Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
When longtime Linfield volleyball coach Shane Kimura was asked for three words that best describe former Wildcats star Amy (Peterson) Crawford, he offered “Considerate, reliable and determined.”
Kimura, who led the Linfield volleyball program for 40 seasons, considers Amy’s induction into Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee to be long overdue.
Says Kimura, “One of the things that made Amy special was her connection to all the players on the team. It didn’t matter if you were a starter or supporter from the bench, she was able to connect with each player.”
It wasn’t just Amy’s demeanor that earned her a place in the Hall of Fame. A quick check of the Linfield record book reveals a bevy of records currently held by the four-year standout outside hitter from The Dalles, Oregon.
Having played in more matches than any player in program history, it’s not surprising that Amy also owns career records for kills, attacks, service aces, service attempts and total points, which are a cumulative sum of kills, assists and blocks.
She also ranks No. 6 all-time in kills per set (3.19) and 13th in attack percentage (2.67).
In the single-season record book, Amy stands fifth in kills (375) and is sixth in service aces (44). She set what was then a Linfield single-match record of 27 kills against Pacific Lutheran in 1996.
Her proficiency begs the question: How did such a great all-around player land at Linfield?
Amy says she was drawn to Linfield by “the exceptional athletic facilities and the college’s commitment to both strong athletics and academics. Linfield was a great fit for me because of small class sizes, professors who were very invested in student success and the strong sense of campus community. My closest friends today are the friends I made on the Linfield campus.”
Kimura recalls a time when Amy, as the Wildcats’ lone freshman starter in 1993, was often targeted by the opposing team, especially when receiving balls off of serves. The coach remembers that “she handled it very well and stayed mentally tough throughout the match.”
Her mental toughness is one big reason why Amy earned three straight Northwest Conference all-star awards. During her four seasons in McMinnville, the Wildcats won 87 matches.
The greatest takeaway from her days at Linfield, she says, is “When you are willing to put in the effort, there’s a way to be successful.”
After graduating in 1998, Amy remained connected with the program as an assistant coach. That experience led to her appointment as head volleyball coach at Siuslaw High School in the Oregon coast community of Florence.
Amy remained coaching at Siuslaw for 15 years, leading the Vikings to six league titles and 13 state tournament appearances.
Kimura could only stand back and admire his protégé’s results, saying “it was great to see how much Amy had grown as a person and coach. Our team went down to Florence for several preseason retreats and it was great to see how positively she interacted with her players.”
In 2015, Amy moved to Salem, where she continues to teach physical education to elementary and middle school students.
She and her husband, Matt, own and operate a farm in Amity. The Crawfords are renovating a farm house on the property and plan to move there once it’s finished.
“I love my career,” she says. “I’m so happy that I pursued a degree in education while I was at Linfield.”
