2009 Hall of Fame Inductee - Former Student Athlete
Updated July 6, 2010: Ed Pepple to be inducted in national hall of fame, by The Seattle Times.
Ed Pepple coached for 52 years, including 42 years as the boys basketball coach at Mercer Island High School. Pepple, who retired this year, was one of the winningest coaches in Washington state history, with a record of 952 wins and 306 losses. Nearly 50 of his players have gone on to play college basketball with two making it to the NBA. Two former players are currently coaching college basketball, at Lehigh University and the University of California. Pepple led the Islanders to state championships in 1985, 1993, 1997 and 1999.
Pepple was named Washington State Coach of the Year seven times. In 1998 the National High School Coaches Association named him National Basketball Coach of the Year.
He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame - Puget Sound Area 2003, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2005, Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association 2006 and the National High School Coaches Association in 2006.
Pepple graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle in 1950. His high school team was undefeated entering the state championship game. He played for the Everett Junior College basketball team in 1951 and graduated from Everett Junior College in 1952. In 1955, he graduated from the University of Utah, where he lettered three years, was team captain of a Utah team that lost to Bill Russell’s San Francisco team in the NCAA’s sweet 16. Utah finished the season ranked 6th in the nation. He lives in Mercer Island with his wife Shirley, who also attended Everett Junior College.
Additional Recognition: Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Hall of Fame
