2008 Inductees
Three standout athletes, a dynamic coach and a major athletic department contributor will be honored as the 18th induction class of the Pacific University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bill Braun '58 (baseball), Ean Lensch '96 (men's soccer) and Christy Taylor Zimmer '92 (women's basketball) join former men's & women's soccer coach Tom Reynolds and meritorious service inductee Jeff Grundon '80 in the class, which will be inducted on Sat., Oct. 18. The ceremony begins at 7:00 p.m., in the University's Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center. Admission to the ceremony is free. An invitation-only dinner and reception will take place prior to the ceremony.
BILL
BRAUN was a four-year All-Northwest Conference baseball selection
as an outfielder, earning Honorable Mention honors in 1955 and First Team
laurels in 1956, 1957 and 1958. In his four seasons, Braun never hit below
.300 and led the Badgers in 1955 with a .339 batting average. In 1958,
Braun was awarded the George Risk Memorial Trophy, honoring the team's
most valuable player. Braun also played one season of varsity basketball,
helping the Badgers to the 1957 NWC championship. Braun is a retired engineer
and currently resides in Gig Harbor, Wash.
EAN
LENSCH played a major role in Pacific's men's soccer successes
in the 1990s. The 1995 Northwest Conference Player of the Year and NAIA
Honorable Mention All-American, Lensch led the Boxers in goals and points
in both 1994 and 1995. He led the 1995 squad to the NWC championship and
a berth in the NAIA District II playoffs. Lensch is Pacific's single season
and career record holder for game-winning goals and ranks among the single
season and career leaders in points and goals. Lensch lives in Portland.
He is the director of Nike's Creative Kitchen, which helps create the company's
video, advertising and digital content.
CHRISTY
TAYLOR ZIMMER was one of the building blocks for Pacific's dominant
women's basketball program in the early 1990s. A four-year starter and
a First Team All-Northwest Conference selection in 1991, Zimmer helped
lead a loaded Boxers' squad to NWC championships in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
She was the second Pacific women's basketball player to score over 1,000
points and her 1,371 points currently ranks fourth all-time. Zimmer lives
in Lewistown, Mont., where she is employed as a physical therapist. Zimmer's
sister, Tara Taylor, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
The
late TOM REYNOLDS coached the Pacific women's soccer from
1983 to 1992 and led the men's squad from 1991 to 1992. Reynolds coached
the Pacific women to NAIA District II championships in 1985, 1986 and 1992.
In his 10 years leading the program, the Boxers never finished worse than
fourth. In 1991, Reynolds was named the NAIA District II Men's & Women's
Soccer Coach of the Year. Following his death from cancer in 1993, Reynolds
was elected to the NAIA District II Hall of Fame.
JEFF
GRUNDON has played a key role in Pacific athletics since the late
1970s as a player, coach, administrator and admissions counselor. A three-year
football player, Grundon served as an assistant football from 1980 to 1991.
Since 2006, he has been a volunteer coach for the Boxer men's soccer team.
In his role as associate director of admissions, Grundon has recruited
hundreds of student-athletes to Pacific, including many Hall of Fame members.
As part of his admissions duties, Grundon serves as the department's official
liaison to athletics, helping coaches lure the best student-athletes to
Forest Grove.