More than 250 people came to savor the rich tradition of athletics of Edmonds and Woodway high schools, and its successor, Edmonds-Woodway High School, Thursday night.

The school’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony held at its Great Hall honored nine coaches, four athletes and two teams, whose plaques will have a permanent spot outside the school’s gym.

Angie McGuire, the school’s current athletic director, a graduate of Edmonds-Woodway’s first senior class in 1991, came up with the idea several years ago and pulled together a committee that chose the honorees and researched some of the history of the school’s athletic exploits.

“Tonight really is a beginning,” McGuire said. “A way to connect former alumni, coaches and teams.”

The honorees and supporters came from near and far, out of state and even out of the country to be there for the ceremony.

Longevity and loyalty to the schools was a consistent theme throughout the evening, as the coaching honorees spent decades at the schools, coaching mentoring thousands of student athletes, often in multiple sports. The advent of Title IX, the federal law, that required equal opportunity for women and girls to play school sports opened up many new jobs for coaches in the district.

“They were teachers first, coaches second,” said Bill Hull, a former Edmonds coach, who served as Master of Ceremonies. “Our coaches are our coaches and always will be.”

That tradition has continued with many head coaches at the school leading their programs for more than a decade.

Coaches

Rich Rowe: Rowe, who served as head coach for football, track and baseball at Edmonds High, was a mentor to many athletes and 10 assistant coaches who went on to become head football coaches in the Edmonds School District during his 30-year career. His teams won multiple Wesco titles in football and baseball, highlighted by the football team’s 1949 undefeated season. Honoree and former Edmonds High coach Fred Shull, said Rowe preached, “having commitment all the time,” and concluded by saying that Edmonds Stadium should be named Rich Rowe Stadium. Rowe died in 2008 in Hawaii at age 96.

Mike Pittis: Pittis graduated from Edmonds High in 1964 and taught English in the Edmonds School District for 38 years. Despite not being an athletic standout himself, Pittis was able to teach volleyball and basketball to the many girls he coached. He served as head girls basketball coach at Edmonds High School  as well as 25 years as volleyball coach at Edmonds and Edmonds-Woodway. His volleyball teams made seven state tournament appearances and won three Wesco titles.

“I have been blessed to work with hundreds of outstanding young women,” he said.

Tom Campbell: Campbell, a 1963 graduate of Edmonds High, was a longtime history teacher and cross country coach at the school. His enthusiasm for running was contagious, leading Edmonds High to seven boys state championships and five girls state championships in the sport. He was named state cross country coach of the year in 1983 and 1984. About a dozen of his former runners came to the ceremony.

Bryce Cook: Cook served for 30 years as a teacher and coach in the district, including head wrestling coach at Edmonds High School, Woodway High School and co-head coach at Edmonds-Woodway High School. He won four Wesco titles and had six individual state champions, and was named 3A wrestling coach of the year in 1989.Cook who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease could not be at the ceremony and his grandson and former wrestler and now coach Kevin Judkins, accepted the honor on his behalf. Cook also helped start the Wrestling Rhinos the oldest continually operating youth wrestling club in the state of Washington in 1974.

Bruce Evans: A 1957 graduate of Edmonds High School, Evans taught English for 30-plus years at Woodway and Edmonds-Woodway. He took 12 teams to top eight finishes at state in girls basketball including a state championship in 1984. His girls basketball players, had “an unspoiled eagerness for the game,” he said. The Woodway softball team also won a state title in 1985 under his guidance.

Mike Hess: The late Mike Hess was a teacher and coach at Edmonds High, then Edmonds-Woodway, leading the wrestling teams and transforming people’s lives for 32 years. His teams won five Wesco titles and he had two individual state champions. Former E-W wrestling coach Mike Hanchett gave an emotional tribute and Hess’ daughters accepted their father’s plaque. “His energy was larger than life and seemingly endless,” Hanchett said.

Dale Parker: Parker, 89, a longtime counselor at Edmonds and Woodway high schools, coached basketball, baseball and swimming. He led the Edmonds baseball team to three Wesco titles and the 1983 team to a second-place finish at state.

