Special night for Bulldog Hall of Famers

SANDPOINT — Old stories of glory, teamwork, teammates, discipline and pride were the topics of discussion on Saturday night at the Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame Awards Banquet held at the Elks Lodge.

It seemed that everyone had a fond memory of Cotton Barlow and many of the inductees thanked the community and coaches for making this a special place to play. There were players from the early 1950s mingling with the athletes from the class of 2001. It was truly a magical night as more than 130 people attended to pay their respect to the 17 inductees.

"It was moving to see some of the older inductees talk about what it meant to them and the message was simple: we are very fortunate in Sandpoint," said committee member David DeMers. "I think that when you bridge the old generations with the new generations of Bulldog history it pretty much stays the same — work hard, play hard and have respect for who you are and where you live."

DeMers said that everyone was touched by the special memories of the inductees and the special presentations to six people for the Bulldog Life Time Achievement award. There was a lot of emotion in the room and an appreciation of the sincerity and honesty of the speakers.

Master of Ceremonies Bob Witte kept it lively and shared many stories that were told to him from other Bulldogs. According to witnesses, Witte is thinking of taking up cage fighting and martial arts.

"You will have to talk Bob about his future plans," said DeMers. "But I would willing to manage him at least one time."

All in all it was an awesome night and one of very special memories. The next Hall of Fame inductions will occur in the fall of 2009. Anyone who knows of a former athlete, booster or coach that they believe needs to be looked at please come by the SHS office and pick up a form and return it to Nancy Miller.