Hall of Fame
Richard Stiles’ impact on Cougar baseball is the stuff movies are made of. Arriving from Yakima, Stiles played for legendary coach Buck Bailey from 1947-49, leading Washington State College to within one game of the College World Series in 1949. That season Stiles posted a 12-1 record, including 10 complete games, as the Cougars won a school-record 33 games. He was named to the AABC All-District 8 and All-Northern Division first teams. Over his final two seasons he set a conference record by winning nine consecutive conference games and finished his career with a 17-2 record. The only person from Washington or Oregon in 1949 accepted to the Northwestern Medical School in Chicago, he deferred his final season at WSC. After one season playing for the St. Louis Browns farm system in 1950, where he had an 11-5 record, Stiles obtained his medical degree and became a family doctor, returning to his hometown to enjoy a lengthy practice. During that time, a young coach at Yakima Valley College, Bobo Brayton, was struck on the head while pitching batting practice. Stiles was one of the physicians who operated on Bobo, saving the Cougar icon’s life. Just like in the movies, Stiles found his field of dreams in both Pullman and Yakima.
