Second class to enter county Hall of Fame

There are past Olympians and professional stars, coaching legends, one of the greatest high school football teams in state history, and a man who was synonymous with elite wrestling tournaments around the world.

All are products of Snohomish County, and on Sept. 22 they will comprise the seco

nd class of inductees into the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame.

Six athletes, three coaches, one team and one special inductee will be honored that evening at a gala banquet at Everett’s Edward D. Hansen Conference Center at Comcast Arena. The event begins with a 5:30 p.m. social hour and silent auction, followed by dinner and a program.

This year’s class of athletes includes world-class distance runner Vicki Foltz of Monroe, U.S. national team and Major League Soccer player Chris Henderson of Everett, U.S. Olympic rower Sarah Jones of Stanwood, University of Washington and NFL football player Curt Marsh of Snohomish, Canadian Olympic sprinter Lee Orr of Monroe, and major league baseball player Earl Torgeson of Snohomish.

The coaches to be inducted are Snohomish High School coach (multiple sports) Keith Gilbertson, Sr. of Snohomish, Western Washington University basketball coach and administrator Lynda Goodrich of Lake Stevens, and UW football assistant and head coach Jim Lambright of Everett.

The Snohomish High School football team of 1976, which went undefeated on its way to a state high school championship, will also be honored.

Lastly, Ed Aliverti of Edmonds, who was a wrestling announcer at numerous state high school and NCAA national tournaments, and five Olympic Games from 1984-2000, will complete the class of inductees.

“This is obviously an awesome class, and we’re thrilled beyond words,” said Frank Foster, chairman of the Hall of Fame’s 19-member committee. “It really is an excellent class, and one that follows on the heels of last year’s excellent class.”

Nominations for the class of 2011 came from committee members and the public, and the inductees were then chosen by a committee vote.

Foltz, Henderson, Jones, Marsh, Goodrich and Lambright have all confirmed they will attend the Sept. 22 banquet. Orr, Torgeson, Gilbertson and Aliverti are deceased, but will be represented by family members.

Keith Gilbertson, Jr., an assistant coach for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, is expected to address the banquet with remarks about his father in a taped video presentation.

Tom Lafferty from Everett radio station KRKO-AM will be the master of ceremonies, as he was a year ago. The guest speaker will be Dori Monson from Seattle radio station KIRO-FM, who is also the girls basketball coach at Shorecrest High School.

The banquet will also honor The Herald’s Man and Woman of the Year in Sports for 2010, ex-Everett Silvertips hockey player Shane Harper and former Snohomish High School and Seattle Pacific University basketball standout Daesha Henderson. Henderson is expected to attend, but Harper will be in training camp for another hockey season and will be represented by a Silvertips official.

Proceeds from banquet ticket sales and the silent auction will cover costs for the banquet and help pay for a permanent Hall of Fame display at Comcast Arena.

Additional fund-raising is ongoing, Foster said, “and the goal is to get that thing built within the next two years. We’re confident that money will come about and that we’ll be able to build it.”