Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
Athlete 1948 - 1951
Cliff Saxton, class of 1952, won a starting assignment at guard in the third game of his freshman season in 1948 and did not relinquish it until he graduated. He started on both offense and defense his first three seasons.
He was chosen to the All-Northwest Conference team by coaches in 1950 and '51.
In his senior year of 1951, when platoon football was introduced, Saxton was selected on the Williamson System Little All-America team as an offensive guard -- the third football player in Linfield history to be honored as an All-American.
Saxton, who attended Jefferson High in Portland, was in the first recruiting class of Hall of Fame football coach Paul Durham. "He is one of the best players I ever coached, and he was a leader whom everybody respected," Durham said.
After graduation, Saxton embarked on a 33-year career in education at five Oregon high schools, coaching, teaching and serving as athletic director, health and PE department director and vice principal.
He served at Shedd, Siuslaw in Florence, North Bend, McNary in Keizer, and Sprague in Salem, including eight years as head football coach at North Bend nine years at McNary.
Saxton was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District 2 (Oregon/Idaho) Hall of Fame in 1991.
He is retired and resides in Keizer with his wife of 53 years, LaRene, whom he met at Linfield. Their two grown children, Gayle Toft and Rob Saxton, and their spouses are also Linfield graduates and a granddaughter will graduate from Linfield in January.
