Whitman College Athletics

Robert Becker, who graduated from Walla Walla High School, was a three-sport star who won the Borleske Trophy in 1958 as Whitman’s top male athlete.

His best two sports were baseball, where he was named to the All-Northwest Conference First Team in each of his four seasons, and basketball, where he scored 1,255 career points and still ranks eighth on the all-time Whitman scoring list. He earned First-Team All-Conference honors in basketball as a junior and received either Second-Team or Honorable Mention recognition in his other three seasons on the hardwood.

After playing two years of intramural football, Becker joined the varsity for his final two seasons. He made an immediate impact as a junior defensive back, leading the Northwest Conference in interceptions with 13, which was believed to be a record at the time. He also started at left halfback and returned punts.

In his final two years at Whitman, Becker was the only athlete to start for three varsity teams. As a junior, he hit .317 during the conference baseball season, and he averaged a career-high 16.4 points in conference games as a senior.

Becker later taught and coached at Redmond (Wash.) High School. He retired and returned to Walla Walla, where he continues to make his home with spouse Leslee. The couple has two grown children. Becker's mother, Dorothy, also lives in Walla Walla.