Brian Passo

In the winter of 2004, Brian Paaso became the third member of the Astoria High School class of 1959 to enter the Hall of Fame. Former classmates Gordon Scott and Jerry Olson had been inducted earlier. Paaso started to draw attention to himself as a seventh and eighth grader at rural Lewis and Clark Consolidated School. Under the coaching of another Hall of Famer, Pete Bryant, the country boys ran over their other Clatsop County foes in football and basketball. At Consolidated, he was the top player on a basketball team that won 16 of 17 games, that eventually led to 32 straight wins.

New Astoria hoop coach Jerry Mosby liked Paaso skills so much that he elevated him to the varsity as a sophomore. During his three year stay with the varsity hoopsters, Astoria recorded 17-8, 21-5 and 21-3. The last two seasons resulted in back-to-back Metro League crowns.

On the turf of Gyro Field, Paaso distinguished himself by helping Astoria High gain the Metro League championship and a 7-2-1 overall mark. He was also named by his teammates as one of the teams’ captains. He would be one of five Fishermen named to the All-Metropolitan First Team All-Star unit in 1958. Offensive highlight for Paaso that senior year was a 61-yard touchdown pass from the arm of Olson in a 31-6 win over Central Catholic.

On the track and field facility at Gyro Field, Paaso helped move the Fishermen track program out of the dark ages and into a track power that continues a strong legacy. Paaso was capable on the track and also shined in field events. He set the Astoria school record in the 440-yard dash with a first place finish in the Metro League championships. His time of 52.5 was lowered by a tenth of a second a week later at the state meet. In a Metro League meet at David Douglas, Paaso long jumped 20'-0, and established a school record shot put heave of 48'-3".

Off the athletic fields and courts of Astoria High School, Paaso was an Astoria High School academic Hall of Famer. Paaso could list himself as a member of the following clubs and organizations; Boys Cabinet Federation, of which he was president, Student Council, A Club and student librarian. High grades earned membership into Mu Alpha Theta and the National Honor Society. He would become the recipient of the Ed and Eda Ross Scholarship trust fund.

His studies at Astoria High served him well. He would go on to be one of the top doctors at the Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California.