Bob Flood, a 1957 graduate of Linfield College, was recently honored by Salem’s Judson Middle School officials in a ceremony held at the school’s football field in south Salem. At the ceremony, attended by his wife, Bev, son, Jeff, and several grandkids, the former Wildcat football player and long-time Judson teacher-coach had the field named after him at halftime of the Judson-Crossler contest.

It was a fitting honor for the Linfield grad, who taught and coached for more than 30 years at the school. By the time I started my teaching and coaching career at Judson in 1964, Bob had already established himself as a popular — and very successful — teacher-coach. I know I looked up to him as a school leader although I didn’t coach football with him in my one year at Judson, which was at the time a junior high school made up of grades 7-9.

During his tenure at Judson, Bob was also a top-notch basketball coach and a very successful sports official. In fact, he just recently retired from refereeing football — although he still evaluates officials at both the high school and college levels. But 50 years officiating sports events kept him in great shape, and now, in his spare time, he plays lots of golf to keep healthy and fit.

At Linfield, Bob was a member of the Wildcats’ 1956 football team, which started the school’s record-setting streak of 54 consecutive winning seasons. The 1956 club, in fact, recorded a 6-1-2 mark, helping Linfield create the foundation that would continue to build for over half a century.

Congratulations to Bob and Linfield for producing yet another winner.

Oh, yes, Bob’s son Jeff is the same guy who coached Amity to four state championships during his tenure at the West Valley League school. Jeff’s now the head coach at North Salem High, working hard to turn the Vikings’ football fortunes around and continuing to build on the coaching legacy established by his father.

Highflyers on tap to open first full season on May 1
International Basketball League (IBL) Commissioner Mikal Duilio and Yamhill Highflyers General Manager Eric Bailey are eagerly anticipating the Highflyers’ first full season in the league come this spring. After a 10-game “branding” season in 2009, the team will open the 2010 campaign on Saturday, May 1 against the USA All-Stars in Portland.

The club’s first home game is slated for Thursday, May 13, against the Central Oregon Hotshots. Altogether, the Highflyers will play 22 games during the short season, which continues through July 1.

Opponents will come from as far away as China and Japan, giving fans a look at different styles of hoops across several cultures. However, the action is extremely fast-paced no matter the origin of the team, and shots are usually launched at the bucket in less than 15 seconds, so the 24-second clock is seldom a factor.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to see either of the team’s two home games this year, be sure to come out in 2010 and watch your Yamhill Highflyers compete in their first full IBL campaign. According to Duilio, games will be played at venues in both McMinnville and Newberg.

For more information about the IBL and its teams, access www.iblhoopsonline.com or contact Bailey at (503) 720-5116 for tickets or information about the Highflyers.

Whoops!
In one of my recent columns, I listed some of the most popular sports events or series, which included several racing
venues.

But, I forgot to include one of the grandest of them all, one which has a much longer and more successful tradition: That’s the Indy 500, arguably the number one racing event in the world (sorry, NASCAR fans, but even the Daytona 500 can’t compete with the month-long hoopla of Indy — and the huge crowd on race day).

Thanks to reader John Sorg for pointing out the gaffe.

If you have an idea for a column or feature story or a comment, please contact me by e-mail at jwalker@newsregister.com or by phone at 503-687-1274.