LBCC Athletics will host its Inaugural Hall of Fame Weekend celebration May 20-21. This event will honor and celebrate the college’s rich athletics history and 11 extraordinary individuals who called Linn-Benton home for a period of their lives.
The weekend has two distinct events: a Golf Scramble on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at Diamond Woods Golf Course; and the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Activities Center.
For more details, go to athletics.linnbenton.edu/golf or athletics.linnbenton.edu/hof.
The inaugural Hall of Fame class includes four coaches / administrators and seven athletes and features Olympians, professional athletes, Oregon Community College Athletic Association and National Junior College Athletic Association national champions.
The Athletics Hall of Fame was created to recognize, honor, celebrate and preserve Roadrunner Athletics history.
This inaugural event coincides with the 50-year anniversary of Roadrunner athletics. Baseball, men’s basketball and men’s golf were the first sports sponsored at LB during the 1970-71 school year.
Here is a list of Hall of Fame inductees that will be honored:
Dick McClain, 1969-92 Athletic Director/Baseball Coach
Butch Kimpton, 1970-82 Men’s Basketball Coach
Arlene Crosman, 1969-97 Faculty Member / Gymnastics Coach
Dave Bakley, 1972-94 (posthumously) Wellness Coordinator / Track & Field Coach / Athletic Director
Terry Cornutt, ’72 Baseball/Basketball
Jim Davidson, ’73 (posthumously) Baseball / Basketball
Donna Karling,’76 Gymnastics
Jean Melson, ’81 Track & Field / Basketball
Carol Menken, ’78 Basketball
Paul Poetsch, ’76 Basketball
Debbie Prince, ’81 Basketball/Cross Country/Track & Field
Coaches & Staff
Dave Bakley, Cross Country / Track & Field Coach and Athletics Director 1972-94 (posthumously)
Bakley started the track & field program at LB as its first head coach in 1972 and later served as athletic director from 1992-94. He taught physical education at LB and was instrumental in launching and maintaining the College’s Wellness Program.
Bakley was named OCCAA Coach of the Year six times, coached 25 NJCAA all-Americans and six individual national champions. Bakley also coached three future Olympians: Dave Johnson, Tim Bright and Kory Tarpenning.
He was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1992 and spent his years after LB staying active in various health, wellness and coaching capacities before he passed away in 2017.
Receiving his award will be Bakley’s son, Wade.
Arlene Crosman, Gymnastics Coach, Faculty Member 1969-97
Crosman joined Linn-Benton in 1969 and was a member of the Physical Education faculty at LB for 27 years. She served as the Oregon chairperson for the US Gymnastics Federation and was active in promoting gymnastics throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Crossman started the LB gymnastics program in 1974 with a small but talented group of women. The following year the team not only qualified to compete in the inaugural NJCAA Gymnastics Championships in Chicago, the Roadrunners won the National title.
She taught a variety of physical education classes during her time at LB and was a certified Red Cross swimming instructor as well.
Crosman earned both her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and a master’s degree in Education from Oregon State.
Crosman was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1989 and retired from LB in 1997.
Vernon “Butch” Kimpton, Men’s Basketball Coach 1970-82
Kimpton was the head men’s basketball coach at Linn-Benton from 1970-82, starting the program from scratch without even a gym to play in.
He won 111 league games and was state sub-regional champs in 1972, 1974 and 1976. The Roadrunners also finished second in the Western regional in 1972. Kimpton’s teams won eight LB Invitational tournament titles.
Kimpton was named OCCAA Coach of the Year in 1976 and 1977. He posted a career record (including high school) of 225-133. As a player, Kimpton was a three-year letter winner for University of Oregon.
He was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1992.
Dick McClain, Athletic Director, Baseball Coach 1969-92
In 1969, Dick McClain was hired as director of health and physical education at Linn-Benton. In 1970, he started the athletic programs at Linn-Benton.
In 1971, he coached the Roadrunners baseball team to their first Oregon Community College Athletic Association baseball championship. His LB teams went on to win again in 1972, ’73, ’75 and ’76. McClain stepped away from coaching after the 1976 season.
In 1992, McClain replaced Frank Bosone to become the NWAACC’s second-ever executive director and remained in that role until 2011.
McClain played for the University of Oregon as a catcher and was drafted in 1962 by the San Francisco Giants.
In 2011, McClain was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame.
Athletes
Terry Cornutt, Baseball, Basketball 1970-72
A native of Roseburg, Terry Cornutt played on Linn-Benton’s first two teams in basketball and baseball. He earned all-OCCAA basketball honors as a sophomore.
In baseball, he helped LB win two OCCAA titles earning all-league and all-region before becoming the school’s first all-American. Cornutt was drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants in the 1972 draft and earned his way into the Major Leagues. He pitched two seasons for the San Francisco Giants in 1977 and 1978, appeared in 29 games, posted a record of 1-2 with a 3.61 earned run average.
