Who are the best male athletes to come out of Franklin County, Washington? Ron Howard, Bruce Kison top the list

With help from coaches, fans, media and local sports historians, SBLive has put together its lists of the best athletes — male and female — to emerge from every

With help from coaches, fans, media and local sports historians, SBLive has put together its lists of the best athletes — male and female — to emerge from every county in the state of Washington. We looked back as far as the turn of the 20th century, and we examined the totality of each athletes’ career, not only what they did in high school.

As comprehensive as our lists are, we also want to hear your opinions. We have included polls where you can vote for the best male and female athletes by county. You can also leave your comments below or hit us up on Twitter @sblivewa.

MORE: BEST ATHLETES FROM EVERY COUNTY IN WASHINGTON

From Ron Howard to Bruce Kison, Franklin County has produced several outstanding male athletes. Take a look at SBLive’s list of the top male athletes to ever come out of Cowlitz County and cast your vote in the poll.

(The list is in alphabetical order.)

BEST MALE ATHLETESIN FRANKLIN COUNTY HISTORY

RON HOWARD

High school: Pasco

Sport: Football

Notable fact: He had 37 catches in 1976, setting a team record that he held for 26 years. 

With a work ethic forged in a potato shed, the 1970 Pasco grad was a bonafide three-sport star.

An all conference choice at tight end and defensive back, a hurdling standout and basketball player who averaged 23.7 points per game during a season in which the Bulldogs made a run to the state title game, where they lost to Snohomish in overtime. 

Howard scrapped his way through a college basketball career at Seattle U where after averaging just under 10 points and seven boards per game, oddly, his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame caught the eyes of NFL scouts despite not playing college football. 

After turning down a pro basketball contract overseas, the 220-pound tight end went from training camp invitee to playing in every game in 1974-75 with the Dallas Cowboys. He played six seasons in the NFL with stops in Seattle and Buffalo.

Plantar fasciitis in both feet plagues his latter years in the league. After his playing career, he worked in skyscraper construction before going into education. 

In 2006, the WIAA inducted him into its hall of fame. 

BRUCE KISON

High school: Pasco

Sport: Baseball 

Notable fact: Threw 6 1/3 scoreless relief innings in a pivotal Game 4 of the 1971 World Series – his rookie year. 

Kison pitched 15 years in the major leagues, including winning the first night game in World Series history in 1971. 

In Game 4, he came in as a reliever and tossed six scoreless innings as the Pirates beat the Orioles in a comeback. Orioles manager Earl Weaver was quoted saying “Kison turned the series around. He went on to win World Series MVP. The Pirates won in seven games. 

He was on the team again in 1979 when the Pirates won World Series again. 

Kison was a 14th round MLB Draft pick out of Columbia Basin College and tossed several no-hitters in high school. Teammates and opponents recounted playing against him as teens after his death in 2018.

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeremy Bonderman, Pasco (baseball) - Pitched in the World Series in 2006 after winning a game as a starter in the ALDS and the ALCS with the Detroit Tigers. Played nine seasons in the majors after being drafted in the first round of the 2001 as a high school junior — the first of his kind (after obtaining his GED and petitioning MLB) — a pick that Moneyball author Michael Lewis wrote made Athletics GM Billy Beane throw a chair through a wall in anger. He was also a standout basketball player growing up.

Clint Didier, Connell (football) - Two-time Super Bowl champion (1983, 1988) tight end played eight seasons in the NFL with two different teams. He’s in both the Portland State and Tri Cities Sports Halls of Fame. He accounted for nearly 2,000 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns in his pro career. 

Michael Jackson, Pasco (football) - Played eight seasons as a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks after an All-American campaign as a standout linebacker at Washington. He led the huskies to an upset over Michigan in the 1978 Rose Bowl, and left the program’s leading tackler. In high school, he was the Big 9 player of the year at Pasco.