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State Champions
State Champions
Coach Wally Palmberg had a notion that after winning the 1941 state championship his 1942 edition would be at the front of the pack when state tournament play came around in March. After all, the 1942 squad featured nine players who would go on to play at the collegiate level, and six future Astoria High School Hall of Famers were among this outstanding group. Palmberg’s premonition came true, as the 1942 Fishermen ran to a 27-4 season mark and won Astoria’s sixth state championship since 1931.
Astoria's last of six state basketball championships over a 12 year period was the 1941-1942 Wally Palmberg-coached Fishermen. Winning by almost 15 points per game at the state tournament, the locals were 27-4 on the season.
Astoria lost to the University of Oregon Frosh 22-20 but beat the Rooks of Oregon State University 35-30 to gain a split with the freshmen teams representing Oregon's two major universities.
Palmberg's troops were state champs in 1940-1941, and many of those players returned for another title run a year later. Quite a few of the 1941-1942 champions went on to spread the Astoria basketball mystique across the state. Here are biographical sketches of just a few.
- George Crandall - Played at Oregon State University. He later headed the hoop programs at Milwaukee High School and Wilson High School.
- Don Hoff - A senior non-starter. He would later lead the Willamette University Bearcats in scoring while at the Salem college.
- Jack Love - Third Leading scorer for the Fishermen (195 points in 30 games). Played Freshmen basketball at Oregon State University.
- Eben Parker - One of the famous Parker brothers. Teams fifth leading scorer. He was a 2nd team All-State Tournament pick in 1941-1942.
- Stan Williamson - Just 5-foot-6. He was a 1st team All-State Tournament selection and second leading scorer for the locals with 218 points in 30 games. As a University of Oregon Duck he was named all-Coast. He later coached at Springfield High School
- Ruben Wirkkunen - A local favorite. Wirkkunen led the Fishermen in scoring and earned 1st team All-State Tournament honors as a senior,. As a freshman at Oregon State University he was moved to the JV squad.
- Cliff Crandall - Collegiate All--American at OSU., Four year starter for the Beavers and the one time career scoring leader.
- Fred "Happy" Lee - Started at OSU as a freshman before moving on to win acclaim at the University of Portland for three years.
- Duane "Duke" Moore - Lettered as a footballer at Oregon State University. Spent 24 years as the head grid coach at Beaverton High.
- Kenny Seeborg - Will always be Roy Seeborg's little brother. Kenny won a basketball letter while at the University of Oregon.
After Astoria put Corvallis High away 34-22 in the final of the annual state show, Fishermen Rube Wirkkunen and 5-foot-4 Stan Williamson were named to the first team all-star unit. Eban Parker was accorded second team honors. Astoria ran off 11 wins in a row to finish out the year. The 1942-1943 team added its first 19 games, for a school record 30 consecutive wins. That streak started with a 35-30 Fishermen victory over the Oregon State Freshmen.
Astoria had lost to the University of Oregon Freshmen a month earlier. Williamson (University of Oregon) and junior Cliff Crandall (Oregon State University) would go on to be recognized as the outstanding players of their respective colleges. Crandall was the Beavers all-time career scoring leader while playing for Slats Gill.
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