BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University Hall of Fame athlete Rob Visser has been named the 2018 recipient of the Lynda Goodrich Legacy Award.
The announcement was made Friday, September 14, at the 29th Annual Viking Night Dinner and Auction held at Carver Gym on the WWU campus.
Funds raised at the event are used for scholarships and support of the WWU Athletics program.
Visser is the fifth person to receive the award, given in honor of Lynda Goodrich. It goes to an individual exhibiting the attributes of passion, strength, courage and leadership personified by the trailblazing Goodrich during her 26 years as WWU director of athletics and 19 seasons as a Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach for the Vikings.
As owner of Price & Visser Millwork, Inc., Visser, a master craftsman, has been a huge ambassador and a key contributor to Western Athletics. He has donated numerous items for Viking Night and done projects for the various Western teams.
Most recently, Visser did all of the woodwork in the recently renovated Carver Gym entryway and the new Athletics Hall of Fame Room. Another project was a commemorative sign given to the family of Sam Carver at the dedication of the new building in 2018.
Visser served as a volunteer assistant men’s basketball coach for 19 campaigns, including the Vikings’ NCAA Division II national championship season of 2011-12. Price & Visser Millwork annually sponsors the men’s basketball award for the team’s top rebounder.
In 2011, Visser was named to the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame. An honorable mention Converse All-American, he is the last Viking to average a double-double in points and rebounds, finishing with 17.4 points and 11.6 rebounds during the 1975-76 season. That earned him a tryout with the Portland Trailblazers of the NBA.
A member of Western’s All-Century hoop team selected in 1999, Visser finished his three-year career ranked first among school leaders in blocked shots (168), second in rebounds (725) and 15th in points (1,024).
A conference and district all-star for the Vikings, Visser played professionally for three years in Holland, competing in the FIBA World Cup in 1977, and being the leading scorer (17.0) and rebounder (8.0) on a national team that placed 13th at the World University Games in 1978.
Visser competed on AAU teams for six years, winning a national title in 1981 as a member of Brewster Heights Packing after placing fifth nationally in 1980 as a member of the Whatcom Fircrests.
As head boys basketball coach at Lynden High School from 1992-95, Visser directed the Lions to three straight district playoff berths and one trip to the Class A state tournament. He was also an assistant on two state championship Lion teams.
Prior to Visser, the Lynda Goodrich Legacy Award recipients were Jo Metzger-Levin, Paul Madison (2015), Hoyt Gier (2016) and Eileen Coughlin (2017).
