Induction Ceremony Details

SEATTLE (Nov. 21, 2002) - Seattle Pacific University will induct its first six members into the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame during Homecoming Week in late January. Ceremonies will be held at a Jan. 31 luncheon in Upper Gwinn Commons, with the honorees also to be publicly acknowledged prior to the homecoming basketball game the next day in Brougham Pavilion.

The hall's charter members are widely recognized for being pillars who provided the foundation for Seattle Pacific's rich and successful athletic history. Voted into the hall were five athletes and a former coach and administrator.

The Class of 2003 includes basketball scoring sensation Loren Anderson (1954-58), track & field coaching legend Dr. Ken Foreman (1950-00), two-time NCAA track champion Steve Gough (1967-70), All-America basketball player Howard Heppner (1962-66), five-time world cross country champion and Olympic runner Doris Heritage (1960-64) and the late Ben Moring (1952-54), two-time NAIA track champion.

"Without a doubt, the recognition of these six individuals and many others is overdue," said Connie Benson, Falcon Legends Hall of Fame co-chair. "SPU has such a rich history of accomplishments, it was difficult to pare the list, yet there's no question that our first class of inductees are true pillars of our programs. Without them, who knows where we would be today."

Bylaws permit up to five inductees per year, with no more than one non-athlete to be included. Anderson, an original hall of fame selection some 40 years ago, will be formally inducted.

Foreman's career as a coach and administrator spanned 50 years and three sports. In fact, he coached four of the other five inductees. His track athletes won 20 individual collegiate championships and accounted for 159 All-America finishes. His women's teams finished among the top 10 in the nation 13 times and 23 of his athletes competed internationally, including eight Olympians. Foreman was chosen as the U.S. head coach for the 1980 Summer Olympics, 1983 World Championships, 1986 Goodwill Games in addition to many other international assignments. Beyond that, he was Seattle Pacific's basketball and cross country coach, served as athletic director and, along with his father, built Royal Brougham Pavilion, the school's primary athletic facility. He retired from the coaching staff in 2000 and now coaches high school track and cross country in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Moring was the Falcons' first national champion, winning back-to-back NAIA titles in the 880-yard dash in 1953-54. He was also a member of the famed mile relay team which finished third in the 1952 NAIA championships and third at the 1953 Drake Relays. An African-American and native of Georgia, Moring persevered despite racial discrimination at several meets.

Anderson played under Foreman for three of his four basketball seasons and graduated with 13 Falcon scoring records. His marks for single game scoring (54) and career scoring (1948) still stand. In baseball, Anderson was a standout middle infielder with a career batting average of over .400. He is a longtime resident of Ferndale.

Doris Brown Heritage was Foreman's next star pupil. Before the advent of women's intercollegiate athletics, she participated in Foreman's Falcon Track Club beginning in 1960. From 1967-71 she won a record five consecutive IAAF World Cross Country titles, won silver medals in the 800 meters at the 1967 and '71 Pan American Games and represented the U.S. at the 1972 and '76 Olympics. She was AAU athlete of the year in 1969 and set national and world records from 440 yards to a mile. Heritage, a native of Gig Harbor and now longtime resident of West Seattle, has been a member of the SPU coaching staff since 1968 and just completed her 25th season as cross country head coach.

Gough was yet another Foreman disciple, claiming NCAA crowns in the 1968 triple jump and 1970 decathlon. He was All-America in the long jump and javelin as well. Gough graduated with school records in five events, of which three still stand. The Renton resident is father of Kyle Gough, an All-America decathlete at SPU from 1996-98 and remains the SPU record-holder in three events (long jump, triple jump, decathlon).

Heppner was a standout for the Falcons' first great basketball team, the squad which went 23-5 and advanced to the 1965 Elite Eight. He led the team in scoring for two of his final three seasons, averaging 19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds as a senior and remains the career leader in boards and is No. 4 in scoring. Heppner now lives in Lynden.

Falcon Legends Hall of Fame
Charter Inductees -- Class of 2003
Loren Anderson, Basketball/Baseball -- 1954-58
Ken Foreman, Track & Field/Cross Country -- 1950-00
Steve Gough, Track & Field -- 1968-70
Howard Heppner, Basketball -- 1962-66
Doris Heritage, Track & Field/Cross Country -- 1960-64
Ben Moring, Track & Field -- 1952-54