The Western Oregon University Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2017 inductees: Bob Frantz, Toby Wolf, Ron Mobley, Bobby Pope, Jessica Jones (Hemsley), Shana Lavier (Hilyard) and Wayne Hamersly. This will be the twelfth induction class into the WOU Athletic Hall of Fame.
These individuals will be recognized and honored for their outstanding contributions on October 14 at the WOU football and volleyball games and officially inducted during a ceremony between games. The ceremony will be held at the conclusion of the football game (est. 4:45 p.m.) in the Willamette Room in the Werner University Center with hors d'oeuvres and is open to the public.
For more information contact the WOU athletic office at 503-838-8449
2017 Hall of Fame Class:
Bob Frantz (Men's Basketball and Baseball): A member of the Wolves basketball and baseball teams during his time at OCE. Frantz was inducted into NAIA District 2 Hall of Fame and named OCE's Outstanding Athlete Award winner in 1954.
Toby Wolf (Men's Basketball, Football and Track & Field): A member of three sports teams during his time at OCE, Wolf was a member of the famed McCullough's Midgets basketball team that made the district playoffs in the 1962-63 season. He still holds a school record for making all of his 21 free throws in a game against Eastern Oregon in 1962. He led the team in 1962-63 in rebounding with 182 and averaged 9.6 per game. Wolf was named all-District 2 honorable mention in 1960-61 and first team in 1961-62.
Ron Mobley (Track & Field & Football): A dual-sport athlete in football and a member of the track and field team. He ranks seventh all-time with 16 touchdown receptions and eighth with an average of 17.6 yards per catch. At one point in his career, he held the Western Oregon single-game record for most reception yards in a game with 216 in a playoff game vs. Mesa State in 1985, which was a NAIA record. He finished his football career as a two-time all-conference selection. His jump of 24-0.75 in the long jump currently ranks sixth, and his time of 10.74 in the 100 meters is currently the eighth fastest in Western Oregon University Track and Field history.
Jessica Jones [Hemsley] (Volleyball): A standout setter who helped WOU compile a 151-41 regular season record, a 14-7 NAIA playoff record and competed in the NAIA National Tournament each of her four years as a Wolf. She was named third team All-American, AVCA All-Pacific NW Region and NAIA All-District 2/PNW Region first team in 1996 and 1997. She holds the Western Oregon record for career assists with 5,296 and ranks 10th for service aces with 127 and fourth for digs with 1,745 on the Wolves all-time top 10 list. She holds the single-match record in assists with 86 against Rockhurst in 1995.
Shana Lavier [Hilyard] (Softball and Volleyball): An athlete in volleyball and softball during her time at Western Oregon. In 1996, as a member of the softball team, she was named an All-American, one of three softball players in the history of the program to earn that honor. She remains in the top 10 for single-season records including her .404 batting average in 1996 and eight triples in the 1997 season. Her career batting average of .386 was a record for more than 13 years and currently ranks fourth in that category.
Wayne Hamersly (Meritorious Service): A former student-athlete in football and a longtime supporter to Western Oregon University and the athletic department. He has been instrumental in many projects and events throughout the years that have helped student-athletes achieve success both in the classroom and in competition as well. Over the years, his family has provided scholarship dollars to give many student-athletes the opportunity to attend Western Oregon University. When the stands at McArthur Field burned down in 1975, Hamersly organized several former student-athletes and community members to assist in the rebuilding of the current stadium. He and his wife also answered the call when a new library was needed. The building the family backed financially now bears their name.
