PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Pilots legends Megan Rapinoe and Pat Casey were named to the 2024 class of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday by Sport Oregon.
Rapinoe and Casey are two of five athletes set to be honored at the Night of Champions on Tuesday, Oct. 29, hosted by Sport Oregon. It's the first year that Sport Oregon has hosted the event, a night where they'll honor Rapinoe, Casey, Portland Timbers icon Diego Valeri, handball Olympian Rick Abrahamson and the 1984 and 1985 Portland State Volleyball teams for their contributions to Oregon sports. Casey is the first from Pilot baseball to be inducted while Rapinoe is one of four Pilots to have earned the honor of induction in soccer, including Shannon Mac Millan, Tiffeny Milbrett and Clive Charles.
Earlier this month, Rapinoe was announced as part of the 2024 class for the University of Portland Sports Hall of Fame. Despite missing nearly two full collegiate seasons due to injury, Rapinoe made her mark at the University of Portland, joining greats Milbrett and Mac Millan as the only Pilots to score 25 goals and 15 assists in their first two seasons on The Bluff. She capped her college career with 30 goals and 28 assists in just 50 games played.
Rapinoe was named the 2005 Soccer Times National Freshman of the Year, NSCAA First Team All-America, unanimous First Team Freshman All-American, WCC Freshman of the Year and member of the NCAA All-Tournament Team in capping one of the best debut campaigns in program history. She had 15 goals and 13 assists for the fifth best freshman point total all-time. Rapinoe bookended her career around a pair of season-ending knee injuries in 2006 and 2007 by garnering First Team All-America honors and WCC Player of Year recognition as a senior in 2008. She was also a three-time NSCAA All-West Region pick and the 2009 University of Portland Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
Rapinoe was a regular on U.S. Youth National Teams and exploded on the world stage during an 18-year career with the U.S. Women's National Team that was highlighted by claiming the 2019 Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Women's Player in the world awards. She led the U.S. to Gold Medals at the 2012 Olympics as well as the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups. Rapinoe was the Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner at the 2019 World Cup. She retired from professional and international soccer in 2023 after scoring 68 career goals in the NWSL and 63 goals for the USWNT.
Casey, meanwhile, played both basketball and baseball during his time in Portland, playing with the Pilots from 1978 to 1980 before being drafted to the San Diego Padres. Casey is all over the record books for Portland, ranking in the top 10 all-time in several different categories, including stolen bases (second, 62), walks (fifth, 93), slugging percentage (.532) and home runs (10th, 22). Casey holds the season records as well for the most walks (46) and the highest on-base percentage (.517).
After his playing career, Casey went on to become arguably the best college baseball coach to ever grace the Pacific Northwest. Casey coached at George Fox University from 1988-94 before taking over as head coach of the Oregon State Beavers in 1995. Casey coached the Beavers from 1995 until 2018, winning three College World Series titles and five Pac-10/Pac-12 Conference Titles during that span. Casey took home the CWS title in 2005, 2006 and 2018, becoming the only coach in NCAA history to lead his team to a title after playing in all six elimination games. He did so twice, accomplishing the feat in both 2006 and 2018.
Casey retired with a an overall record of 1,071-571-7 and a record with the Beavers of 900-458-6. He was a five-time Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year winner, the 2006 Baseball America Coach of the Year and the 2017 NCBWA Coach of the Year. Baseball America named Casey their coach of the decade for the aughts, ranging from 2000-09.
Tickets for the Night of Champions can be purchased online or at the Night of Champions site. The event – emceed by KGW's Orlando Sanchez and former ESPN anchor and Oregon legend Neil Everett – will be held at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on Oct. 29, with reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony at 7 p.m.
About Sport Oregon
Sport Oregon understands that the impact of sports is undeniable. It's economic. It's social. It's emotional. A dedicated, thriving sports tourism environment is crucial to the wellbeing of our state. Sport Oregon has an unapologetic love for Oregon and wants to share it with the world. The natural scenery is our playground, and the vibrant hospitality community is eager and ready to host you, your events, your teams, your fans and your families.
About The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1978 to recognize and appreciate Oregon's rich athletic history. Our goal for this legacy is to inspire participation in sport and foster awareness of the values and life-long rewards gained from this participation. The organization is built on the premise that the lessons of sports have a tremendous impact on society.
About The Oregon Sport Awards
In 1948, the Oregon Sports Writers and Sportscasters' Association hosted the first-ever Bill Hayward Banquet of Champions. The event began as a sit-down affair, honoring past and present Oregon sports greats. Later, in 1986, the event was rebranded and renamed the Oregonian Banquet of Champions. In 2001, the event became the Oregon Sports Awards, presented by Nike. In 2021-22, the Oregon Sports Awards began following a seasonal schedule with fall, winter, and spring awards given after each season, finishing in an end-of-year Celebration of Champions, recognizing every winner in every sport and overall Athlete of the Year Awards. This shift allowed the Oregon Sports Awards to shine the spotlight on the student-athletes when their season has recently completed while celebrating all winners equally including collegiate, professional and team awards. Past award winners have included the likes of Terry Baker, Dick Fosbury, Steve Prefontaine, Joni Huntley, Neil Lomax, Danny Ainge, Dan O'Brien, Gary Payton, Tiffeny Milbrett, Joey Harrington, Nick Symmonds, Jordan Kent, Kevin Love, Liz Brenner, Megan Rapinoe, Ashton Eaton and Marcus Mariota.
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