Update: Shelden’s BNSF Railway co-workers are searching for him Saturday and are seeking help from the public. Contact Jesse Rossmeier at 253-886-4145 to join the search.
Cameron Shelden’s favorite spot according to the friend he was visiting in Rose Lodge.
Seattle railroad engineer Cameron Shelden went missing Sunday, Sept. 1, after visiting a friend in Rose Lodge.
April Shelden said her 37-year-old husband left a residence in Rose Lodge and might be in the woods north of N. Widow Creek Road in the Otis area.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue was activated Monday and performed several search operations over multiple days; utilizing ground search volunteers, specially trained K-9s and unmanned aerial systems.
The family is spreading word of his disappearance with flyers and on social media, spearheaded by his wife, who is in Lincoln City to coordinate search efforts.
“It’s out of character for Cameron to be out of contact for so long,” she said. “I hope he’s OK.”
According to Mrs. Shelden, search and rescue has been looking for her husband in the woods north of his last reported location. She said he is “semi-outdoorsy” and has some experience camping and hiking.
“He’s not hardcore, like go play survival or anything, but he has been camping and hiking,” she said.
Shelden has no vehicle and left the house near N Widow Creek Road without his wallet, keys or cell phone.
“He’s completely on foot and has nothing with him except for his work bag,” she said.
Shelden has blue eyes, blonde thinning hair, is 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds. He might have his railroad work duffel bag with him.
Anyone with information pertaining to Shelden’s whereabouts are encouraged to call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (541) 265-0669 or Lincoln County Sheriff at 541-265-0777.
From left, Joann Kangiser Schneider’s four brothers, Lawrence, Gilbert, Joe and Marion. who served in WWII
Joann Kangiser Schneider, a teenager during World War II, and North Lincoln County Historical Museum President Mick McLean will present “WWII on the Oregon Coast” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the museum at 4907 SW Highway 101 in Lincoln City.
There will be a slideshow, and discussions and stories about “dim outs,” rationing cards, coast patrols and more about North Lincoln County during World War II.
Joann, a 1947 Taft High graduate, will share her experiences and those of her four brothers and future husband “Red” Schneider, who all joined the war effort.
McLean will describe how two regions a sea apart prepared for invasion; Lincolnshire England after the fall of Dunkirk and Lincoln County, Oregon, after Pearl Harbor.
“Both counties felt the threat of invasion was real,” McLean said.
A brutal schedule is nothing new to the Taft High football team — but playoff aspirations are — and confidence abounds as the Tigers prepare to open the season Friday at Voris Field against perennial power Harrisburg.
“Even though our schedule is loaded with playoff teams from last season, we feel we have gotten better and are in a position to make a bid for the playoffs,” head coach Jake Tolan said. “Our main goal is to make the playoffs.”
Head coach Jake Tolan
Class 3A Special District 1 West member Taft was outscored 42-19 on average last season while going 1-8 without a league victory but faced seven State playoff teams. This year’s schedule mimics last season’s, but Tolan insists the Tigers “look forward to competing against those schools again and testing who we are as a team.”
The examination will take little time to get started for the Tigers with a 7 p.m. kickoff against the Class 3A SD2 Eagles, who defeated seven opponents by an average of 37-23 last season and made the 16-team State playoffs. Harrisburg, which defeated Taft 60-29 at home, fell to Cascade Christian in the first round to finish 7-3, while the SD2 South champion Challengers marched all the way to the State title game before falling to SD1 West winner Rainier.
Junior wide receiver FCO Ramos
Besides Harrisburg and defending State champion Rainier, Taft will face semifinalist Amity, quarterfinalist Clatskanie, State qualifier Sutherlin, play-in representative Willamina, Class 2A power Knappa, Dayton — another traditionally strong program — and Yamhill-Carlton, which dropped from 4A to 3A just two seasons ago.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season,” Tolan said. “We have a strong group of leaders who are really buying into our concept of ‘team-first’ football.”
Foremost among the returners are running back/linebackers Logan Gilleo, Trenton Hall and JJ French, alongside wide receiver/defensive backs Fco Ramos and Darius Smith. They will be joined by “experienced” newcomers Jordan Hall and Trenton Fisher, who played as freshmen, but haven’t played since.
“Both have put in a lot of work this summer and both will start as receivers and on defense,” Tolan said. “They give us more depth, maturity and versatility on both sides of the ball.”
The 6-foot, 195-pound Gilleo, in particular, could be a major presence in Taft’s new-look three-back offense.
