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Bob Jorgensen '47
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(Much of info that follows was extracted from a Seattle PI interview dated
2005.)
Though later an accomplished University of
Washington basketball
and baseball player, Jorgensen's place in local sporting folklore remains tied
to a schoolboy encounter 71 years ago, when Jorgensen's Roosevelt High
School team played at Queen Anne in a game matching a pair of
first-place contenders.
It was a very rare seven
innings of baseball – Bob was the winning pitcher in a double no-hitter.
At Howe Field, also known as
West Queen Anne Playfield, Jorgensen bested Queen Anne left-hander Jack Ferluga
1-0. The then-Roughriders senior, Jorgensen, scored the winning run in the
fifth inning, reaching base when the Grizzlies' shortstop booted his grounder, then
stealing second and scoring when the opposing first baseman dropped a two-out
pop-up just inside the foul line in gusty conditions.
From a Seattle PI interview
Jorgensen, the retired dentist, said: "It seemed so routine. Nobody in the stands probably knew I was
pitching a no-hitter. I probably didn't know it, either. Nobody said anything
during the game."
Jorgensen was an all-city basketball player and second-team,
all-conference pitcher as well as a running back for the Roosevelt
Roughriders.
Bob went on to considerable
sporting glory at the UW, though in curious fashion. As a freshman basketball guard permitted to
play during wartime, Jorgensen enjoyed his greatest individual success in his
initial college season. He led the Huskies in scoring (11.3 points per game),
was voted the team's most inspirational player and was named All-Pacific Coast
Conference before being called off to war for seven months.
After his war-time service he
returned to letter each of the next three seasons in both basketball and
baseball. As a junior guard, he had his next-most productive season, averaging
10 points and receiving all-coast honorable mention. He played in the '48 NCAA Tournament. He won his share of
baseball games as a pitcher. He teamed with future big-league catcher Sammy White in both basketball and baseball.
Cliff Otis ’74 wrote:
Bob was a life loyal Fiji .. and great
husband and father. At recent Pig dinners he was 3 times the oldest
living Fiji attending and greeting the Pig.
A Roosevelt grad.. he came into the UW
during the War - WWII. He loved the Fiji
house. It was a found memory. He knew
many of the guys on the Sigma Tau Library wall of Honor for WWII. They were all
heroes!
Bob was a 4 year letterman at UW in
basketball. First freshmen to ever earn the big W.
After graduation he went UW dental school
and then setup practice on the Eastside.
This proved to be a big success for his as it was by MSFT.
He was very good golfer, and served as President of Overlake Golf and Country Club.
Bob loved the Pig dinner and he loyally attended the Fiji luncheons whenever
the speaker was the Husky Football or Basketball coach.
Irish Coles '52 wrote:
It's with great, great sadness that I read from you, about
Bob Jorgensen's passing. Bob won more big W's than any Fiji in the
history of Sigma Tau. A grand total of 7, between Basketball and Baseball.
When he was a senior @
Roosevelt high school, football coach Lou Hull, didn't have a Q.B.
Bob never played
football before, but he took up the challenge and Roosevelt won the city
championship.
How super it was that
he was given such huge honors at last years Pig Dinner.
Carry on !
IRISH
