Oregon Tech Hall of Fame Inductees announced

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Two of the greatest football teams in Hustlin’ Owls history, along with four former student-athletes will make up the 2023 induction class of the Oregon Tech Howard Morris Athletic Hall of Fame.

The ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 15 in the College Union on the OIT campus – specific details, including tickets, will be released in July.

The undefeated 1960 Oregon College Conference championship football team, the 1988 NAIA Division II national semifinalist football team, softball players Meagan (Webber) Robbins and Leslie (Ernstrom) Degenhart, men’s basketball player Herb McEachin, along with 3-sport athlete John Mathis are set to join the exclusive club.

“We are excited to welcome back players from two of the greatest football teams in Oregon Tech history,” said OIT athletic director, John Van Dyke. “Meagan and Leslie are among the best softball players to ever take the field at Oregon Tech, Herb continues to hold records nearly 50 years after his playing days and John is a rare 3-sport collegiate athlete who had a great career.”

Led by head coach Rex Hunsaker and 3-time all-conference quarterback Roy Johnson, the 1960 Owls were the lone team in the 45-year history of the OIT football program to complete a season without a loss or tie, finishing 9-0, including 4-0 in the OCC. A prolific passing game between Johnson and Art Palmore, Ardell Hamilton and Dennis Farster helped Tech record three come-from-behind wins on the year – including a 19-14 decision against Portland State and a 21-19 win against rival Southern Oregon – extending a home win streak at Modoc Field to 16 games.

The 1988 football squad was an offensive juggernaut, averaging 493 yards per game under the direction of Greg McMackin – finishing 6-0 in the difficult Columbia Football Association’s Mount Hood League – earning a bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series. The Owls stunned defending national champ, Pacific Lutheran in their playoff opener, 56-35, before going on the road to top Carroll College in Montana, 70-35, before losing at Moehl Stadium to Wisconsin-La Crosse in the national semifinals. Six players earned NAIA All-America honors, including first-team running back Billy Coats (who rushed for 1,647 yards and 16 touchdowns) and second-team defensive back Matt Dierdorff (who posted 106 tackles and a school-record 11 interceptions). Quarterback Don Trotter passed for 3,323 yards and 23 touchdowns, including a school-record 546 passing day against Willamette, while linebacker Ross Simmons led the CFA with 20 sacks.

Both Robbins and Degenhart had phenomenal careers for the Lady Owls on and off the diamond – helping OIT win Cascade Conference titles in 2001 and 2002, advancing to the NAIA Region I championship game in 1999, 2001 and 2002.

Robbins was a 4-time All-CCC and 4-time All-NAIA Region I outfielder – finishing her career with a .415 batting average, 44 home runs, 200 RBI and continues to hold the all-time school record with 17 triples. In 2000, Robbins hit .446 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI, while a year later, was named CCC Player of the Year after hitting .437 with 16 homers and 62 RBI – earning first-team NAIA and NFCA All-America honors following both seasons. In addition, Robbins is OIT’s only 2-time first-team College Division Academic All-American along with becoming the school’s first-ever Academic All-American of the Year in 2002.

Degenhart wrote the pitching record book at OIT and continues to rank among the Top-3 in career categories over 20 years after the conclusion of her playing career. The 4-time All-CCC and 4-time All-Region I selection was named the 2002 CCC Pitcher of the Year after going 20-5 with a 1.00 ERA – the third-lowest single-season ERA in program history – becoming the first Lady Owl to record three 20-win seasons (an accomplishment that has been matched just twice). Degenhart ranks No. 2 in program history with 622 strikeouts and 27 shutouts, No. 3 in program history with 77 career wins and a 1.48 ERA and continues to hold the all-time record with 94 complete games. She was a 2-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete and was honored as 2-time College Division Academic All-District selection.

McEachin helped put OIT basketball back on the map, leading the team to the 1974 NAIA District 2 championship and their first-ever trip to the national tournament. The forward is the only Hustlin’ Owl to be named a 4-time All-Evergreen Conference, a 4-time All-District 2 and a 4-time All-Little Northwest selection – while being named to the 1977 UPI All-West Coast and a NAIA All-American. McEachin holds the all-time OIT record with 1,087 career rebounds and ranks No. 4 in program history with 1,676 points scored. He holds the school record among 4-year players for rebound average (9.8) and is No. 4 all-time among 4-year players in scoring average (15.1).

Mathis was a 4-year member of the football and baseball programs, while also playing on the 1974 basketball team that advanced to the NAIA tournament. A 4-year starter at quarterback, Mathis earned All-Evergreen Conference honors in 1974 and 1977, earning All-Little Northwest honors in 1974. He also played defensive back, punted and was a punt returner for the Owls – holding the OIT single-season record for punt return average (18.7). In baseball, Mathis was a 3-time All-EvCo selection and currently ranks No. 1 all-time in triples and No. 6 all-time in batting average (.363). He had a banner 1976 season, hitting .404 with a .496 on-base percentage.

The Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2021 and is named in honor of Howard Morris, the architect of Hustlin’ Owl sports – a longtime baseball, football and wrestling coach, athletic director and chair of the physical education department, all part of a career at Tech that spanned 30 years.

Howard Morris Oregon Tech Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

2021 – Howard Morris

2022 – Danny Miles, Dave Carrigan, Dave Hummel, Bobby Thompson, Carmen Morgan, 1974 Men’s Basketball Team

2023 – Meagan Robbins, Leslie Degenhart, Herb McEachin, John Mathis, 1960 Football Team, 1988 Football Team

1960FB-1
JohnMathis
MeaganWebber
LeslieErnstrom
HerbMcEachin

Recommended Posts

Loading...