10/07/2026
Six Pirate Alums Inducted into HHS Athletic Hall of Fame
The Highline High School Alumni Foundation inducted six new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame. The induction occurred at the school’s Homecoming assembly. The six new honorees are Bob Shaw, Brendan Gardner-Young, Paul Toala, Walt Smith, Ingrid Backstrom, and Steve Brown.
Their biographies are below.
“We celebrate these loyal Pirates and their athletic accomplishments, and furthermore their accomplishments outside of sports,” said Alumni Foundation President Jeff Ashley. “They carried the purple and gold with pride.”
The Highline High School Alumni Foundation is open to new members. Check the organization’s web site at hhsaf.org for more details.
Bob Shaw, Class of 1958
At Highline, Bob was a three-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball, and track. His greatest success came in the pole vault, where he finished second at the State Track Meet his senior year. His school-record vault stood for an impressive 11 years, from 1958 until 1969. After high school, Bob entered the Army, where his athletic career continued to reach new heights — quite literally. He won the All-Army Games with a pole vault of 16 feet, 2 inches, a world-competitive height at the time. Even more impressive, he defeated the same vaulter who had beaten him at the State Track Meet. His performance qualified him for the Olympic Trials, but military orders sent him to Italy, preventing him from competing. While serving in Europe, Bob continued to compete as a member of the Army track team, running the mile relay and competing in cross country. He was even invited to play for the Army fastpitch softball team.
Bob’s athletic career continued long after his Army service. He played for numerous Northwest softball teams before joining the Peterbilt Western team in 1979 and 1980. In 1980, that team captured the ASA National Championship. His accomplishments in softball earned him induction into the Greater Seattle Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1998. More recently, in 2024, Bob was inducted into the USA Softball Hall of Fame as part of the Peterbilt/Pay ’n Pak team induction.
Brendan Gardner-Young, Class of 2007
Brendan was a four-year letter winner in both baseball and golf, but it was on the baseball diamond where he truly made his mark. He started every game during his four years at Highline and served as team captain his senior year. During those four seasons, the baseball team compiled an impressive 80-24 record. Brendan helped lead the Pirates to Seamount League championships in 2004 and 2006, with a second-place finish in 2007. His individual accomplishments were just as impressive. He was a Second Team All-League selection in 2004 and 2006, First Team All-League in 2005 and 2007, and was named Seamount League MVP in 2007. That same year, he was selected Second Team All-State as a pitcher and outfielder and was recognized on both the Seattle Times and Seattle P-I All-Area Teams.
Brendan’s success at Highline earned him the opportunity to continue his baseball career at the University of Washington, where he played from 2008 through 2011. He appeared in 15 games as a freshman, including one start, and then became a regular starter as a sophomore, starting 44 games. Unfortunately, an injury during the opening weekend of his junior season ended his season prematurely. Even with that setback, his accomplishments earned him recognition as an Honorable Mention Collegiate Baseball All-American.
Paul Toala, Class of 2012
Paul was a three-sport athlete at Highline, competing in football, wrestling, and track. On the football field, he earned First-Team All-Seamount honors twice as a tackle. On the wrestling mat, he qualified for the Mat Classic State Championships in 2012 as a heavyweight. He also qualified for the 2012 State Track Championships in both the shot put and discus. Paul’s accomplishments extended beyond athletics as well. He was selected as a 2011 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete for Seattle-King County and was a 2012 Highline Public Schools Scholar-Athlete.
After graduating from Highline, Paul continued his football career at Dixie State University in 2012. He then spent 2013 through 2015 serving an LDS mission in Mexico before returning to football and pursuing his next opportunity. In 2016, Paul walked on at the University of Utah and redshirted that season. His hard work paid off when he was awarded a football scholarship in 2017, and he went on to play in all 13 games that season. In 2018, he played in seven games as Utah captured its first-ever Pac-12 South football championship. Paul started two games that season, helping his team reach the conference championship game, where Utah faced Washington.
