(Apr. 22, 1917 – Jul. 29, 1996) Lauren “Laddie” Gale played his way from Oakridge into state and national sports history through a standout basketball career at the University of Oregon, leading the Ducks in scoring on their way to the 1939 NCAA title.

Born in 1917, Gale grew to be 6-foot-4 as a senior and led Oakridge to the state semifinals in 1935, where the Oakers lost to eventual champion Astoria and standout guard Bobby Anet. Gale was voted to the All-Tournament First Team along with teammate Jake Fisher, and caught the attention of Astoria coach John Warren, who had led the Fishermen to four titles in six seasons. When Warren moved to Eugene following the season to join rookie head coach Howard Hobson, they recruited Gale.

At Oregon, Gale turned into an offensive force on three consecutive Pacific Coast Conference title teams, and helped lead the “Tall Firs” to a 29-5 record in 1939-39, when they won the first NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Oregon beat Ohio State 46-33 in the title game in Evanston, Ill.

Gale led the PCC in scoring as both a junior and senior and is credited with helping develop the one-handed shot. He was named an All-American as a senior when he averaged 12 points per game.

Following the title season, Gale moved to the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League – a forerunner of the NBA, before being drafted into the Army at the start of World War II.

He played for several semi-pro teams following the war, but retired in 1949.

Gale was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977 and to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 1980. The “Tall Firs” were inducted as a team in 1984. The University of Oregon retired his number, No. 28, and inducted him into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

Gale died in 1996 at age 79.