Former Clark Fork player earns honor

By ERIC PLUMMER

Sports editor

SANDPOINT — It’s been more than three decades since Bicker Therien was a pulling guard for the Eastern Oregon University football team, and up until just recently, he hadn’t thought a whole lot about his playing days.

The 1979 graduate of Clark Fork High School was a three-year starter and prominent force on EOU’s offensive line from 1980-1983, twice receiving All-Conference, All-Northwest and All-District honors while blowing open holes for running backs and protecting the quarterback.

So when Therien, 56, got a call recently that he was going to be inducted into the EOU Athletic Hall of Fame and honored during the homecoming game tonight in LaGrande, Ore., a lot of old memories came flooding back.

“It’s a pretty good deal in an old jock’s life, pretty special. I’ve been in a fog since it happened. Things I did as a 22 year-old are now coming to light. I’ve pondered things recently,” says Therien of the honor. “It’s pretty rare air that I’m in, one of about 30 football players for the longevity of the football program. It’s rather humbling when you put it in those terms.”

Therien will be one of five Eastern Oregon alumni who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend, joining Robin Lisak Johnson, softball (Class of 2000), Jeff Church, football (Class of 1995), John Tolan, baseball (Class of 1985) and Jerry (J.D.) Deal, football (Class of 1976).

Thieren was 6-4, 240 pounds as a senior at Clark Fork, and eventually joined teammate Don Heller and played for one season at Boise State University before transferring the next year to EOU and never looking back.

Named team captain by his teammates in 1983, Therien went on to receive his degree in secondary education in 1985. A longtime teacher and coach, Therien has served as a school administrator in Idaho for 21 years, earning a sterling reputation around the state as an educator.

He now lives in Weippe, Idaho where he is principal of the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy, whose mission is to intervene in and reclaim the lives of 16-18 year-old high school dropouts, producing program graduates with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as responsible and productive citizens of Idaho.

As good as he was as a 6-4, 265 pound offensive lineman, it pales in comparison to the work he’s done in a career spent helping teach kids.

“I’ve been an educator for 33 years, and helped a lot of kids. The stuff I did at 22 doesn’t have the same impact as that. The fact I was a good football player led to who I am,” claims Therien. “I was a pulling guard, and pretty fast for a fat, white kid. It was a big deal to be named team captain. I had a lot of friends. Small college football is really overlooked. BSU went on to win the National Championship (in 1980), but I have three grown kids because I went to Eastern.”

Therien has worked around the state of Idaho during his career, and despite having left the area after high school, he still considers Clark Fork his home and harbors many fond memories of his youth.

“That was a great place to grow up, a great support system. Everybody knew everybody, the whole community were our parents,” recalls Therien, who remembers playing at Whitworth in college. “We’d have a game in Spokane, and half of Clark Fork would be there. That was a big deal to me. It’s still home, even though I left almost 40 years ago. I still feel like people there want to see me when I come home.”

Lewis Speelmon was the head basketball coach and assistant football coach when Therien was in Clark Fork, and remembers a smart and talented three-sport athlete with a bright future. The Wampus Cats were loaded on the football field that year, with both future NFL tight end Ron Heller and his older brother Don on a team featuring some college-bound talent.

“He was a really sharp kid, aware of everything. His senior year the Heller kids were there, we had so many great athletes. It was surprising the size of the kids at that time. A lot of them went on to play college football,” remembers Speelmon, lauding Therien’s work since. “I’ve followed his progress through the educational process. He started one of the first alternative schools in Idaho. He’s very well thought of within the state in the alternative side of education. He’s a big guy that really cares about kids.”

Speelmon was one of the few people to ever call Bicker by his given name of Howard. Ever since he was a kid, he’s gone by the nickname that was bestowed on him by his brothers when he was very young.

“My dad gave us all nicknames,” explains Therien, who got his in a most interesting way. “It’s from the Three Stooges alphabet song. The B’s are Be Bi Bicker Bi. I’ve never been a Howard.”

Eric Plummer can be reached by email at eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @EricDailyBee.