SEATTLE – If he had just wanted to chase after scoring goals, Peter Hattrup could have played college soccer somewhere else.
If he had just wanted to chase after setting records, he could have played college soccer somewhere else.
But Hattrup wanted more than that.
He wanted to chase after championships. So, in his mind, the place to play college soccer ..
… was Seattle Pacific.
"I wouldn't say I would have predicted it," Hattrup said of capturing NCAA Division II crowns in 1983 and '85. "But trying to win championships is one of the big reasons I went to SPU."
He ultimately became one of the big reasons why SPU won those titles. His significant contributions toward winning them is the reason he will be included into the SPU Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 7.
The ceremony will take place in the on-campus E.E. Bach Theatre beginning at 10:00 a.m. It is free and open to the public.
When he was told about being selected, one of the first thoughts that went through Hattrup's mind was about the elite group that he will become part of – not only the additional six inductees on that day, but the others who have been enshrined in previous years.
"The people in it are fantastic ambassadors to the athletic program and the school and the city itself," Hattrup said. "Not just the soccer people, but all the way back to (track and field legends) Dr. Ken Foreman and Doris Heritage. The people who have gone in have stamped themselves on Seattle sports and in some cases, the world of sports."
NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
Even before he finally decided on coming to Seattle Pacific, Hattrup heard plenty about the school and the soccer team from those who had been there.
"I played in a men's league in high school with (guys) who were all part of that 1978 championship team. (That was the first in a collection of national crowns that now has reached five.) "They said, 'You need to come here and win."
Hattrup came. He scored.
And he won.
- Hattrup had drilled 59 balls into the back of the net in just 65 games played – a remarkable average of almost a goal a game, which still ranks No. 3 on SPU's all-time list.
- He scored five goals in one game, pulling off that feat in an 11-0 rout of Gonzaga in 1985. That was a team record until Jason Dunn scored six against Tampa in 1993.
- In his three seasons on the field (1982, '83 and '85), the Falcons went 49-14-2, a .754 winning percentage.
"That first year (1982) was a little rough because we were young and we had just lost two Hall of Famers (Bruce Raney and Sergio Soriano)," said Hattrup, now 61. "But the last part of that year, we figured out what our lineup should be, and we went 8-1-1 (the rest of the way), and our only loss was to UW, at UW."
Even with the fast finish, the Falcons weren't selected for what then was a 12-team NCAA Tournament. (Now it's 40.)
"That was hard (not making NCAAs), but that set the stage for us to add a few pieces, notably Scott Cairns and Dennis Gunnell the next year," he said. "From that point on, we expected to win – not in a way like we were unbeatable. But every time we went on the field, we expected to win. That was instilled in us.
"We weren't here just to play."
"A LOT OF THOSE GUYS MADE IT EASY"
For someone who scored 59 goals, it would be easy to assume that Hattrup was a natural-born forward.
But that wasn't the case.
"I was a midfielder – not that I stayed there," he said. "Our defense was solid. Scott Cairns was the metronome at midfield, ticking things along. Craig Ottosen and Bobby Bruch ran ridiculous miles at midfield, and that enabled me to go anywhere I wanted to go. Scott said, 'Stay up (front), go higher,' and Mark Faller was a selfless target man, happy to do the dirty work.
"I just did my job that just happened to be the glory job," Hattrup added. "I was good at it, but the work of a lot of those guys made it easy for me to play the way I play." (He also racked up 31 assists, still tied for No. 5 all-time at SPU.)
Each of the two NCAA titles the Falcons won during his time there had its special vibe for Hattrup.
"The first one (1983) was the first one – and it was the first one in five years, which back then seemed like a long time," Hattrup said.
"Then I could argue and make a very good case that it was by far the best SPU team ever in 1985. We had a goal difference of like 70 (more than their opponents). UCLA won the D1 title that year. We had two common opponents, and we were better in both games."
"Our team was about as perfectly designed as you could have. That team is different than all the others and they hold a special place in my life," he added. "We had a 40th anniversary (celebration) of that championship, and 15 players made it back for that."
After SPU, Hattrup kept playing, kept scoring, and kept winning at the professional level. Outdoors, he was part of title teams with FC Seattle (1988) and the pre-MLS Seattle Sounders (1995). On the indoor turf, he helped raise a trophy with the Kansas City Attack (1993) and the Milwaukee Wave (1998, 2000). He still coaches youth soccer in the area.
"His championships, individual honors, and record-setting performances stand alone as not only one of the greatest players in SPU history, but one of the best players to ever come out of the state of Washington," current Falcons coach
Kevin Sakuda said. "We are obviously honoring the impact he had during his time as a player. But I am grateful for the way he helped connect me to former SPU players and continues to be the glue that connects our alumni to our current team.
"His legacy as one of the most accomplished players in our program's history is undeniable and his induction into the Hall of Fame is a well-deserved and long overdue honor."
Hattrup and the other six inductees will be honored at both basketball games in Brougham Pavilion after the induction ceremony. The women play Saint Martin's at 2:00 p.m., followed by the men against Western Washington at 4:15.
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