Neticia Fanene was a three-sport The Dalles High athlete who went on to set volleyball records at the University of Oregon. Steve Sugg was a standout athlete and later head coach of six The Dalles state championship baseball teams.
They, and 10 others like them, are among the inductees of the 2022 class of The Dalles Booster Club sports hall of fame. The 12 inductees will be honored at a May 14 ceremony at The Dalles Civic Auditorium. Tickets go on sale this week.
Fanene and Sugg will be joined by Edwin Anghilante, Jeff Wood, Al Miller, Marv Marckman, John Lundell, Art Bull, Denny Peterson, Dan Schooler, Leeanna Carpenter Rosenbaum, and Donita Huskey Wilson. Schooler, Carpenter Rosenbaum, and Wilson are Wahtonka High graduates; the others are from The Dalles High.
This is the second class of the booster club’s hall of fame. The 2019 inductees were: Ken Dayley (1977 TDHS); John Dick (1936 TDHS); Ed Urness (1952 TDHS); Dave Jones (1955 TDHS); Terry Way (1966 WHS); Cindy Wacker Nehring (1974 TDHS); Ron Schmidt (1979 WHS); Jared Cornell (1995 TDHS); Mandi Fizt-Gustafson (2001 TDHS); Bill Hammel (1966 WHS); Kevin Kramer (1973 TDHS); Bill Lavelle (1979 WHS); Dennis Radford (1959 TDHS); and Maria North (2004 TDHS).
Davina Craig, president of The Dalles Booster Club, said the hall of fame committee continues to receive – and welcomes - suggestions for future classes. She said, with more than 100 years of athletes to review, there’s a good possibility the committee probably has missed someone who is deserving. They invite nominations, asking that submissions include the person’s name, year(s) of participation and accolades.
The booster club is a volunteer organization which encourages excellence for all students involved in athletic activities. The club provides resources and promotes parent and community involvement. More information on the club and the hall of fame banquet can be found at www.thedallesboosterclub.com.
Sugg and Fanene are two of the many examples of former The Dalles High athletes who returned to the community to work with a new generation of student athletes.
Sugg was an all-league baseball player for The Dalles in the early 1980s. After a two-sport (football, baseball) college career at Linfield he returned to the Gorge and starting teaching and coaching baseball.
In a 10-year span, Sugg helped coach The Dalles to six state baseball championships (1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2002) and nine semifinal berths. He was also selected as the 2003 coach of the year by National High School Baseball Coaches Association. Sugg recently returned as head coach of the Riverhawk program.
Fanene was a school record setter in swimming, track, and volleyball at TDHS, where she was Neticia Enesi. She was the league’s player of the year in volleyball and a first-team, all-state selection. Her scholarship to the University of Oregon allowed her to set team records and become a third-team All-American before graduating with a sociology degree.
Fanene returned to the Gorge to start her career and has coached volleyball and track and field at TDHS.
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