Logan Gilleo
“There’s not going to be many teams we face that have a running back like Logan,” Tolan said. “He’s spent the entire offseason in the weight room getting stronger. That’s going to be an asset for him.”
Complemented by the speed, agility and elusiveness of Hall and French, Taft hopes to use the power-running Gilleo to take advantage of the clock, Tolan said.
“Mixing in Trenton and JJ, who was a second-team all-leaguer at running back last year, that three-person rotation will give us fresh legs in there,” he said. “It will help us on the defensive side by keeping fresh bodies out there.”
Assistant coach Tracey Taylor concurs.
“It’s a different mentality,” he said. “I think we’re going to surprise some people with a lot more runs than in the past. We’re running with the three backs swing. We got Gilleo, JJ and Trenton, and all three are going to see a lot of playing time and will be running hard. It’s going to be run-first, setting up the pass.
“That’s a little bit different mentality — smash-mouth football — than Taft’s had in the past. Our mentality is we’re going to run right down some people’s throats. No timid pass-happy here. It’s going to shock some people. We’re going to manage the clock. We’re going to run down your throat. We’re going to use our power runners to set up our passes.”
Throwing the ball will be junior Antonio Suarez, who played a spot role at quarterback last year when senior starter David Jin was injured. Tolan said Saurez could target as many as six or seven teammates in Friday’s opener, including Jordan and Trenton Hall, Trenton Fisher, Ramos, Smith, Kaden Hindman and Tristan Beach.
“Antonio fits well in the offensive system we run as a dual threat, both running and throwing the ball,” Tolan said. “Offensively, we feel our strength will be our running game behind three quality running backs in Logan, Trenton and JJ, as well as having a quarterback who is also a threat to run.
“I think it’ll be a nice system. As long as our line continues to develop and open up holes for us, we’re going to run. That’s going to be an element in our offense we haven’t had in several years.”
That’s a little bit different mentality — smash-mouth football — than Taft’s had in the past. Our mentality is we’re going to run right down some people’s throats. No timid pass-happy here. It’s going to shock some people. We’re going to manage the clock. We’re going to run down your throat. We’re going to use our power runners to set up our passes.
Coaches are also optimistic about the improvement they’ve seen on defense.
“Defensively, we will look to improve on our inability last year to stop the run and tackle better,” Tolan said. “Our defensive end play has to be better from a year ago.”
Look for Tony Garcia (5-11, 260) and Elin Fitch (6-4, 185) to “hold the edge,” on the line, Tolan said. “Defensively, we’re solid with a couple of guys that have gotten much better at defensive end.”
Tolan said he is also optimistic about improved play at linebacker. Gilleo and Trenton Hall will play on the inside, with French and Jordan Hall as bookends.
“Our linebacker group this year could be our greatest defensive strength, with three of them being selected all-league last year,” he said. “We’ve got some really good returning linebackers.”
Tolan said the secondary is expected to be improved with Smith’s return to the backfield.
Darius Smith
“We feel that having Darius back at safety will help our defense tremendously against the pass and the run,” he said. “His job is to play back and read the quarterback, fly up and make plays, which is going to be nice.”
The Tigers also appear improved in the place-kicking department on special teams with soccer star William Calderon a threat from long distance, “which is something we haven’t had,” Tolan said.
“He also has the potential on kickoffs to put the ball in the end zone, and that’s big at the high school level. Their team gets it at the 20 and it forces them 80 yards every time. It’s an element we haven’t had, so it will be a nice addition.”
Taft also appears to better in the numbers game with a deeper squad to send into the trenches against much of the State’s best opposition.
“We have more depth than in past seasons and feel like we are further along as a team,” Tolan said. “Our kids are working hard and are ready for the challenge in taking on such a challenging schedule.”
Gilleo confirmed his coach’s suspicions.
“I think we have a lot more potential than we’ve had before,” he said. “We’ve got better leadership. There’s a better mindset with everyone buying into the team.”
North Lincoln Fire & Rescue and Lincoln City Police are investigating a burned out Toyota 4Runner stolen from Salem and left in Devils Lake at Holmes Road Park early Thursday morning.
LCPD news release update: The Oregon Environmental Response System was activated due to possible hazardous substances that may have leached into the lake.
The SUV was pulled up from the embankment and investigators were able to determine it was a 2019 Toyota 4runner reported stolen out of the Salem area.
The vehicle was towed from the scene by Car Care Tow Pro.
Lincoln City Police are calling this a “suspicious circumstances” fire and is still under investigation.
Update: The vehicle has been identified as a Toyota 4Runner by a 45-year ASE Master Technician.
