Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
Athlete 1960 - 1963
Scattered among the newspaper headlines of the early 1960s, Bill Wallin, Class of 1963, became a fixture on the basketball court and baseball diamond, earning NAIA All-America honors in both sports.
In baseball, he hit a career-best .388 as a junior, where he was a two-time all-District 2 and first team All-America catcher. He played on two Northwest Conference champion baseball teams.
As a forward in basketball, Wallin was also recognized as a two-time honorable mention NAIA All-America and was a member of the Wildcats' 1960-61 NWC championship basketball team
He twice led the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. His career-best of 32 points against Whitman is among the highest scoring games in program history.
Originally, he attended the University of Oregon for one year before transferring to Linfield, where his athletic career blossomed. His best friend and role model became Linfield baseball and basketball star Jack Riley, two years his senior.
Coming to Linfield was one of the best moves of my life, he said.
Wallin earned his bachelor's degree and received his master's degree in education from Linfield in 1970.
During his summers in college, he played for the Santiam Loggers, a semi-pro baseball team. He later played professionally with the Milwaukee Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers organizations. As a Brave, he started out in the Cedar Rapids Red Raiders, a Class D farm team from the Midwestern League.
Once Wallin's playing career concluded, he spent a year as a scout for the Kansas City Royals.
He was a high school teacher for Gaston, Creswell and Hillsboro high schools for 30 years, teaching physical education, social studies and American history.
Wallin's remained active in athletics as a football and basketball referee and a baseball umpire for 20 years. He officiated five high school state baseball tournaments, plus numerous Pacific-10 Conference baseball games, Major League Baseball exhibitions in 1979 and 84, and the NAIA Baseball World Series in 1985.
He attended Portland's Grant High School, competing in football, baseball and basketball for the Generals before receiving his diploma in 1958.
Retired and living in Portland, Ore., Wallin has three grown children and one granddaughter.
