Portland observer., November 02, 2011, Special edition coverage, Page 13, Image 13

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N o ve m b e r 2, 2011
• I I
sportiani» (Observer
Page 13
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Hall of Fame Honors
University of Oregon
tribute to a former
Jefferson standout
M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
N ative north Portland resident W eldon
Vance has been inducted into the Hall of
Fame at the U niversity o f O regon for his
contributions on the Ducks track and field
team that led to the school’s gold medal at the
national cham pionships in 1970.
Before he attended O regon, Vance gradu­
ated from Jefferson High School where he
was the 1968 and 1969 state cham pion in both
the mile relay and 440.
“ I received a scholarship to go to the U ni­
versity of O regon for track and field at the
same time the great Steve Prefontaine had a
scholarship,” said Vance. “He was a hard
working guy, and he led us to the national
cham pionship.”
“Those were great days,” said Vance. “I
was grow ing up and having a good tim e.”
Today, Vance said he is glad to see U O ’s
sports program s are doing well, and he said he
has especially enjoyed w atching the Ducks
track and field team continue the legacy o f his
time.
by
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Weldon Vance o f Portland visits Jefferson High School where he was a state champion in track and field in 1 9 6 8 an d1969.
Vance went on to the University o f Oregon where he contributed to a national championship in track and field in 1970.
“I ’m really proud of coach Vin Lananna.
He is alm ost as tough as our coaches, Bill
Bowerm an and Bill D ellinger,” said Vance
with a chuckle.
A lready proud to be alum o f the U niversity
of O regon, he said he is honored to have been
selected for the Hall o f Fame. “It feels really
good,” he said.
Bound for the Army
All-American Bowl
Central Catholic lineman named to elite team
Arm y Sergeant 1 st Class Brandon Mattem (left) and Sergeant 1 st Class Eric Hielscher,
present the 2012 U.S. Arm y All-American Bowl je rs e y to Central C atholic’s Alex Balduccl.
Alex Balducci of Central Catholic
High School has been selected to
play in the 2012 U.S. Army All-
American Bowl,joining the nation’s
top 90 high school football players for
their annual East vs. West match-up.
The televised game will be on Sat­
urday, Jan. 7, at the Alamodome in
San Antonio, Texas.
“Alex is a talented athlete whose
leadership and team w ork qualities
have made him a standout at C en­
tral C atholic High School,” said
John M yers, U .S. A rm y a c ce s­
sions com m and. “Only the stron- - -
gest w ear the Arm y colors, and
A lex p o ssesses sim ila r m ental,
em otional and physical strengths to
continued
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