The burning 4Runner was called in to Lincoln City dispatch around 1:40 a.m. with a person in the area saying the “horn was blaring” and the vehicle was fully engulfed.
North Lincoln Fire & Rescue arrived and subdued the blaze that had spread to surrounding brush.
A multi-agency investigation is underway and anyone with information should report it to Lincoln City Police at 541-994-3636
Because buses are large vehicles, it’s hard to see around them and illegally passing a stopped school bus is potentially devastating for children and drivers.
Law enforcement agencies continue to receive reports each year from bus drivers and citizens about motorists failing to stop for school buses. With nearly 6,000 school buses operating in the State of Oregon, drivers need to be alert.
Oregon law requires motorists to stop whenever the red lights on a school bus are flashing, regardless of the direction they are traveling. The law applies to any roadway with two or more lanes of traffic, including multi-lane highways such as Highway 101.
ORS 811.155 (2017)
Failure to stop for bus safety lights
(1) A driver commits the offense of failure to stop for bus safety lights if the driver meets or overtakes from either direction any vehicle that is stopped on a roadway and that is operating red bus safety lights described under ORS 816.260 (Bus safety lights) and the driver does not:
(a) Stop before reaching the vehicle; and
(b) Remain standing until the bus safety lights are no longer operating.
A driver need not comply with this section if the vehicle operating red bus safety lights is stopped on a different roadway.
Failure to stop for bus safety lights, is a Class A traffic violation.
The only exception to the law is for divided highways with two roads separated by an unpaved median strip or barrier, such as in the Lincoln and Gleneden Beach areas. In this case, only drivers on the same side of the road as the bus must stop. A painted median strip or a center lane used only for left turns does not create two separate lanes. Where this situation exists, all lanes of traffic must stop.
When a bus is flashing amber lights, motorists should prepare to stop. When the red lights begin to flash, motorists traveling in both directions must stop before reaching the bus and must remain stopped until the red lights are turned off. The same rules apply buses equipped with amber and red flashing lights.
Please do your part to make roads safe and be aware that any type of bus may be making frequent stops. Following these tips can reduce the risk of traffic crashes and pedestrian injuries in our community.
Returning setter Lily Hatton should play a key role for the Tigers beginning at 6:30 p.m. tonight
Optimism runs high as Taft High volleyball coach Kelsey Hart hopes tonight’s home opener against Amity will provide some of the many answers she is seeking for a promising season.
“We have a lot of flexibility with who can play what positions,” she said. “Most spots are still up in the air because we have so many great options. We’ve got some great talent in the back row –both as passers and back row attackers — and a wide variety of hitters in the front row.
“We’ve also been doing quite a bit more blocking in practice. I think we can expect to see a much more aggressive, offensively strong Taft team this year.”
Returner Lily Hatton should play a key role for the Tigers beginning at 6:30 p.m. tonight, but Hart said she’s uncertain how the sophomore setter will be deployed.
“We’re not sure if we’ll be running a 5:1 or a 6:2 with her this year. All we know for sure is that she’ll be our main setter and most likely our floor captain for the year,” she said.
Senior Corey Van Damme
Hart said she is also expecting big things from returner Corey Van Damme, the squad’s lone senior.
“We’ll need Corey’s experience to help guide our younger players,” she said. “Her passing and hitting will also be important assets for our team this year. There are several players who I think will be key hitters, but we’ll have to see how they do.”
“Great new talent” will also be unveiled tonight with the likes of freshman Nat Gates and Aleah Bailey.
“Nat is going to be a great asset to our back row play — passing and some setting — this year,” Hart said. “Aleah is looking to be a great addition to our front row. I’m not sure yet which area of the net she’ll play at, but she’s got quite an arm.”
Being more competitive while enjoying themselves on the court will be among the Tigers’ chief goals, Hart said of a team that went 2-17, 1-7, but got its first league victory in several years when it claimed back-to-back wins in early October.
“A big goal this year is to get a few more wins,” she said. “We’re hoping to continue our trend of improvement and be a league contender this year. I think if we can rise to our potential, we have a great shot at meeting our goal. As always, our goal is also that all of the girls improve and have a fun season.”
Of primary importance tonight will be to get a start on filling in the blanks, Hart said.
“We’ve got about the best problem you can have on a team,” Hart said. “We have so many options for who can play what positions. Typically, by this time in the season, I know who will be playing what positions.”
Lack of varsity experience has played into that.
“Our biggest area of potential weakness is our inexperience,” she said. “We have a very young team this year. We’ll be looking to our upperclassmen and returners to provide the younger girls with on-court leadership.”
