Submitted by Centralia College
On Saturday, February 8, Centralia College will induct two new members to its Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at halftime of the women’s basketball game, which tips off at 5:00 p.m. in the Michael Smith Gymnasium on campus.
Rudy Gideon – 1956-58 Baseball
Gideon is part of the what is commonly called “the last generation that did not play Little League baseball,” and went on to be a standout player at CC and beyond. In 1957, Gideon and the Blazers won the southwest conference championship. Gideon was also the college’s valedictorian that year. He went on to play one year in the Chicago Cubs farm system, in the Appalachian League and attended spring training with the Cubs in 1958. He coached Babe Ruth and Little League teams for more than a decade and umpired Little League games for four years.
Richard Moore – 1962-64 Basketball & Baseball
At Centralia College, Moore was part of the Fearsome Threesome with Michael Smith and Jerry “Hardrock” Woods. He went on to play basketball in Castle Rock for 15 years and fastpitch for more than 20 years. He played on Longview’s Boondox Tavern team, which won the men’s Washington State Fastpitch Championships. He umpired high school and college baseball for more than 50 years and for high school and college softball for 25 years. He also was a referee for high school football and basketball for 30 years.
Skip Friese – 1956-57 Track, Baseball, Football & Basketball
Friese lettered at CC six times – twice each in football and basketball, and once each in track and baseball. He was known as a quick, speedy and scrappy player who led by example. His work ethic was legendary. At only 5’7” tall, he averaged 18 points per game in basketball and was in the starting lineup for two years in both football and basketball.
Marcus Hinton – 2005-06 Basketball
Hinton averaged 23 points per game and led the league in scoring. He was the team captain and led the team to a fifth-place finish in the conference tournament. He was named to the first-team all-league and made the NWAACC All-Star second team. He was heavily recruited and went on to earn a Division 1 scholarship from Eastern Washington University, where he was named team captain. At EWU, he went 6 for 6, setting a single-game record for 3-point percentage. He made the Dean’s List twice and graduated with a 3.5 GPA.
