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HANS ALBERTSSON
(Men's Track & Field, Basketball)
Hans Albertsson earned first team All-America honors in track and field after winning the 1962 NAIA high jump championship with a leap of 6 feet, 8 inches. Albertsson was also a basketball standout, leading the 1961-62 club in scoring (547 points, 21.0 average), rebounding (288, 11.0 average) and field goal percentage (203-of-347, .585). He is tied for fifth on the all-time single-game scoring list, tallying 38 points in a 1962 contest against Whitworth. He earned NAIA and United Press International second team All-America honors for his performance during the 1961-62 season. Albertsson now lives in his home country of Sweden, where he owns a sporting goods store in Upsala, teaches physical education and directs basketball camps.
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ELIZABETH GREEN FINLEY
(Women's Swimming, 1980-84)
Elizabeth Green dominated the breaststroke and individual medley events in Northwest collegiate swimming from 1981-84. She set school records in seven events, captured 17 individual conference championships and 13 Northwest regional titles. She never lost at the regional level for four straight years in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys and the 200-meter breaststroke. Green, who earned NAIA All-America honors 14 times, won the 1983 NAIA national title in the 200-meter IM and placed second in the 400-meter IM, then finished second in both events at the 1984 national meet. She was co-winner of PLU's Women of the Year in Sports Award in 1984. After graduating from Pacific Lutheran, she earned her master's degree in biology from Washington State in 1986. She now lives in Reno, Nevada, with her husband, Robert Finley, and their two children.
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GLEN HUFFMAN
(Football, Basketball and Baseball, 1949-53)
A 1953 Pacific Lutheran graduate, Glen Huffman starred in football, basketball and baseball, starting all four years in each sport. During his senior year, Huffman led the football team to an Evergreen Conference title from his quarterback position. He also served as basketball team captain and helped guide that squad to a second-place conference finish and a berth in the NAIA district playoffs while earning all-conference honors. Huffman was also the baseball team's captain. Huffman earned post-graduate degrees from the University of Washington and Stanford University and is now engineering manager and chief engineer of the microwave power tube business unit for Varian Associates in Palo Alto, Calif. He and his wife, Tacy, have two children.
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DAVID JAMES
(Sports Writer, 1936-44)
During the glory years of the early 1940s when Pacific Lutheran ruled the Northwest football gridiron, it was David James, a sportswriter for the Tacoma News Tribune from 1936-44, who focused the nation's attention on the Gladiators. James' ability to recount the drama of the game and the spirit of the players and fans made this group of "nobodies" the country's best-known small college team from 1939 through 1941. His accounts of Pacific Lutheran games flashed across the newswires, and sports pages from New York to Los Angeles chronicled the efforts of the Gladiators. James, who has written four books and edited six others, was public affairs director and later Vice President, Public Affairs for Simpson Timber Company from 1947-75. He was married for 57 years to Maria Heikkinen, who died in 1991.
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DAVE TRAGESER
(Men's Tennis, 1976-79)
Tennis standout Dave Trageser, an NAIA All-American from 1977 to 1979, qualified for the NAIA national tournament each of his four years at Pacific Lutheran, reaching the round of 16 as a freshman and the quarterfinals as a sophomore. As a junior in 1978, he was named the outstanding player at the national tournament after advancing to the singles finals and doubles semifinals. He finished that season with a 34-1 record in singles play, losing only in the national championship match. The following year, Trageser advanced to the national singles semifinals and national doubles finals. His singles record as a senior was 34-2. He dominated his conference and district competition, four times winning singles titles and three times winning doubles crowns in each level. He finished his Pacific Lutheran career with an overall singles record of 125-12. He also earned NAIA Academic All-American honors in 1979, the first year the award was given. Trageser earned his MBA from Seattle University in 1989 and currently works at Dain Bosworth Incorporated - Public Finance Department, in Seattle. He and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters. |
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DR. ROY VIRAK
(Team Doctor)
Roy Virak, a family physician in Tacoma, volunteered his time and talent for more than 20 years as team doctor for many of Pacific Lutheran's athletic teams. He could be counted on to be at every PLU football game, and was known for his vociferous support of the Lutes. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran in 1952 and in numerous ways remained involved with the school for the next 40 years until passing away on Aug. 22, 1993. In addition to serving as team doctor, he was a PLU alumni board member, President of the Alumni Association and member of the Board of Regents. In addition, he was a staff member at numerous hospitals in the Tacoma area. The Washington Academy of Family Practice honored him as Family Doctor of the Year in 1992. He is survived by his wife, Gloria, and their two daughters.
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