Stretching opponents to a fifth set will likely be tantamount to squeaking out a team win or two.
“Our conference is fairly evenly matched,” Hart said. “I expect all of our opponents to make us work hard for a victory, but I think we’re capable of coming out victorious if we can rise to our potential. I expect there will be quite a few more five-game sets this year.”
Regardless, optimism runs high for the 2019-20 campaign, Hart said.
“This should be an excellent season,” she said. “We would love it if we could pack the gym for home games and really make it a loud, supportive environment. I’m expecting great things from the girls this year.”
County high school students earning college credit
Local students can earn college credit while still in high school once again as Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC) and Lincoln County School District are partnering to provide students with easy access to some fundamental courses, with credits they can transfer to four-year universities or community colleges upon graduating high school.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated and skilled high school teachers,” said Dan Lara, OCCC’s Chief Academic Officer. “These instructors meet all the qualifications required by OCCC and Portland Community College.”
OCCC is regionally accredited through an Educational Services Agreement with PCC.
Since July 2014, Oregon Coast Community College has been engaged in an effort to earn independent accreditation. In August, the College submitted a report to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities that amounts to its application for initial accreditation. Complete details about the College’s pursuit of independent accreditation can be found on its website, oregoncoastcc.org.
Earning college credits
Like Oregon State University, Western Oregon, University of Oregon and other four-year schools, OCCC operates on a quarterly schedule (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer), while the Lincoln County School District and its high schools operate on a semester schedule.
There are a variety of Dual Credit courses students may take this year, and some operate on a trimester schedule (Biology 101, 102 & 103 – taught by Sara Pursel at Taft High School), others are available on a semester basis to more closely match the high school calendar, and still others are presented as year-long classes (Math 111, taught by Jingyi You, plus Writing 121 and Comm 111, both taught by Kriste York, all at Siletz Valley High School).
The semester course lineup offers classes at Toledo, Waldport, Newport and Taft high schools. First semester classes include Early Childhood Education (ECE 120 and 124), Health & Fitness (HE 295/PE 295), College Algebra (MTH 111), Calculus (MTH 251), and English Composition (WR 121).
In the second semester, students can continue on with similar classes, including Elementary Functions (MTH 112), Calculus II (MTH 251), and English Composition (WR 122), along with three Early Childhood Education courses.
Offerings vary by high school and interested students should check with their advisors.
Planning for the future
Lincoln County high school seniors are invited to schedule a visit at Oregon Coast Community College any time. Call 541-867-8501 or check oregoncoastcc.org for details.
Scholarship opportunities, including the Oregon Coast Scholars scholarship program, can provide free tuition for any student graduating with a 3.5 GPA or better. Complete details are available on the college website.
Each year, county graduating seniors choose to start their college careers at home, saving money and preparing for the four-year degree experience by earning the first two years of their credits at OCCC.
The College has transfer agreements with many Oregon schools – for example, students pursuing a business transfer degree can meet with OSU College of Business academic advisors to ensure they are taking the most appropriate courses for the particular degree(s) they plan to pursue once transferring to Corvallis for their junior and senior years.
Learn more about transfer degrees, and OCCC’s other two-year degree and one-year certificate programs, by meeting with an OCCC academic advisor. Meetings are free and can be scheduled any time at oregoncoastcc.org/advising.
I’ve twice walked 18 holes stride-for-stride inside the ropes with the greatest golfer who ever lived.
I’ve shared a hot-air balloon with the sport’s all-time most popular player.
I’ve interviewed the game’s most dominant female star at a Las Vegas Hilton blackjack table.
I’ve eaten street tacos outside of a tiny sidewalk cafe with a character as colorful as the neon that lights up the Las Vegas Strip — who claimed in a worldwide TV advertising blitz that “Image is Everything” before rolling up in a prototype hospital-white Hummer with gigantic jet-black Nike swooshes splashed across each side.
I’ve dined in the world-famous Bacchanal Room at Caesars Palace with tennis enthusiasts Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson and Walter Cronkite, and at the most lavish poolside party on the planet this side of a pro-celebrity gathering in Monte Carlo on the French Riviera.
I’ve sampled barbequed goat and rock lobster pulled straight from the Caribbean on a veranda in Jamaica with an Australian glamour queen known more famously for posing nude in a bathtub full of golf balls.
I’ve shared a dorm room couch with a lanky, timid teenage college sophomore destined to become the most electrifying pro football player of our time.