Walt Smith, Class of 1979
Walt was a catcher and outfielder for the Pirate baseball team and was part of two NPSL championship teams. His senior season was particularly memorable, earning him First-Team All-NPSL honors, recognition as a Seattle Times Athlete of the Week, and a spot in the Senior All-Star Feeder Game. After Highline, Walt continued his baseball career at Green River Community College, where he played for two years. In his second season, Green River finished second at the NWCCs, and Walt was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
Walt then transferred to the University of Washington, where he played baseball for two seasons. During his senior year, he earned a starting position in the outfield, received an athletic scholarship, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the San Diego Classic. He was also named to the All-Pac 10 Northern Division All-Star Team. His teammates recognized his leadership by selecting him as a co-captain during his senior season.
But Walt’s love of the game didn’t end with college. He continued playing amateur baseball for Husky Fever in the Pacific Northwest semi-pro league, helping the team win a league championship. He also competed in the highly competitive Boeing baseball league and played for several Northwest fastpitch softball teams.
Steve Brown: Class of 1974
Steve was a three-sport athlete at Highline, competing in football, basketball, and baseball — and he wasn’t just a participant. He was a team captain in all three sports. His talent in baseball earned him All-NPSL honors and a spot in the All-State Feeder Game. He continued playing at Spokane Falls Community College in 1974 and 1975 before taking the mound at Gonzaga University, where he pitched for two seasons and became the team’s top relief pitcher in 1976 and 1977.
Steve’s impact on athletics didn’t end when his playing days were over. He turned his passion for the game toward coaching, beginning as an assistant baseball coach at Gonzaga and later at the University of California, Irvine. In 1980, he became the head baseball coach at Whitworth College. In 1983, he was named NAIA District 2 Coach of the Year. Years later, he continued coaching young athletes, leading the U-17 Tacoma Bucks to a National Championship in 1992. And if that weren’t enough, Steve gave more than four decades to officiating basketball. He also made an enormous impact at Tacoma Community College, where he served as Athletic Director, Physical Education Chair, and Athletic Commissioner. His contributions to community college athletics were recognized in 1997 when he was inducted into the Northwest Washington Athletic Association of Community Colleges Hall of Fame.
Ingrid Backstrom, Class of 1996
Ingrid Backstrom was a multi-sport athlete at Highline, participating in swimming, basketball, and track. She qualified for the State Swimming Championships both as an individual and as a member of relay teams, and also qualified for the State Track Championships in relays. Not only was Ingrid participating in high school sports but she was also competitively ski racing for her team at Crystal Mountain. Her competitive ski career continued at Whitman College, where she spent four years competing in collegiate ski racing through USCSA. During that time, her team captured two Collegiate National Ski Racing Championships.
After college, Ingrid took her skiing to an entirely different level. In 15 career freeskiing competitions, she finished in the top three an incredible 13 times. Her professional career earned her six Best Female Performance honors at the Powder Awards and nine Reader Poll victories. She became the first person to complete ski descents on six continents, including extraordinary expeditions in Antarctica, Greenland, Baffin Island, and a 20,000-foot peak in China. She also completed a ski descent of Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
Ingrid’s accomplishments extend far beyond competition. She has appeared in more than 20 ski films and has produced several films of her own, sharing her passion for skiing and adventure with audiences around the world. She has also served as a ski coach and instructor, leading clinics and helping athletes develop their skills in locations across the globe.
Veteran HHS Athletic Hall of Fame members and others plus the 2026 inductees gathered at the school’s Homecoming assembly. They are, from row, left to right: Paul Toala (new inductee), Mick Michaelson, Bob Shaw (new inductee), Ron Hopper, and Brendan Gardner-Young and Walt Smith (both new inductees). Back row, left to right: Jeff Ashley, HHS Alumni Foundation President and Athletic Hall of Fame Co-Chair; Lori Box, Dawn Lorenzen and Dave Larsen. Not pictured are new inductees Ingrid Backstrom and Steve Brown.
