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• Overheard

  • What others have said about Joe Mishler:
  • 
    "I played a lot of ball with Joe in the city league. He was a tough competitor, good shooter and passer and just a good solid ball player. I remember him as a solid football player, too. He played smart, and that’s half the battle."
    - Ken Govitz
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    "He was just one of those boys who just led by his actions, by example. Joe was strong - he was powerful on both sides of the ball. He had tremendous blocking technique and he was a devestating tackler. Joe was so coachable and he could really play basketball as well. He was another one of those very tough farm boys who were first-rate citizens and great ball players."
    - Dick Van Wieren*
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    "Mishler was an excellent tackle both ways. He was an awesome all-around athlete. He was good at baseball growing up, but he couldn't play in high school because of obligations to the farm. Joe was kind of a utility type of guy - he could do anything. He's a heck of a great man, a wonderful person."
    - Tom McKimmy*
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    "Joe was a really nice guy - a real good guy. He did a lot of great blocking for me. It was nice to follow him with the ball. He was an All-Area, All-State, but more importantly, Joe always had good grades in school. He and his family are all really good people."
    - Ron Munger*
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    "Congratulations on your induction, brother.  I'm very proud of you. As one of Joe's younger brothers, I can't tell you a whole lot of stories about his high school playing days, as I was only 8 years old his senior season. The fact is, I had no idea that my oldest brother had been chosen for all state honors in football, until well into my adult life. I think this is just one example of the kind of quiet confidence that he displays.  Some guys will let you know of all the achievements they have earned right up front, but that is just not Joe's style.
    
    He was also someone that I could look up to as I was growing up. I had the pleasure of playing on Joe's Beaverton men's league basketball team. I was fresh out of high school and figured that men's league would be no sweat, but most of those "older guys" could still really play!
    
    Later, when my own boys, Brent and Justin, played in the Midland youth football league, Joe coached them on the Sanford team. In fact, he has spent many years in the Sanford area where he lives, involved in many aspects of the sports programs there. This includes coaching his own kids, and many of the area athletes in baseball and football. He and his wife Sue have enjoyed giving time and support to the Meridian sports programs.
    
    The Beaverton Hall of Fame committee has made a great choice for a very deserving person."
    - Steve Mishler

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    "We would like to congratulate our uncle, Joe Mishler, on his Hall of Fame induction. When we think of Uncle Joe, we think of a guy who loves jokes, is a master of puns and does a great Three Stooges impersonation. We also know him as a guy who loves sports, whether it's watching them on TV, going to games, supporting and coaching his kids' teams, or watching his nieces and nephews play. What we really didn't know about him until a couple of years ago was that he had so many accomplishments as an athlete. It's great that he is being recognized by the Hall of Fame, and he is very deserving of this honor. So here's to a humble guy, great athlete, and all around good person. We are very proud of you, Uncle Joe!"
    - Jeni, Sally, Laura, and Missy

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    "I coached Joe during the '65-'66 and '66-'67 seasons. Joe trained hard and was tough under the boards. We had a play and he would come off the screen and shoot the ball, and most of the time, the ball went in; it was probably close to today’s three point shot. Joe was a good shooter. He was surrounded by Phil Maxwell, Al Bullock, Duane Govitz and Ron Munger, etc. We went 7-10 and then had 13 wins the following season for the first winning season in 13 years. We could have won 15 to 18 games that year; we just didn’t have the experience other teams had."
    - Larry Sroufe

  • "When I think of my brother, Joe, two words come to mind - "class act."  As the oldest of seven children, Joe had responsibilities that most school kids didn't have.  Growing up on a dairy farm meant your chores and homework came first, and then you could participate in sports and other extracurricular activities, if you could manage it.  I'm not sure how he "managed" it between milking cows, school, practice, homework and more chores, but he did.  He excelled in sports, graduated in the top percentage of his class and became a role model that we younger kids looked up to, and still do today.  He did it all with a sense of humor that he carried through the years, and we all laugh at his silly jokes and puns whenever we get together. 