I’ve played in a charity golf tournament with the most masterful pitcher alive, who donated his autographed Cubs uniform for a silent auction but bid on a CD of Candle in the Wind – the Princess Di version – signed by none other than Sir Elton John.
I’ve traded notes with music superstars such as Beach Boys founder and legendary composer Brian Wilson in a crowded hotel ballroom, KIϟϟ bassist Gene Simmons at the grand opening of the Hooters Hotel, and shock rocker Alice Cooper backstage in Miami, where we hackers talked golf following a sold-out revival show.
Bewildering, then, how one of my fondest memories in a glorious sports writing career that spans more than 40 years is of a nondescript encounter with a precocious 10-year-old kid on a makeshift soccer practice field at the old Taft Elementary School.
Jim and Patty Fossum
Retired as sports editor at the 175,000-circulation Las Vegas Review-Journal to the majestic Oregon Coast with vision disabilities at age 48 in the summer of 2006, never could I have imagined what awaited at that otherwise unremarkable youth soccer tryout after all that time. I never envisioned what this brutally brash and imaginative brat of a player would tell me about his considerable soccer skills as longtime coach Ray Santos gathered a small huddle of youngsters for me to discuss the development a new outdoor league with.
After posing the obvious questions to the usual suspects — “How old are you?” “What school do you go to?” — and some more involved ones — “Why do you play soccer?” “How good are you at this game?” — a couple of fellow prospects huddled up to the cocky child, demanding to know what he was up to.
“Just shooting the #@&% with the press,” he said, toeing the grass and looking quite proud of himself. “Wanted to know all about my soccer career.”
On my way out, I asked Santos, the undisputed local soccer guru, if the cocky kid was really as good as his boasts.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Santos shot back. “He’s never played before. It’s his first time trying out.”
Since I enjoy covering the kids as much as anything, that unexpected moment has never left me. So, pardon please, while I “shoot the #@&%” about my own sports career so that the very kids I cover today can get to know all about who documents and memorializes their great deeds and feats.
What began with a simple phone call to Homepage publisher Justin Werner from my Las Vegas home in March 2018 offering my services after seeing mention of a no-hitter thrown by Taft’s Jack Stempel on his 18th birthday, it’s virtually impossible to imagine the impetus Taft Teampage has had on the website’s phenomenal growth.
Despite such humble beginnings, as of this writing 5,000 Facebook readers have “Liked” what they’ve seen, allowing Homepage to surpass in barely a year a century-old community newspaper that has been an Internet contributor for nearly a decade. Teampage is just one facet of the real news that affects real people that Homepage enthusiastically delivers to its growing multitude of readers each and every day.
Of all of the great athletes and sporting events I have been so blessed to proudly document over all these memorable years, I consider Homepage and our collaborative efforts in bringing the kids to the forefront of your community my crowning achievement.
Taft Tigers
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The kids came first during my six years at the News Guard, where I often designed and devoted full-page color spreads to informing our readers of their accomplishments -- sometimes even two pages, as I did here by turning newspaper design on its ear by tipping the sports section on its side to document the Hatton family and star golfing daughter, Maya.
The Tigers softball team makes a return to State
The likable Lahti brothers, Henry and Pete. Pete never missed an open receiver as Taft quarterback; Henry never missed a day of school from kindergarten to graduation
Hannah Raines goes above and beyond in the classroom
Star southpaw pitcher Katie McCardell
The potent pitching combo of Katie McCardell and Emily Broderick
A spring sports preview spread on the promising Tigers
Coach Manny Lopez's impact on local youth was unmatched
Deep-sea fishing with Taft High anglers
Student scholar-athlete BillyAnn Stempel
Taft coaching legends Tom Trunt and Jack Wilkinson
Through the Years
As a member of the Golf Writers Association of America for nearly two decades, one of my most memorable moments came watching 20-year-old rookie Tiger Woods win his first PGA Tour event — the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin.
Woods, who had turned pro just two months earlier, received an inordinate amount of media coverage that week, which was roundly criticized by even some players. I would argue that remains true to this day, but no one can contest the impact he has had on the game.
Merely nine months into my job at the Review-Journal, I was assigned to help cover the Sept. 16, 1981, world welterweight title bout between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns and sat ringside in front of a “Who’s Who” list of celebrities and luminaries in a 25,000-seat outdoor arena in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
I was blessed to cover numerous other world championship prize fights involving boxers such as Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Alexis Arguello, Marvin Hagler, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe and Roberto Duran, but Leonard’s 14th-round TKO of Hearns, who was leading on all judges’ scorecards, stands to this day as the single greatest sporting event I have ever witnessed.
