Six Highline High School graduates whose athletic careers took them from Pirate teams to college sports, national championships and professional skiing have been inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, according to the Highline High School Alumni Foundation (HHSAF).
The foundation honored the following at the school’s homecoming assembly:
- Bob Shaw
- Brendan Gardner-Young
- Paul Toala
- Walt Smith
- Ingrid Backstrom
- Steve Brown
Inductees represent graduating classes from 1958 through 2012.
“We celebrate these loyal Pirates and their athletic accomplishments, and furthermore their accomplishments outside of sports,” foundation President Jeff Ashley said. “They carried the purple and gold with pride.”
Backstrom, a 1996 graduate, competed in swimming, basketball and track at Highline while also racing for a ski team at Crystal Mountain. She qualified for state championships in swimming and track, according to the foundation.
At Whitman College, she competed in collegiate ski racing for four years, helping her team win two national championships. She later placed in the top three in 13 of her 15 freeskiing competitions and earned six Best Female Performance honors at the Powder Awards.
Her skiing career has included descents on six continents and on Denali, North America’s highest mountain. She has appeared in more than 20 ski films, produced films and worked as a coach and instructor, the foundation said.
Shaw, a 1958 graduate, played football and basketball and competed in track. He finished second in the pole vault at the state meet as a senior, setting a school record that stood until 1969.
During his Army service, Shaw won the All-Army Games with a vault of 16 feet, 2 inches. He qualified for the Olympic trials but could not compete because military orders sent him to Italy, according to the foundation.
Shaw later played Northwest softball, including on the Peterbilt Western team that won the 1980 ASA national championship. He entered the Greater Seattle Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and was included in the Peterbilt/Pay ’n Pak team’s USA Softball Hall of Fame induction in 2024.
Gardner-Young, a 2007 graduate, earned letters in baseball and golf all four years at Highline. He started every baseball game during that span, helping the Pirates compile 80 wins and 24 losses and win Seamount League titles in 2004 and 2006.
He was named the league’s most valuable player in 2007 and went on to play baseball at the University of Washington from 2008 through 2011, according to the foundation.
Toala, a 2012 graduate, competed in football, wrestling and track. He twice earned first team All-Seamount honors as a tackle and qualified for state championships in heavyweight wrestling, shot put and discus in 2012.
After playing football at Dixie State University and serving a church mission in Mexico, Toala joined the University of Utah team in 2016. He earned a scholarship in 2017 and later helped Utah win its first Pac-12 South football championship in 2018, the foundation said.
Smith, a 1979 graduate, played catcher and outfielder on two Highline baseball teams that won league championships. He continued at Green River Community College and the University of Washington, where he earned a starting outfield position, a scholarship and recognition as a senior co-captain.
Brown, a 1974 graduate, captained Highline’s football, basketball and baseball teams. He later pitched at Gonzaga University before moving into coaching, including as head baseball coach at Whitworth College.
His career also included more than four decades officiating basketball and leadership roles at Tacoma Community College. According to the foundation, his contributions to community college athletics earned him a Hall of Fame induction in 1997.
The Highline High School Alumni Foundation welcomes new members. More information is available on the foundation’s website.
