Snohomish County Sports 2025 Hall of Fame Class inducted

EVERETT — Seven individuals and one team were inducted into the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday, with the ceremony held at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center.

The four athletes were bowler Ed Hansen, football player Rick Fenney, baseball player Brent Lillibridge and track & field athlete Sarah (Schireman) Linse. The two coaches were three-sport coach Fred Shull and gymnastics coach Laurel Tindall. Former professional soccer player and local pioneer Pepe Fernandez was inducted as a contributor, and the 2003 Snohomish High School girls cross country team rounded out the Class of 2025.

“It’s kind of crazy to think that these little gifts you have are so small compared to, honestly, how you get to where you are,” Lillibridge said. “And the reason (why) I’m here, it always has (been) the people at these tables.”

The festivities started with the acknowledgement of the 2024-25 high school athletes of the year, Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles (Snohomish basketball, volleyball and track) and Leyton Martin (Arlington basketball, football and track), as well as the collegiate athletes of the year, EmmaJoy Wise (Everett CC softball) and Josiah Pierre (Edmonds CC basketball).

Before the induction speeches, keynote speaker and former ESPN sportscaster Roy Firestone took up a full hour performing a “one-man show” with impersonations of famous athletes including, but not limited to, Shaquille O’Neal and Mike Tyson, cringe-worthy musical numbers and a video in which Firestone replaced Paul McCartney’s likeness with that of himself in an edited short about The Beatles.

Firestone, most known for being an ESPN personality in the 1980s and ’90s, was allotted about an hour to perform, while the individuals being honored were each given about three minutes to give a speech.

Fernandez went first, briefly addressing and thanking the crowd before his son, Jackson High School soccer coach Eddie Fernandez, spoke on his behalf. The elder Fernandez played professionally in South America, Europe and the United States in the 1960s and ‘70s before settling in Snohomish County.

The Uruguay native played for the original Seattle Sounders, and opened the Everett Soccer Dome (now Everett Soccer Arena) in 1984 alongside Walter Schmetzer Sr. and coached local youth players at multiple levels for years, impacting countless area soccer players.

“We continue to love the game, and he has truly been a sports contributor, and contributes to sports here in Snohomish County,” Eddie said. “Obviously, as his son, I am very proud, and I’m thankful for all the people here that are here to honor him.”

After that, each of the four athletes gave speeches, beginning with Hansen. A former three-term mayor of Everett, Hansen is already a Hall of Famer in two local bowling associations – Washington State and Greater Seattle – and the two-time Greater Seattle Bowler of the Year adds another enshrinement to his list.

Fenney starred at Snohomish High School in the early 1980s, rushing for 2,472 yards and 32 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons. A prep All-American in 1982, Fenney later played for the University of Washington, winning the Orange Bowl in 1985 before playing 63 games across five seasons in the NFL, all with the Minnesota Vikings.

“Every young football player in Snohomish couldn’t wait to become part of the program to help carry on the tradition,” Fenney said. “But I wanted more than that. From a very young age, my goal was to become an NFL football player. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to play for UW and the Minnesota Vikings. It was an incredible experience and definitely a dream come true.”

Lillibridge is another former Husky, playing for the Washington baseball team from 2003-05 after a standout career at Jackson High School. He spent parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball from 2008-13 with six different teams, and now is a co-owner of BASE By Pros, a local youth training academy with locations in Seattle, Lynnwood and Mount Vernon.

Rounding out the athletes — and former Huskies — was Sarah (Schireman) Linse, a state champion hurdler in 2009 at Archbishop Murphy and winner of 15 individual Cascade Conference titles. At Washington, she consistently placed in the top 10 of multiple Pac-10/12 championship events.

“For me, tonight is not only a celebration of my accomplishments and hard work, but the people and the community that help make my dreams a reality,” Linse said. “Thank you for this honor and for the community that made it possible.”

Shull spent the bulk of his career coaching baseball in Edmonds, where he joined Edmonds High School as an assistant coach in 1967 before taking the head job from 1972-75. He made the leap to Edmonds Community College in 1976, leading the program to a state championship in 1980 before returning to Edmonds High School from 1984-90. He also spent 12 years as a defensive coordinator in football and six years as a basketball assistant.

Tindall spent 44 years coaching Seattle Pacific gymnastics (1975-2019), winning three NCAA Division II championships in 1986, 1992 and 1997. She earned NCAA/USAG Coach of the Year four times, and coached 197 All-Americans in her tenure.

The 2003 Snohomish girls cross country team won the 4A state championship with a record 31 points after defeating highly ranked teams from across the Pacific Northwest in large invitationals throughout the season. The Panthers ended the year ranked No. 6 in the country, and they represent the first cross country team to be inducted.