Eldon L. “Spike” Hillstrom
Spike
went to
Harding
Grade School
, Marshfield Junior High, and
Marshfield
High School
.
Played football under Pete Susick. Sophomore
year played in State Championship game against Grant HS and named 3rd
team
All
State
. Junior Year played
fullback and linebacker, Pirates won district and lost to
Grants Pass
in quarterfinals.
Grants Pass
won that year. Senior year
was All-District, All-State and All American: Wigwam Wise Men of
America. Selected to play in
Shrine Game.
Spike Played basketball at
Marshfield Jr.
High School
under Bruce Hoffine. Played
basketball under Bill Borcher 1950-51 and Hoffine 1952-53.
Played in the state tournament all 4 years.
The team won state championship in 1953 (senior year).
Lost only three games in four years in the state tournament.
Lettered all four years and was All District junior and senior
years. Listed on Bill
Borcher’s “Top 10 Players of MHS”.
Spike accepted a football scholarship to
University
of
Oregon
and played guard and linebacker. Was
named All Northern Division Junior and Senior Years.
Graduated 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary
education.
Career & Family
1957
– 1958 Grants Pass Freshman Football (Mel Ingram Varsity Coach):
taught Geography.
1958
– 1959 North Salem High School Offensive Line coach:
Assist. basketball coach: taught
US History and Government.
1959
– 1960 Appointed Head Football coach after 3rd game due to
illness of Head Coach Mel Fox Played for State Championship; lost to
David Douglas
1960-1961
Record of 7-2 Lost coin-flip for play-offs (only year to miss)
1961
- 1962 Won District, lost to
Beaverton
in the quarterfinals
1962
– 1963 Won District, lost to
Medford
in the quarterfinals
1963
– 1964 Won District, tied Grant in the State Championship 7-7.
Assistant coach Shrine Game 1963, Head coach Shrine Game 1964
(first coach to have been a previous player in the Shrine Game).
1965
- 1976 Accepted position as offensive line coach
United
State
Air
Force
Academy
(Ben Martin Head Coach), Sugar Bowl 1971, Recruited for AFA in
Oregon
, Northern, CA.,
Washington
and
Idaho
. Set up numerous football
clinics in these areas.
In
1976 Spike started a new career in the restaurant business.
After 25 years, he sold the business to his son.
Spike’s wife is Sherry (Thaxton, MHS 1953), is a professional
artist and they have been married 49 years.
Together they raised Kellie, a buyer for boutique, Michael, a
teacher and football coach at Air Academy HS and Jeffrey, owner of The
Mission Inn Restaurant. Spike
is retired and lives in
Colorado Springs
,
CO
. |