Fred Shull: Shull, a 1960 graduate of Edmonds High, was a longtime football, basketball and baseball coach who taught math at Edmonds High for 25 years. He led the baseball team to four Wesco titles and two state tournament appearances.

Art Snoey: Snoey taught math and coached many sports at Edmonds and Edmonds-Woodway high schools. He served as head girls basketball coach, head boys basketball coach and head baseball coach. He also was an assistant football coach and defensive coordinator. His teams won five Wesco basketball titles and two Wesco titles.Snoey noted when he started coaching in 1969, coaches wore jackets, ties and slacks on the sidelines. “I just bought this outfit just for tonight,” he said, pointing to his sport coat, tie, and slacks as he addressed the crowd. “I started this way, I’m going to out this way.” On a more serious note, he said one of the lessons he believed in as a coach was, “never give up on a student or player. Someday it will work out.” He also expressed gratitude for the supportive letters he would receive from administrators after a losing season that respecting the effort that he and his athletes gave.

Athletes

Karen Bryant: Bryant (class of 1986) was a multi-sport athlete who excelled on the basketball court for Woodway in the mid-1980s. A four-year varsity letterwoman she played on the 1984 state championship team. She concluded her collegiate career as a member of the University of Washington women’s basketball team that reached the Sweet 16. Bryant is perhaps best known for her roles in promoting women’s professional basketball in the Northwest, first with the Seattle Reign and then as President and CEO of the Seattle Storm. “This particular honor is special to me because of my passion for the community,” Bryant said. “It really marks a special time in my life.”

Deanna Carr: Carr (Class of 1979) was a standout three-sport athlete and fierce competitor in the 1970s at Edmonds High who competed in varsity basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Her best event, the javelin, was banned in the mid-1960s but she helped get a House resolution passed to return the event to the district and state level. She earned a full-ride scholarship in track and field to the University of Washington where she received All-Conference and All-American honors. She was an emergency medical technician for the Bellevue Fire Department for 22 years. She died tragically in scuba diving accident a couple years ago. Carr was an organ donor, and her organs and tissue were used to benefit 50 different people after her death.

Mike Rankin: A multi-sport athlete at Woodway High School (Class of 1985), Rankin was a standout football player and wrestler. He went 29-0 as a wrestler in both 1984 and 1985, capturing two state titles, one at 190 pounds and the other at heavyweight. He was all-state fullback and defensive end in football. He played football at the University of Montana where he went on to earn All-Big Sky Conference honors for three consecutive years. Rankin lives in Montana’s Missoula Valley today and works as an athletic trainer. He recalled the friendships he made through sports and the support of his parents.

Karl Van Calcar: Van Calcar, talented cross country and track and field runner at Edmonds High (Class of 1983) won individual and team cross country and track titles in 1982 and established himself as a force in the running world. His 1983 state championship time in the 3,200 (8:55.86) was a state 3A record for 29 years and is still the fastest time in school history (EHS, WHS, E-WHS). He was a five-time All-American at Oregon State and won a Pac-10 title in the steeplechase. A moose hunter with his family, Calcar started what became an E-W tradition of wearing camouflage pants out on runs. “He was a quiet guy who let running speak for him,” said his coach Tom Campbell. Van Calcar works as an engineer in Colorado where he lives today, and coaches running part-time as well.

Teams

The 1984 Woodway Girls Basketball team: The 1984 squad coached by Bruce Evans compiled a 25-2 record en route to the state title. Noted for its man-to-man defense the Warriors beat North Kitsap 54-52 on a last second shot by Barb Wade.

The 1949 Edmonds High School Football Team: Led by Rich Rowe, the gritty Tigers won the first Northwest League football championship, going 9-0 and outscoring their opponents 191-9, while rolling up 382 yards per game. Edmonds was led by a strong core group of upperclassmen, including Don Blevins, Harvey Bushee, Frank Bly and Tedd Neff who were named to the All-Northwest Team.

All the honorees will be recognized at halftime of the Edmonds-Woodway football game against Shorewood tonight.