Roosevelt High School Baseball

Don learned his baseball in the 1930s while hanging around a neighborhood ball field in Southern California, playing on winter semi-pro teams using the same field. Many of these teams were stocked with major league players trying to pick-up a few bucks during the off-season. It was these major leaguers that taught Don the game.

While playing semi-pro ball, a scout tried to sign him to a professional contract to play in the old Sally League, a very highly thought of Southern minor league. The pro players he was playing with told him that signing a major league contract was the dumbest thing you could do as there was no money in professional sports.

Don instead came north to Seattle to work at Boeing. While playing for a Boeing sponsored semi-pro football team he was spotted by Central Washington College football coach Leo Nicholson. Don accepted an offer to play football for the Wildcats and ended up earning his degree from the Ellensburg school.

Don launched a 34 year career as an industrial arts teacher and coach at Roosevelt in 1947. During Don's tenure he coached football, baseball and at the end of his career girls softball. Don's 1958 baseball team won a Metro League championship. A Roosevelt dominated American Legion team coached by Don won a three state American Legion tournament at about the same time.

Don coached many fine football and baseball athletes, including several signing professional contracts. Two baseball players Bruce Kennedy and Ron Sloy signed contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Perhaps his most famous player was Stu McDonald a bonus baby signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1961. It took McDonald only a year to go from Roosevelt Field to Fenway Park. Unfortunately arm problems cut short McDonald's very promising career.

Don remembers attending Seattle Rainiers sponsored off-season baseball clinics at Sick's Stadium. At these clinics instructors such as Roger Hornsby and Jo Jo White (the Mike Cameron of his era) would instruct coaches on the fundamentals of the game.

Some of Don's fondest memories are of the coaches he coached against in the Metro League. These coaches were all about the same age, held the same beliefs and taught the game the same way, creating a very collegial coaching atmosphere.

Don sees two big changes between his era and today's world. Things moved a lot slower in Don's day. As a result a coach got to know his players and their families on a personal basis. Often times he was a mentor and/or father figure to a young player, helping to prepare a young man for life. Today's world rarely allows such an activity to happen. The lack of baseball fundamentals in today's players is the other big change he sees from his day. This is not only a problem at the high school level, but at the professional level as well.

Today Don is retired and lives in the Bryant area of North Seattle. He still participates in many class reunions and other Roosevelt sponsored activities.