Lincoln's rich sports tradition lives on

Q: Tell me about Lincoln High School, the Wallingford school that closed in 1981. I am told it was part of Seattle's athletic fabric for decades.

A: It certainly was. The school still plays a role in city education as the "relocation site" when a school is being remodeled or rebuilt. Ballard students went there when their new school was under construction and Roosevelt will be the next high school to use it.

Famous Lincoln sports alums include: Don Coryell, the retired innovative coach of the San Diego Chargers; Ed Pepple, Mercer Island basketball coach who is the state's career leader with 848 victories; Helene Madison and Jack Medica, Olympic gold medal-winning swimmers; Harry Givan, a gifted high-school athlete in the late 1920s who became one of the Northwest's top amateur golfers, and Sammy White, who once scored three runs in one inning as a catcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1950s.

White, class of '46, was one of six major-leaguers who were Lincoln grads. The others: Pete Standridge '08, Bill Lasley '22, Dick Young '47, Rich Hand '66 and Mike Kinnunen '75.

Actress Dorothy Provine also went to Lincoln and so did Norma Zimmer, the "Champagne Lady" on the "Lawrence Welk Show."

Pepple, class of '50, recalls how even though Lincoln lacked racial diversity it had "more of a cross-section" of students than the other two schools north of Ship Canal at that time.

"Ballard was basically Scandinavian, and Roosevelt was the more moneyed section," he said.

Lincoln opened in 1907 and the red and black Lynx set a city record in 1918 when they humiliated Ballard 107-0 in the most lopsided football game in city history.

When Seattle schools finally were given the go-ahead to compete in the state basketball tournament in 1945 (22 years after it started), Lincoln promptly won it. The Lynx won back-to-back titles in 1956 and 1957 under Norm Dalthorp, a Lincoln alum. Both years the Lynx beat Anacortes in the title game.

The best known Lincoln coach was Bill Nollan, who compiled a 104-63-18 record in football from 1929 to '55. Overall, Nolan won 22 city titles in four sports, according to local sports historian Russ Dille.

In track, Lincoln never lost a dual track meet from 1930 to '45 and won 10 city championships, according to Dille.

Lincoln, which once drew students from a vast area stretching north from Lake Union to the county line, saw its success decline after the opening of Shoreline High School (1955) and Ingraham (1960) cut into its enrollment base.

"When I was there, we were either pretty good or pretty bad," said Seattle Times staffer Bill Kossen, a reserve quarterback from the class of '72. "Our wrestling team won the league title and our varsity football team only won two games in three years.

"But we probably led the league in spirit. We never gave up, except maybe in that game against Ingraham when we lost 62-0. Oh, well, we'd just tell people that academics came first at Lincoln. But that also might have been when they first started thinking it was time to close Lincoln."

Q: What should a parent do if his son is throwing so many pitches in baseball games that his arm is sore even though he won't admit it to the coach?

A: This is a safety matter and the parent first needs to talk to the boy and try to persuade him to tell the coach the truth about his arm. The earth usually spins better if parents stay out of coach-kid matters. Also, athletics is supposed to help teach kids how to deal with authority figures.

However, if the kid is unwilling to talk to the coach, I think a parent should telephone the coach and diplomatically express concern.

Most coaches are good men who are likely to say, "That rascal keeps telling me his arm is fine. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'll have him spend more time with the school trainer, hold him out awhile, then reduce the pitch count until the arm is back where it should be."

The best coaches I know go to extremes to avoid sore arms. They watch their players in practice and warmups for signs of soreness. They also have guidelines on how much throwing a pitcher is allowed to do.

If the coach is uncooperative, the next stop for the parent is the athletic director.

Q: Goofy question, I admit, but if someone grew up on a desert island and suddenly was transported to the championship of every high-school sport in this state, what do you think would impress him or her the most?

A: Single athletic endeavor: The uneven bars in gymnastics and the pole vault in track. Team event: Playoff football game with bands, cheerleaders, drill-dance teams and the on-field collisions.

Have a question about high-school sports? Craig Smith will find the answer every Tuesday in The Times. Ask your by voice mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Craig Smith, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111), or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com.