THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A big deal in the throws ... Templeman, who started in football, builds hall of fame career behind knowledge in track and field in North Idaho and beyond

As the 404th overall selection by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft, there wasn’t any pressure on Bart Templeman to make it in professional football as a center coming from Eastern Montana University, now known as Montana State-Billings.

Not even a little bit.

“I was a very low draft choice,” said Templeman of the draft, which was 17 rounds at that time. “So financially, it was no big deal.”

THE BIG deal was quarterback Steve Spurrier — the San Francisco 49ers' pick at third overall that year — was expected to be the starter from the time he arrived.

“He was the big dog there and I was drafted in the 16th round, so it was no big deal to me,” Templeman said. “John Friesz made more in an hour in his career than I did in the '60s. But I had a great time. For a guy from Salmon, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

Templeman was inducted into the North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday at The Coeur d’Alene Resort and will be recognized as part of the North Idaho Sports Awards Banquet tonight, also at The Resort.

As for his interaction with Spurrier, who won the Heisman Trophy at Florida in 1966, then won a national title as a coach of his alma mater in 1996 ...

“He was a pampered kind of guy and you felt around him that he was something special,” Templeman said. “He was a pretty taken care of kind of guy. That year, he’d came in from a college all-star game a few weeks after everyone else and the coaches knew he knew the plays because he’d had the playbook. He talked with a high voice and when he’d say, ‘down, set,’ the coaches would ask if they had a man or woman at quarterback.”

Templeman was later released by the 49ers before playing a game. He signed with the Denver Broncos, but never saw the field.

Templeman played for a short time with the Spokane Shockers semi-pro team.

“I went back to school for a little bit and became a graduate assistant at Montana State-Billings,” Templeman said. “I could tell with Spokane it wasn’t going to be a good situation, so I asked to be released after a couple of weeks.”

Just as quickly, Templeman caught on as a coach at Minico High of Rupert.

“Then it was kind of off to the races,” Templeman said. 

AT MINICO, Templeman coached a little bit of everything.

“I coached football, was an assistant wrestling coach and track coach,” said Templeman, who later moved on to Boise High. “We had some really good throwers at Boise and it turned out really well.”

In 1979, Bart and his family moved to North Idaho, where Bart worked at a local supply company until starting his own building supply company in 1981, all while serving as a volunteer track coach at Coeur d’Alene High and at North Idaho College, for 10 years.

In 1989, Templeman started the Iron Wood Throwers Camp, which began to attract some of the best throwers in the northwest, with training often at area high schools to accommodate the size of the camps.

“We just wanted more,” Templeman said. “As we continued to grow, more kids wanted to be part of this. My wife (Pat) and I wanted to travel more and I bought a condo in town. So as it continued to grow, I bought a five-acre parcel of land in Rathdrum and built on it. And it started to grow like crazy. As it did, we bought another five acres and put in an area for athletes to practice the javelin, hammer throw, shot put and discus.”

From that, the Iron Wood Throws Center was born.

EACH SPRING, the center hosts the Iron Wood Throws Classic, which features some of the best throwers in the nation.

“We’ve had a lot of kids that come here trying to make the Olympic team,” Templeman said. “We’ve had the women’s American record in the discus, as well as the women’s hammer throw here in Rathdrum.”

As for this past Olympics, the men’s shot put gold medalist Ryan Crouser, silver shot put medalist Joe Kovacs and Valerie Allman, the women’s gold medalist in the discus, won medals in London. All three have competed at the Rathdrum meet.

“We’ve had a bunch of people that have been able to achieve their dreams,” Templeman said. “I think we’ve had an impact, along with those NCAA champions. We’ve sent kids all over the United States, where they’re getting an education and being able to get a good job when they’re done, while also getting to do something they love. It’s a big deal for us.”

At Coeur d'Alene High, Templeman coached Rick Rasmussen, who is also being inducted in the Hall of Fame.

“It’s a really good, humbling thing to be included with a guy you coached,” Templeman said. “You get into this to help people become better throwers, get an education and that’s really what it’s all about.

“It’s pretty humbling to have people recognize you,” Templeman said. “It’s the ultimate goal to put your brand on something, and I feel like I’ve done that. What we’ve done at Iron Wood, it’s the coaching staff and they’re the ones that have perpetuated what we’ve done there. This induction is a culmination of a lot of hard work. It’s going to be a good time, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on ‘X’, previously Twitter @JECdAPress 

    Bart Templeman