Richland’s Mike Hepper inducted into cross country Hall of Fame

There was no fanfare and no cheering section for Mike Hepper when he was inducted into the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday in Tacoma.

The former Richland High School teacher and cross country and track coach kept the honor quiet, then made the trek to Tacoma by himself, fearing the roads would not be safe for his family to attend.

His daughter, Michele Sitton, was quick to share his secret once he was out of town. “This is a big deal,” she said.

Yes, it is.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame with Hepper were Steve Bertrand of Cascade (Everett) High School, Bob Isitt of Shadle Park High School and Nick Lazanis of East Valley (Spokane) High School.

“This is quite an honor, really,” Hepper said. “I really appreciate it. It was a special night for me.”

Hepper, a native of Ray, N.D., played football, basketball, baseball and track in high school. In 1960, he was the state champion in the long jump.

When he graduated in 1961, he moved on to Minot State College where he had a track scholarship. There, he set school records in the long and triple jumps, and was a member of the 440-yard relay team that at the time ran the fastest race on record in North Dakota.

Hepper went to the NAIA National Championships in 1965, competing in the long and triple jumps and in the 440 relay.

In 1965, Hepper was hired by the Richland school district to teach business education. He also was an assistant track and field coach for Max Jensen.

“Coming from a small town in North Dakota with a graduating class of 17, to Richland, which at the time was a three-year high school with 2,000 kids, it was a real change,” Hepper said. “I had never seen a cross country meet. In North Dakota, that was getting on a tractor and making a few rounds.”

When Jensen left Richland in 1973, Hepper took over the cross country and track programs. He won back to back state cross country and track titles in 1973-74 and 1974-75 as his teams went undefeated.

Hepper, 73, likely would have been inducted into the Hall of Fame years ago, but the organization didn’t realize he had taken over for Jensen when the Bombers won their back-to-back titles. A reorganizing of paperwork uncovered the oversight.

Hepper retired from coaching in 1992 and from teaching in 1995, spending 30 years with the Richland school district.

He was inducted into the Richland High School Hall of Fame in 1998 for track and cross country.

“There is so much support you have to have,” Hepper said of coaching. “The sacrifices your family makes so you can do what you need to do. And, the dedication of the runners and their parents. Richland has always been good about backing their programs.”

The athletes have the same fondness for their coaches.

“When the Richland Invite was renamed the Max Jensen Invitational last fall, it was the 48th year of the event,” Hepper said. “He knew they were going to rename it and he was going to be there. Myself and a few others contacted some of his former runners and 24 of them showed up. We all got together afterward. It was a lot of fun.”

Hepper and his wife, Nita, have been married for 52 years and live in Richland. They have two daughters (Michele and Tamara), six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

These days, Hepper is content to throw his line in the river and wait for a record walleye to take a nibble.

He caught a 19.3-pound beauty in 2007 — a Washington state record that held until 2014.

Just another excuse to go fishing again.

This story was originally published January 15, 2017 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Richland’s Mike Hepper inducted into cross country Hall of Fame."