WR’s Bauman, Funk, Landram, and Mills inducted into Hall of Fame

The four are joining a growing list of Hornet sports standouts.

Four legendary names from White River’s sporting past have taken their place among the school’s elite, joining the Athletic Hall of Fame.

The honors came the evening of April 20 for athletes Ralph Bauman, Andrew Mills and Renae (Ross) Landram, along with coach Doug Funk.

Their induction brings the White River Athletic Hall of Fame roster to 18 teams and individuals, spanning the history of the institution once known as Buckley High and now as White River.

The 2024 Hall of Fame inductees are:

Ralph Bauman, class of 1960: more than six decades removed from his Hornet days, the football standout remains in the school’s Top 10 for both rushing yards in a career and tackles in a single season. After leaving the Buckley campus he took his considerable talents to the University of Puget Sound where he collected all-conference honors on both offense and defense, averaged a whopping 18 tackles per game, earned the program’s Most Inspirational Award and was a 1963 NAIA All-American (first team as an offensive lineman and second team defensive lineman). He was enshrined in the UPS Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992 and, in 2005, was included in the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.

Doug Funk, coach: he guided the fortunes of the Hornet football program from 1957 to 1984. Along the way he posted 124 victories as head coach and guided the team to league championships in 1959 and 1976. This marks his second HOF induction: in 2005 he was welcomed into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.

Renae (Ross) Landram, class of 1996: a two-sport standout, on the basketball court she topped the prestigious 1,000 point mark during her time in a Hornet uniform. For her hoop exploits she was named the 1996 Class 2A state Player of the Year, was included on the all-state team and set four WIAA records during state tournaments. As a member of the White River volleyball team, she was an all-league performer following both her junior and senior seasons and helped lead the team to a state tourney appearance. Following her Hornet days, she headed to Olympic College where she earned all-conference honors in both basketball and volleyball; she then played basketball at California State University-San Bernardino.

Andrew Mills, class of 1993: he was named to the all-state team following his senior season, in recognition of 21.5 points per game, 7.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals. He was the No. 2 scorer in the state that year, was the Pierce County League’s Most Valuable Player that year, was named to the Tacoma News Tribune’s all-area team and was honored by both the Army and Navy as a Scholar Athlete of the Year. Following high school he attended Pacific Lutheran University, played two seasons for the Lutes and cracked the school’s Top 10 list for steams in a season.