Name/Title
Print, PhotographicEntry/Object ID
2003.06.1Description
The Pacific Mutual Fuelers represented Tacoma in the 1941 Northwest AAU Tournament and one of their leaders was Lawrence “Lornie” Merkle, second player from the left. Merkle graduated from Bellarmine in 1936 and went on to become a Tacoma institution, even beyond sports. Merkle was a standout in football, basketball, baseball and tennis, where he was city champion in both singles and doubles and he played the sport well into his 80s. He was also a respected umpire and called games in the Pacific Coast League at Cheney Stadum and Seattle Sick’s Stadium. Among Merkle’s basketball highlights was his time leading high-achieving amateur teams and also playing against the Harlem Globetrotters. Merkle was also known for his larger-than-life personality and sense of humor. A longtime circulation supervisor for the Tacoma News Tribune, Merkle was known for his pink Cadillac and was said to have quit a job in his younger days as a fire fighter when a call would have forced him away from watching a televised football game. Photo by Wm. Heyer Jr., Tacoma.Lexicon
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Basketball, Professional/Semi-ProRelationships
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Person or Organization
Merkle, LornePerson or Organization
Pacific Mutual FuelersPerson or Organization
Bellarmine Preparatory School