The brutality of the fight effectively made it the last scheduled 15-round bout in boxing history.
Baseball
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The Review-Journal's four-page color spread on Valley High School pitcher Greg Maddux winning his 300th game.
My boyhood idols in baseball
Matt Williams, a five-time major-league All-Star and former National League Manager of the Year, played shortstop for UNLV.
Power-hitting big-league first baseman Cecil Fielder, father of perennial All-Star Prince Fielder, was another great UNLV player.
Basketball
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The Review-Journal's massive broadsheet double-section commemorating UNLV's 1990 national championship that came behind a record 30-point victory in the title game over Duke
Hall of Fame basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian
From left, Anderson Hunt, Greg Anthony, Larry Johnson, Stacey AUgmon and George Ackles
Larry Johnson saves the ball on a breakawy in the Runnin'Rebels' 103-73 NCAA title victory over Duke
Basketball is king in Indiana, as this front-page story on game day of the 1991 Final Four at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis documented
I covered the Duke side, including this award-winning front-page story on All-American point guard Bobby Hurley
UNLV's basketball fortunes evaporated almost overnight just weeks after I was named Review-Journal sports editor with this front-page story and accompanying column depicting three UNLV players in a hot tub with convicted sports fixer Richard Perry. Tarkanian, college basketball's all-time winningest coach by percentage, resigned three days later.
Former Villanova basketball coach Rollie Massimino, who won an improbable NCAA basketball championship over Georgetown in 1985, arranges a meeting with me after replacing Jerry Tarkanian as UNLV coach in 1992.
Some in the Review-Journal newsroom considered covering the turbulent UNLV basketball program "the police beat." When it was good, it was very good, but once it went bad, it was never able to regain its stature as a college powerhouse, as the following series of columns attests.
Boxing
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The Fan Man makes his entrance as I sat ringside directly across from him at this Nov. 6, 1993, heavyweight title fight between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe at Caesars Palace.
The great Angelo Dundee, trainer for Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, sent me this kind and thoughtful note.
Football
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A man among boys while at UNLV in the early 1980s, Randall Cunningham -- a national Punt, Pass & Kick champion -- is the single greatest all-around athlete I have covered.
Legendary Southern Cal and Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson was coach and athletic director at UNLV from 1999-2004.
Oregonians might remember Robinson as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Oregon, from 1960-1971.
Ron Meyer was head coach at UNLV and Southern Methodist before becoming AFC Coach of the Year with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, but I worked with him in 1994 as head coach of the Canadian Football League's Las Vegas Posse.
They can't build a shrine big enough for my friend, David Humm, a Heisman Trophy candidate at Nebraska who played on three Super Bowl teams with the Raiders.
I broke the story on a Christmas Eve that Humm, who won Orange, Cotton and Sugar Bowl games with the Cornhuskers and started in the Senior Bowl backfield with Walter Payton, was stricken with Muscular Dystrophy. He died last year from the debilitating disease.
Golf
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I've written numerous articles for Golf Digest and Golf Magazine and been a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated
Some of the advertorials I wrote earned me up to $3,000 to pad my poor journalist's paycheck
Nevada Golf Magazine
Las Vegas resident Jim Colbert, who once made eight birdies in a row, was a valuable source for years as a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board
The Las Vegas Senior Classic at the fabled Desert Inn, left, and the Skins Game near Palm Sorings, this one featuring Jack, Arnie, Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller, were annual events I covered
The Review-Journal was the first newspaper ever to produce a PGA Tour event's official program, which I did for several years while covering the tournament in the 1980s and '90s.
The Big Three: Palmer, Player and Nicklaus
"Jim, there;s a guy claiming to be Arnold Palmer on the phone," my roommate called out to me one day prior to the Las Vegas Senior Classic. That was the genesis behind one story I wrote on Palmer, who was calling me back from his Pennsylvania home.
I was one of just a handful of writers worldwide invited to cover the Mazda Champions -- a made-for-TV event pairing Senior PGA Tour stars such as Gary Player and Chi Chi Rodriguez with LPGA Tour stars Nancy Lopez and Jan Stephenson in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico. Other attendees included the Miami Herald, Boston Globe, London Times, Golf, Golf Digest and Golf Week magazines. One highlight was riding with Academy Award-nominated actress Anne Archer in a jeep through the jungle to the hotel in Jamaica, where her husband, ABC Sports President Terry Jastrow, was overseeing the broadcast of the unique two-day event.
