(May 29, 1899 – Feb. 4, 1993) As an athlete, coach and administrator, Eldon Jenne left one of the more colorful marks among all inductees to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Jenne grew up in Portland as a standout in football, basketball and baseball at Washington High, before moving to Washington State University. In Pullman, he played for the Cougars’ baseball and football teams and developed into a world-class pole vaulter. In 1920, he became the first WSU athlete to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team and finished seventh in the pole vault at the Antwerp Olympic Summer Games. The following year, he tied for the collegiate title in the pole vault.

Later in the decade, Jenne returned to Portland and coached the football, basketball, baseball and track and field teams at Washington High. In 1928, he led the basketball team to the state championship. In football, the Colonials won seven Portland Interscholastic League titles before he moved to become the head coach at Pacific University from 1930-’33. Jenne returned to Portland as the PIL director of athletics from 1938 through ’65.

Jenne was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. He also is a member of the PIL Athletics Hall of Fame and the Washington State University Athletics Hall of Fame.