    Joe and Sue have raised three wonderful kids that have given them seven beautiful grandchildren.  I'm sure that Joe would say that this was his greatest accomplishment, and he would be right.  I have always been very proud of my handsome, older brother, and this award only adds to it.  Dan and I both send our sincere congratulations.  It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person."
    - Dan & Patty Grant

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    "I am very excited to learn that my brother Joe will be inducted into the hall of fame at Beaverton. I have looked up to Joe for my entire life, and not only because I am the shortest of my male siblings, but because of the character traits he possesses. Three years his junior, (which is his nickname) I was able to see firsthand his abilities on the football field and the basketball court. The coaches revered his athletic ability and team qualities so much that when I came along they started calling me Billy Joe. My middle name is Allan. I was never offended and often thought it was a great compliment to my brother and I had better live up to the standard that he had set for me and the rest of my brothers and sisters.

    Many of you probably remember Joe as a great shooter or a wonderful offensive and defensive tackle on the line but I remember that Joe was also a really good kicker. He handled kickoffs and extra points during his time on the varsity. I know one thing he liked about being the kicker was it allowed him to get a head start down the field to get the tackle. I also remember the night he came hobbling home from a game at Harrison being helped in by my dad. This was the result of a head on head collision that happened on a kickoff. I can only imagine what the kid in Harrison felt like as the result of that collision.

    I am sure that watching him kick influenced me and my brother John to take up the kicking and punting duties when it was our turn to be on the varsity football team. Thinking back I do recall that our neighbor Tom McKimmy was the punter on Joe’s team, which makes me think maybe it was something found in the waters of Venison Creek that runs between our farms that was the source of these abilities!

    Kicking, punting, shooting a basketball, rebounding are all skills necessary to become successful in basketball and football, but becoming a great athlete includes personal qualities beyond those physical abilities. Joe was a true team player - he got more satisfaction out of a great pass to an open teammate on the basketball floor that ended in a score or throwing that key block that sprung a running back on a long touchdown run than in personal glory. I have seen these types of personal qualities many times since his playing days at Beaverton. It is what we expect to see from a quality person and that is what my brother Joe is. I am very proud of what Joe did at Beaverton and what he continues to do in his day to day life.

    In summation, I would like to say that I feel you have selected admirably when you elected Joe to the Beaverton Rural Schools Athletic Hall of Fame!"
    - Bill Mishler

  • "Many congratulations to Joe Mishler on being selected to the Beaverton Hall of Fame. I do not remember all the wonderful plays that Joe made during his high school days, but I do remember the start of football season, with all the exercises that caused him some aches and pains. I felt very proud of my older brother during his school days for reasons beyond sports. He was quick to mention that another player had done well and slow to criticize. Academics were important, as was home and family. He has continued with that wonderful work ethic as well as a love for sports. The many hours of dedication to Sports Boosters, kids sports teams, and following of many nieces and nephews sports is proof of that caring for others. School sports matter to the community by contributing to the growth of many individuals into lifelong team players. Thanks to you, Joe, for being such a good role model to your siblings as well as your community."
    - Susan Mishler Wiersma
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    "I am so honored to be Joe's daughter and am so happy that he is receiving this award. Growing up, I never had any idea that my father achieved the fame that he did while he played sports at Beaverton. It wasn't until I was in college that I found out how "outstanding" he really was. He is the most modest person I know! My dad was so supportive of my brothers and I while we were playing sports, whether it was as our coach or rooting for us in the stands. He and my mom never missed a game unless I was in one place and one of my brothers was in another. More than just being an athlete, my father is the best role model you could have asked for. He demanded that academics came first and foremost even before sports. I am proud of my dad and know that he will continue to support athletics for years to come while he watches his grandkids play. Of course, he is going to have to become a "Flying G" fan when he goes to watch my kids play someday. This may present a challenge for this diehard Beaverton Beaver, but I am sure he is up to it!"
     - Mindy (Mishler) Mercer

  • * GCR, 10/29/09