It's normally taboo for sports writers to ask their subjects for their autograph, but Jack, my boyhood idol, was an exception for me. After several one-on-one interviews over the years, I have everything from books, magazines, photos, visors and the like signed by the Golden Bear
Nicklaus is so revered in Scotland, they made official currency of the man
Chip Beck's 59, shot at Sunrise Golf Club in Las Vegas, was tied for the lowest score on the PGA Tour until Jim Furyk, another Las Vegas Invitational champion, shot 58
I donated this framed poster signed by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gene Littler, Al Geiberger and !986 Las Vegas Senior Classic champion Bruce Crampton to an auction to benefit the Henson family of Lincoln City
The inaugural Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational, won by Fuzzy Zoeller in 1983, was the first million-dollar tournament in PGA Tour history. Tom Watson and past winners Curtis Strange and Greg Norman are among the 156 players who signed this poster.
Al Geiberger, who shot the first 59 in PGA Tour history at the 1977 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, was equally on the mark with a 62 in the final round to win the Las Vegas Senior Classic at the Desert Inn
The success of Las Vegas Clark High star Robert Gamez as college golf's Player of the Year and a winner in his first PGA Tour event allowed me to follow the Tour on the road for several seasons.
I was there for all three of Phil Mickelson's NCAA championships as a phenom at Arizona State
Since eventually facing inside trading accusations, I'm not sure about the "integrity" part, but Mickelson has been everything he was cracked up to be in a sensational amateur career with the Sun Devils
A case can be made that Hall of Fame golfer Billy Casper, who won 51 PGA Tour events, including the U.S. Open and Masters, is the most underrated player of all time.
Tennis
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Crowds gathered in droves in the early 1980s to watch 11-year-old tennis prodigy Andre Agassi volley with Jimmy Connors, the winningest player in tennis history, at the outdoor courts at Caesars Palace
Jimmy Connors won three of the Alan King/Caesars Palace Tennis Classics I was blessed to cover in the early 1980s
Chevy Chase and Bjorn Borg trade laughs at the Alan KIng event
The great Pancho Gonzalez loved to talk tennis while he was director of the sport at Caesars Palace.
Snippets of my coverage of the Alan King/Caesars Palace Tennis Classic are included in this biography of lifelong Las Vegan Andre Agassi.
The tennis world was taken aback by this column -- the result of Las Vegan Andre Agassi calling a referee a "----sucker" during a qualifying event in his hometown. Agassi had slipped from No. 1 to No. 141 in the world rankings at the time and later confessed in his autobiography "Open" feeling lost at that period of his life, in which he admitted to using crystal meth.
While nothing of the magnitude of the original "Battle of the Sexes" -- Billy Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in September 1973 -- Connors swept Martina Navratilova in this highly entertaining, if unconvincing, September 1992 match at Caesars Palace.
John McEnroe, who I covered along with players such as Ivan Lendl, Ilie Nastase, Johan Kriek, Roscoe Tanner, Pat Cash, Guillermo Vilas and Vitas Gerulaitis in the early 1980s, ruled the roost as tennis' top player when he headlined and coached Davis Cup competition at Caesars.
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The National Finals Rodeo instantly became my favorite sporting event to cover when it came to Las Vegas from Oklahoma City in 1985. No professional athletes are more appreciative and accommodating than rodeo cowboys.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway became the third biggest city in Nevada when it hosted NASCAR for the first time in 1998.
I covered the Fiesta Bowl during its formative years in the 1980s up until it hosted the 1986 national championship game between Miami and Penn State. During my time in Las Vegas, future NFL All-Pro talent such as DeMarco Murray and Stephen Jackson (later of Oregon State) graced area high school fields.
Renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer's cries of "Let's get ready to rumble!" were replaced by "Let's get ready to tumble!" in 1985 with featured performer Mary Lou Retton.
Elected Nevada Sportswriter of the Year in 1998 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, I joined national winners Jim Nantz of CBS Sports and Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press in Salisbury, N.C., for the annual awards ceremony.
Honored with numerous Las Vegas community service awards from charitable organizations such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the American Cancer Society, Fossum was cited in the late 1990s by the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to Las Vegas-area athletics.
A 1975 graduate, I was honored with Lake Havasu (Ariz.) High School’s Distinguished Alumni Award and delivered my alma mater’s Class of 2006 commencement speech 30 years after graduating.
As a longtime member of the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE), I helped oversee the organization’s annual West Regional Convention for several years at various Las Vegas Strip resorts. I helped recruit APSE’s national convention to the MGM Grand in 2006 after annually attending extensive journalism seminars at many of the country’s largest and most respected major dailies, including the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, Orlando Sentinel, Seattle Times, San Diego Union-Tribune and Dallas Morning News.
