Athlete 1961 - 1966
From the infamous “Ice Bowl” to Linfield’s first national championship in school history, Dennis Schweitzer of the Class of 1966 contributed his talents to some of the most memorable athletic achievements in Wildcat Athletics history.
Playing football and baseball under legendary coaches Paul Durham and Roy Helser, Schweitzer was a part of five combined Northwest Conference championship teams, staked his claim in the baseball record books, garnered all-America status in football and led the Wildcats to the 1966 NAIA Baseball Championship.
Schweitzer’s Linfield career almost never came to be. The Reedsport, Ore., native fully intended to enroll at the Oregon College of Education, known now as Western Oregon University. However, on the suggestion of a friend, Schweitzer met with Durham, who convinced the high school senior to change course and become a Wildcat beginning in the fall of 1961.
Schweitzer’s first two years at Linfield were spent learning about greatness from his teammates, in particular fellow Hall of Fame members Tom Younkers and Tony Ah Yat, who reached the 1961 Camellia Bowl.
After missing most of the 1963 season due to injury and some personal matters, Schweitzer finally got his big break as a starting defensive end in 1964. He led the Wildcats to a Northwest Conference championship and to the NAIA playoffs against Concordia (Minn.), more colloquially known by Linfield fans as the “Concordia Ice Bowl.”
That year, Schweitzer was part of a defensive unit that held opponents to 7.5 points per game and recorded five shutouts.
Schweitzer led the Wildcat football team back to the NAIA National Championship game in 1965, where Linfield fell to St. John’s (Minn.). He served as defensive captain of the Wildcats and at year’s end was voted a second team NAIA All-American.
As an outfielder, Schweitzer helped the Linfield baseball team to three successive conference titles between 1964 and 1966. In Schweitzer’s final season, the Wildcats defied expectations. After winning eight of their last 10 regular season games to clinch the league title, they powered through the playoffs to capture the NAIA National Championship, becoming the first eighth seed to complete the feat and bringing the first national trophy back to Linfield. The 1966 baseball team was elected to the Linfield Hall of Fame in 2000.
Schweitzer’s individual successes are still noted in the Wildcat record books. He ranks fifth in program history with seven career triples, tallying four alone during the 1966 championship season.
After graduating from Linfield with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, the latter in 1967, Schweitzer began a 40-year career as a teacher and coach, primarily in the high school ranks. He even had a brief stint as a school administrator before returning to the classroom, where his true passion lies.
Forever a Wildcat, he committed a selfless act of kindness in the year 2000 when he donated a kidney to former teammate Dale Hayward. Schweitzer currently lives in Spokane with his wife, Alice. He is a proud patriarch for three children – Becky, Tim and Natalie – and four grandchildren.