Cornutt was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1993.
Jim Davidson, Baseball, Basketball 1971-73 (posthumously)
Davidson was a two-sport athlete at Linn-Benton in 1972 and 1973, earning all-OCCAA honors in basketball and as he averaged 21.2 points/game in 1972.
In baseball, Davidson was a starting outfielder and pitcher, receiving all-OCCAA and all-American. He was drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants in the 1973 draft. Davidson played three seasons in the Giants’ organization before returning home to Roseburg to live and work. He was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1993.
Davidson passed away in May 2021 in Roseburg. Receiving his award will be his wife, Debi.
Donna Karling (Southwick, Alarcon Elizondo) Gymnastics 1974-76
Donna Karling (Southwick, Alarcon Elizondo) participated in Linn-Benton’s inaugural year of competition in women’s gymnastics during the 1974-75 academic year. In its second year, the Roadrunners claimed the 1976 (NJCAA) championship behind Karling’s All-Around individual championship.
Karling (then Southwick) transferred to Oregon State after LB and became the Beavers first all-American when she earned the honor on the uneven bars at the 1977 AIAW National Championships. She was the first female athlete to obtain an athletic scholarship at Oregon State University.
She was recruited out of Anchorage, Alaska to become part of the Roadrunner program by coach Arlene Crosman after the two got to know each other at various gymnastics camps in the Pacific Northwest while Karling was in high school. She won the Alaska All-Around state title her senior year.
Jean Melson (Siefer), Track & Field, Basketball 1979-81
Jean Melson was the first female to win a national title at Linn-Benton, capturing the NJCAA crowns in the discus (147-9) and shot put (43-7) in 1980. Her efforts helped the Roadrunners capture 4th Place at the national championship meet.
Her toss in the shot put won the title by more than a foot and her javelin throw won by more than 20 feet. Melson went undefeated and untied in both events during the 1980 track season.
In addition to track, Melson played two seasons of basketball for the Roadrunners and earned 2nd Team all-OCCAA honors.
A standout high school basketball player and state champion in the discus and shot put from Tillamook, Melson originally went to Oregon State to compete in track & field. After one season with the Beavers, and narrowly missing qualifying for the NCAA Championships, Melson left OSU. After taking a year off, she enrolled at LB in the Fall of 1979.
Carol Menken-Schaudt, Basketball 1976-78
Menken-Schaudt played basketball at Linn-Benton in 1977-78 before an outstanding three-year career at Oregon State.
She originally came to LB in 1975 to study graphic design. When coach Dave Dangler was tasked with starting the Roadrunner women’s basketball program, he spotted Menken on campus and encouraged her to play. The team first competed as a club in 1976-77 and joined the OCCAA for the 1977-78 season.
After transferring to Oregon State, Menken became one of the greatest players in Oregon Basketball history. At OSU she was selected as the MVP in 1979 and 1980. In 1981, she was the national college leader in field goal percentage (.750) and fourth in scoring (29.6 average).
After leaving OSU, Menken was selected to the U.S. National Team and became the starting center on the 1984 US Olympic team that won the gold medal in Los Angeles.
Menken also played eight years of professional basketball overseas, including six in Italy and two in Japan.
Menken-Schaudt was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1993.
Paul Poetsch, Basketball 1974-76
Poetsch played basketball at Linn-Benton from 1974-76. He led the league in scoring (19.2 ppg) his freshman year and went on to become LB’s all-time leading scorer. Poetsch earned 1st Team all-OCCAA and all-Region 18 honors both of his seasons with the Roadrunners.
Poetsch went on to play at OCE (now Western Oregon University).
After serving as a teacher and coach, he started his administrative career as Vice Principal at Henley High School in Klamath Falls, Ore.
Poetsch was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1993.
Debbie Prince (Herrold), Basketball, Cross Country, Track & Field 1979-81
Prince was a three-sport athlete at Linn-Benton from 1979-1981, participating in cross country, basketball and track & field.
In basketball Prince earned 1st Team all-OCCAA honors twice and led Roadrunners to undefeated 16-0 Conference title in 1981. She was named OCCAA Player of the Year in 1981.
In track, Prince competed at the NJCAA National Championships meet in the heptathlon and javelin. In her freshman year, Prince also set the school record in the 800 meters, posting a time of 2:27.66. Prince finished ninth in the heptathlon at the NJCAA’s her sophomore year.
In 1987-88 Prince returned to LB to become the women’s basketball head coach. The Roadrunners placed fifth in the 1991 NWAACC Tournament. Prince had also served as an assistant coach in basketball, cross country and track before becoming the head basketball coach. Prince retired as head coach after the 1992-93 season and continued to teach part-time at LB until 2020.
She was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 1999.
###