SPOKANE, Wash. -- On October 4th Whitworth
University will induct former football All-Americans George Elliott
and Larry Jacobson, basketball and baseball standout Bob Mandeville
and volleyball All-American Julie (Weatherred) Jones as the 19th
class into the Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame. The
induction ceremony will take place at Whitworth Community
Presbyterian Church ’s Quall Hall, beginning at 8:30 am.
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All-American E George Elliott
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George Elliott was a record-setting
All-American wide receiver at Whitworth from 1963-66. Elliot was
recruited to Whitworth from Charlotte, North Carolina by
Hall-of-Fame coach Sam Adams in 1963. By his sophomore season he
was starting both offensively and defensively, as well as kicking
field goals and extra points. During his junior season in 1965,
Elliot set Whitworth and Evergreen Conference records for touchdown
receptions (10) and receiving yards (871), earning first team
All-Conference honors. As a senior in 1966, Elliot was selected as
a First Team NAIA All-American after he caught 48 passes for 808
yards with six touchdowns. He finished his career at Whitworth with
106 pass receptions, 1,884 receiving yards and 19 touchdown
receptions. Between touchdown catches, punt returns, field goals
and extra points, Elliot scored 194 points during his Pirate
career. Elliot was also a four-year letterman for Whitworth’s
basketball team. Following graduation George volunteered and worked
in different ministry areas, including Young Life and Advent Growth
Ministries, a group he helped found and lead as president of the
board for more than ten years. Professionally he worked for Saga
Foods, then started his own business - Peter James Coffee - with
two partners in 1980.
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All-American LB Larry Jacobson
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Larry Jacobson, an all-star from Sandpoint,
Idaho, was a standout on the football field from 1966-69, an era of
Whitworth football when victories on the scoreboard were hard to
come by. Jacobson played linebacker for the Pirates, serving as
team captain and earning first team All-Evergreen Conference honors
three years in a row and NAIA All-America honors during his senior
season. He accomplished all of that on a team that won only six
total games over the course of his four seasons. During
Jacobson’s senior season, he finished with 202 tackles, both
primary and assisted, for an average of more than 22 tackles per
game. Those amazing numbers were recognized with his All-America
selection, in addition to selections on the Little All-Northwest,
All-NAIA District 1 and All-Evergreen Conference teams. As a
senior, and the year following, Larry and his wife Debbie served as
Resident Directors of Stewart Hall on campus. Following a tryout
with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL, Jacobson earned a doctorate
in guidance and counseling and returned to North Idaho as a
principle at Priest River Junior High School and assistant
principal at Sandpoint High School. In 1984 Larry moved to Alaska,
where he worked as an administrator in education, including 17
years as a middle school principal in Palmer, Alaska.
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Basketball and baseball star
Bob Mandeville
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Bob Mandeville came to Whitworth as a highly
regarded prospect out of Southern California and left as one of the
greatest all-around athletes in school history. A four-year starter
in both basketball and baseball from 1981-84, Mandeville excelled
in both sports for the Pirates. In basketball he made an immediate
impact, leading his team in scoring as a freshman. The following
season he improved his scoring average, leading Whitworth to its
first-ever Northwest Conference title in basketball and earning
first team All-NWC. As a junior he led the NWC in assists and the
Pirates to another Northwest Conference title, earning both first
team All-NWC and first team All-NAIA District 1. As a senior he led
the Pirates to their third straight conference title and was again
named first team all-conference and all-district. He concluded his
career with 1,296 points. As a four-year starting shortstop for the
baseball team, Mandeville hit .308 as a junior then led the Pirates
to a 23-10 record as a senior, when the team came within a game of
making the NAIA World Series. He was named first team All-NAIA
District 1 and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs organization. After
graduation, Mandeville went on to a successful career in financial
planning in Southern California
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All-American OH Julie Weatherred
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Julie Weatherred had a tremendous impact at
Whitworth in her two seasons (2001 and 2002) leading the Pirate
volleyball team. Originally from Spokane and a star at Ferris High
School, Weatherred played her first two seasons for Eastern
Washington University. As a transfer during her junior season she
led Whitworth to a 21-6 record and a Northwest Conference title
with a 14-2 record. The Pirates advanced to the NCAA Division III
national tournament and lost to eventual national champion La Verne
in the second round. Weatherred was the NWC Player of the Year and
earned first team AVCA All-West Region and first team AVCA
All-American honors, the first Pirate to be named an All-American
in volleyball in 20 years. The following season Whitworth earned a
second straight NWC title (15-1) and finished 24-3. The Pirates
hosted the west regional of the NCAA Division III tournament and
defeated defending national champion La Verne before falling to
top-ranked Cal State Hayward in the final. Weatherred was again
named NWC Player of the Year and first team ACVA All-Region.
Whitworth led all of NCAA Division III in attendance that season,
averaging 540 fans per game. Weatherred graduated with a double
major in Spanish and education and has worked professionally with
Young Life.
The class of 2008 will join a group of 60
individuals and seven teams already enshrined in the Heritage
Gallery. The class of 2008, along with all current Heritage Gallery
members attending the induction, will be recognized at halftime of
the Whitworth - Willamette football game on October 4th.
The Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame is
sponsored by the Crimson Club and the first class was inducted in
1990.
Reservations for the induction ceremony and
breakfast can still be made by calling 777-3224.