Retired after 22 years in the U.S. Army, earning the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart and running the ROTC program as professor of military history at Central Michigan University, my father, Lt. Col. A.C. Fossum, served 22 years as a college administrator and was provost at Northwood Institute in West Baden, Ind., where I became classmates with Larry Bird.
Little did I know my twin brother and I were second-grade classmates of Larry Bird's while attending Springs Valley Elementary School in French Lick, Ind. Years later, the NBA great and I talked about friends we possibly shared during an interview at The Legacy Golf Club in Henderson, Nev.
Family friend and President Eisenhower's son, John, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, gave me (and World Book Encyclopedia) a B+ on my middle-school report on his father.
Clockwise from left, longtime NBC news co-anchor David Brinkley, Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame, internationally renown flamenco dancer Jose Greco and Olympic gold-medal pole vaulter Bob Richards have been among our family friends.
I worked full time as a sports writer at the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff and as a contributor to The Associated Press covering the Phoenix Suns' preseason camp in Prescott while still a student at Northern Arizona University.
Fortunate enough to be hired out of college by the 175,00-circulation Review-Journal, I worked 25 years to the day -- 16 after being named sports editor at age 33 in 1991 -- before retiring in January 2006 with vision disabilities. Among my more recognizable coworkers were TV sports host Colin Cowherd and CBS chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, who I could have hit with a paper wad from my desk.
Following one year covering news and general assignment at the Newport News-Times, and six at the Lincoln City News Guard, I started my own website covering the kids in Lincoln City, Newport, Toledo, Waldport, Siletz Valley and Eddyville.
In addition to being Homepage executive editor, I am editor-in-chief emeritus and senior columnist for Silver and Black Today, a multimedia Internet site that covers the Oakland Raiders and their impending move to Las Vegas.
The community is invited to join Siletz Tribal members and friends Friday-Sunday, Sept. 6-8, for the 24th annual Run to the Rogue.
This event is a 234-mile relay run/walk in memory of the Siletz Tribal ancestors who were forcibly removed from their homeland in Rogue River country in the mid-1800s and marched north to Siletz and the confinements of the Coast Reservation. This annual relay run is the closest today’s Tribal members can come to their ancestors’ experience on the journey from their homeland.
You can register at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, or at any time on the run. The run begins in Siletz on Sept. 6 at 8:30 a.m. at the Tribal Community Center and ends Sunday, Sept. 8, at Oak Flat on the Rogue River. Lunch then will be served at Cougar Lane Lodge, 4219 Agness Road; turn right when leaving Oak Flat onto Agness Road.
Please be aware of the following:
Volunteers are welcome to run, walk or help out with camp setup, cleanup, cooking and other areas. You do not need a relay team to participate. Individuals are welcome.
Youth can participate but need a designated adult committed to traveling and camping with the youth.
Camping sites, meals and runners’ support and refreshments are provided along the route.
An orientation session will be held Sept. 6 at 8 a.m. at the Tribal Community Center in Siletz, when Run to the Rogue T-shirts will be distributed to participants.
For more information, contact Buddy Lane, cultural education director, at 800-922-1399, ext. 1230; 541-444-8230; or [email protected].
Pig N’ Pancake server Natoshia Price got the tip of her life on Labor Day as a customer paid $222.45 on a $22.45 pancakes, sausage and bacon bill.
Natoshia Price, left, and co-worker Lalena
“It felt amazing,” Price said after seeing the 890 percent tip. “I started to tear up and went to our wait-station while I gathered my thoughts. I went back out and asked him if I could give him a hug and told him how grateful I was and how amazing it was to have someone like him today.”
Price and her customer spent his lunch chatting about their days and how each other’s summers have been, not knowing the encounter would end up with her crying in his arms after receiving the extraordinary gratuity.
Price said she was having a bad day and mentioned some negativity towards tourists in Lincoln City recently on social media and told the man she made her day.
His identification was checked and it matched the card used to pay the bill, ruling out any fraudulent activity.
“It truly is amazing that we have great people in this world,” Price said. “I’m a firm believer in Karma and good things happen to those that help one another. I believe if you pay it forward it always makes its way back one way or another. Even a smile can make someone’s day.”
Price said she will use her newfound wealth to purchase back-to-school clothing for her kids and pay some bills.
I’ve shared a dorm room couch with a lanky, timid teenage college sophomore destined to become the most electrifying pro football player of our time.
