(Born July 23, 1968) “The Glove” spent just a short time in Oregon, but endeared himself to always be remembered as someone who made the state great. Payton grew up in Oakland, California, then made his way to Corvallis and Oregon State, where he played under legendary coach Ralph Miller from 1986 to ‘90. In..Read More
(born September 3, 1973) Damon Stoudamire’s family roots are in North and Northeast Portland where he attended Holy Redeemer grade school and Harriet Tubman Middle School. He is the son of Portland State great Willie Stoudamire and Liz Washington. Stoudamire was raised by his mother, Liz, and his grandmother, Wanda Stoudamire-Matthews. He became a household..Read More
(March 10, 1948 – September 16, 2010) In 1966, Wayne Twitchell was selected by the Houston Astros as the 3rd player overall in the Major League Baseball draft. That was the beginning of a prosperous career in the Major Leagues that spanned 10 years, spending the majority of his time with the Philadelphia Phillies. In..Read More
(Born August 15, 1966) Scott was born in Hillsboro and his baseball career began at Rex Putnam High School. He then went on to play three seasons at Linfield College. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 20th round in the 1987 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut in 1991 in..Read More
(September 12, 1926 – July 27, 2014) A star at third base for the Portland Beavers from 1957-60. Freese was all-Pacific Coast League in 1958 and 1959, hitting .305 and .319, respectively, both team highs. He also led the ‘58 Beavers in home runs, with 35. George’s athletic career began in Wheeling West Virginia, where..Read More
(Oct. 28, 1920 – Oct. 31, 2010) Artie Wilson reached his sporting fame as one of the top hitters in the Negro Leagues in the 1940s, but reached his fame in Oregon mostly off the field as an employee for 30 years at Gary Worth Lincoln Mercury in Portland. Born in Alabama in 1920, Wilson..Read More
(Sep. 9, 1931 – May 13, 2015) As a baseball player, Earl Averill, Jr., had plenty of expectations to live up to and he did in three years at the University of Oregon and seven seasons in the Major Leagues. The son of Hall of Famer Earl Averill (inducted in 1975), Earl Jr., hit .439..Read More
(Born September 22, 1959) Wally Backman was an All-State baseball player at Aloha High School. He was a first round draft choice in the 1977 free agent draft, the 16th pick overall. He played 14 years in the major leagues starting with the New York Mets in 1980 and finishing up with the Seattle Mariners..Read More
(Nov. 4, 1922 – Jan. 8, 2022) Eddie Basinski will forever be one of the most beloved players for fans of the Portland Beavers, having spent all or parts of 11 seasons primarily as a second baseman with the club beginning in 1947. In 1950, Basinski played in all 202 of the Beavers’ games and..Read More
(Nov. 12, 1914 – Sep. 15, 2000) Bill Beard grew up in Oregon City, but made most of his sporting impact on the Salem area as an athlete and businessman. Beard played football, basketball and baseball at Willamette University of the Northwest Conference and was selected all-conference in football twice and baseball three times from..Read More