Toivo Piippo, the son of Finnish immigrants, began his basketball life on a street in Astoria, Oregon with a hoop attached to a telephone pole and five neighborhood kids. These five, known as the ‘Flying Fishermen’ went on to dominate high school basketball in Oregon. The basketball season averaged 40 games, including games
against both Oregon State and University of Oregon Freshman “rooks.” Piippo’s senior Astoria team beat the U of O ‘rooks’ with Piippo scoring the winning basket. Toivo is a member of the Astoria Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1938 Toivo was recruited to the U of O by John Warren to play with his four neighborhood high school teammates. Piippo was known as the ‘hottest freshman’ in the Pacific Coast League. In the Spring of 1939, Piippo’s U of O team won the NCAA National Basketball Championship with Piippo missing the final train trip with a leg injury. The “Tall Firs” were known as the first one hand shooters and also the developers of a fast break style not previously seen by eastern teams.
Toivo’s college basketball career was interrupted by the World War II draft. He selected the Army Air Force and became a pilot of a B-26 Martin Marauder, also known as the “Widow Maker.” Toivo flew 67 daylight combat missions over Germany, without escort. He never lost a crew member and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Air Force.
His first teaching and coaching positions were in Marysville, WA where he coached varsity basketball, tennis and assisted with other sports for three years. Toivo met and married his wife Laurel in Marysville. The
couple moved to Richland and Toivo began his storied career at Chief Joseph Junior High. At Chief Jo, Toivo coached baseball the first season, 14 years of football with legendary coach Fred Strankman, and over 30 years as the Chief Jo Warriors Varsity Basketball Coach. Piippo’s Chief Jo varsity teams won 17 championships while enduring only one losing season. In those days a season was 18 games, including Walla Walla, Pasco, Kennewick and the Yakima Valley. Toivo also initiated a Saturday ‘Open Gym’ for all kids to play basketball in the winter months. Competitive games went on for hours with Toivo teaching, coaching, and demonstrating his considerable basketball skills. Kids soon learned that Toivo could execute any move or technique that he was trying to teach.
In the summer of 1953 Coach Piippo worked for the Richland Recreation Department and created a “Summer League” with captains, a draft and younger kids playing with older kids on a full court. He even managed to get the scores posted in the Tri-City Herald and held a Championship at the end of the season. More importantly, every kid on every team played.
Coach Piippo has been called “The Grandfather” of Richland basketball. He could have easily coached high school basketball, but chose to stay at the junior high making a difference for Richland youth and developing an extensive list of skilled Richalnd Bombers. Coach Piippo’s Junior High wins total was over 400, but the big winners were the kids in the gym, his players, students, parents and a very appreciative and supportive Richland Bomber basketball community.
Awards and Honors: Chief Joseph Gymnasium dedicated: TOIVO PIIPPO GYMNASIUM, Charter Member University of Oregon ‘Tall Fir” Hall of Fame, Astoria High School Hall of Fame, B-26 Pilot Smithsonian, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Oak Leaf Clusters, University of Oregon Alumni, #16, 1938-39-40, Fisherman Extraordinaire
