as an elite middle-distance runner who earned All-American status during her running career at the University of Wisconsin and was ranked among the top five elite, professional American women in the 1,500 meters in the mid-1990s.

Thorsett, who has four school-aged children and volunteers for the track and cross-country teams, shared a poem, “Bits and Pieces,” which her father gave her when she left for college. The gist of the poem is to recognize and acknowledge that virtually all the people we encounter in our lives, for better or worse, can have an impact on us, and there are lessons to be learned even from those who might have mistreated us and for whom we felt relieved to be away from.

She concluded her talk with, “Tonight as we honor the 2019 inductees I encourage all of us to recognize all of the people who have brought us here today and pray that you accept the bits and pieces in humility and wonder.”

The first inductees of the evening were the Sisters High School football team members who won the state title in 1959 for six-man football. Members present from the team included Gib Daniels, who was also inducted as an individual. Other members present were Sam Hewitt, John Shaw, Dean Phillips, and Rich Tewalt.

Shane Crowder, a true multi-sport athlete who graduated in 2000, came to the podium next after a brief summary of his athletic feats was shared that included being a key to the Outlaws’ back-to-back football state titles in 1998 and 1999. Crowder might have been even better known for his prowess in the baseball diamond that extended into college. He also competed in basketball and track and field.

Crowder told the audience how when he was a freshman, Head Football Coach Bob Macauley, who recognized something special in the ninth-grade group, brought them together and challenged them to be champions by believing they could be.

“Macauley looked us all in the eyes and said, ‘I want to hear your say I want to be a champion!’

“He kept at it, and soon we were all screaming and yelling and spit was flying,” he said. “That day changed my life.”

In addition to being part of the 1959 football championship, Gib Daniels, class of 1961, took part in three other sports as well, lettering in basketball, baseball, and track. He played college football at Eastern Oregon where he earned many honors including being named a NAIA All-Star.

Following dessert, 1997 graduate Daniel Kemp was honored for “helping lay a foundation of excellence” for distance runners at Sisters High School. Kemp won numerous conference awards, held school records, and was among the best distance runners in the state throughout his high school career. As a senior he was named the school’s outstanding athlete. He went on to run collegiately at Utah Valley State, where he continued to shine.

Dave Gridley, who passed away in 2008, was honored for his stellar athletic career in the 1950s. Gridley, who graduated in 1954, starred in football, baseball, track and, especially, basketball, where he received honors as most valuable player on his team as well as state-level awards.

The final honorees of the evening were also the most well-known, and the audience showed its appreciation of Donna and Dave Moyer with a standing ovation for the Moyer’s unparalleled commitment to the Sisters School District and the Sisters community. The Moyers, who have been married for over 52 years, are well known for doing everything from taking tickets at games, to tutoring and mentoring youth, to helping administer state testing.

Principal Joe Hosang and Athletic Director Gary Thorson echoed the sentiment, “I don’t know what we would do without them.”

At the end of the evening, Kris Kristovich, who co-chairs the Hall of Fame committee with Don Pollard, said, “It’s great to honor both the guys from the old days as well as the more recent folks. I think everyone had an enjoyable evening.”