Diamond, Gridiron, Hardwood & Track: Spokane Indians Multi-Sport Stars

FOOTBALL

Jordan Akins: A third-round pick (103^rd overall) of the Texas Rangers in 2010, Akins recorded 10 extra-base hits and 11 RBI while appearing in 22 games with the Spokane Indians in 2013. He retired from baseball following that season and took his talents to the gridiron, starring as a tight end at the University of Central Florida before being drafted in the third round (98^th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Akins spent five seasons with Houston, setting career highs in yards (495) and touchdowns (5) in his final year with the Texans in 2022 (his two-TD performance in the season finale against Indianapolis caused Houston to drop from No. 1 to No. 2 in the 2023 draft, where the Texans selected CJ Stroud with Bryce Young off the board).

Alexis Alexander: An 18^th-round pick of the Royals out of Medical Lake High School in 2001, Alexis Alexander appeared in 48 games with the Indians the following summer (.258/.343/.331, 6 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 6 SB). He spent one more year in Minor League Baseball before transitioning to football, first for a season at Washington State University finishing out his collegiate career at Eastern Washington University. Alexander averaged 5.4 yards per carry over three seasons with the Eagles and was a two-time All-Big Sky Conference player at running back. and now works for Avista. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 2008 and currently works as the Director of IT Infrastructure for Avista Utilities.

Chuck Essegian: One of just two players to ever appear in the Rose Bowl and a World Series, Essegian was a three-year starter at linebacker and two-time All-Pacific Coast Conference player at Stanford University, where he also set an intercollegiate record with 13 home runs for the Cardinals baseball team. After graduating with a degree in biology, Essegian chose to pursue baseball professionally and the talented outfielder posted a .883 OPS in 48 games with Spokane in 1959. He was called up by the Dodgers late in that season, earning a spot in franchise lore as he clubbed a pair of pinch-hit home runs in LA’s World series triumph over the White Sox.

Bobby Eveld: A talented baseball and football player at Tampa’s Jesuit High School, Bobby Eveld was drafted in the 50^th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the New York Mets but opted to play quarterback at the University of South Florida instead. He appeared in 19 games over four seasons with the Bulls before returning to the diamond in the Blue Jays organization in 2016, where he pitched against Spokane for the Vancouver Canadians in 2017. The right-hander joined the Indians in 2018 after signing with the Texas Ragners and posted a 2.81 ERA over 14 appearances in his final season of MiLB. Bobby’s younger brother, Tommy, also spent time in the Northwest League with Hillsboro in 2016, reaching as high as Triple-A with the Cincinnati Reds.

Jamie Jarmon: One of the top high school football players in Delaware history, Jamie Jarmon first pursued a career in baseball after being selected 83^rd overall by the Texas Rangers in 2012. He spent time with Spokane in 2013-14 before turning his focus back to football at the University of Delaware. Jarmon played for the Blue Hens from 2015-18, amassing over 900 yards and scoring nine touchdowns in 39 career NCAA games.

Jake Skole: The 15^th overall pick out of a Georgia high school by the Texas Rangers in 2010, Skole held his own as an 18-year-old with Spokane that summer (.254/.327/.348) but failed to make it past Double-A over the next half-decade and was out of baseball by the middle of 2016. Originally committed to play football at Georgia Tech, Skole ended up playing for their in-state rival at the University of Georgia where he won a Rose Bowl as a defensive back with the Bulldogs in 2018. After his collegiate football career wrapped up, Skole returned to the diamond once again with the Party Animals (the travelling opponents of the Savannah Bananas) and set a Banana Ball single-season record with 12 home runs in 2024.

Steve Sogge: Sogge was a member of the legendary 1970 Spokane Indians, but his greatest success came on the football field. A two-year starter at quarterback for the University of Southern California, Sogge (along with now infamous running back OJ Simpson) led the Trojans to a National Championship in 1967 and was named First-Team All-Pac-8 in 1968. He also won a National Championship as a catcher on USC’s baseball team in 1968 and choose to pursue baseball professionally, reaching Triple-A with Spokane in his second minor league season and playing a key role in the team’s Pacific Coast League championship that year (.274, 6 HR, 43 RBI in 86 G).

Shawn Knight – A talented but undersized quarterback, Knight was college teammates with current NFL head coaches Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills) at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Knight set an NCAA record for passing efficiency and was named second team All-Yankee Conference as a redshirt junior in 1993 while also hitting .316 with 38 stolen bases for the Tribe’s baseball team. He was selected in the 13^th round of the 1994 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres and appeared in 16 games with the Spokane Indians that summer, hitting .280 with a .419 OBP in 50 at-bats. Knight returned to William & Mary’s football team for his senior season in 1994 and was again named second team All-Yankee Conference after passing for 2,055 yards and 22 touchdowns. After college, Knight spent a pair of seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts and was honored with a spot in the William & Mary Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

BASKETBALL

Trajan Langdon: The ‘Alaskan Assassin’ was a three-time Alaskan State Player of the Year in basketball and impressed enough in his limited high school baseball career to be selected in the sixth round of the 1994 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. Langdon played in 17 games at third base with the Spokane Indians that summer (8-for-52, 2 BB/21 K) before heading to Durham, NC, for his freshman season at Duke, where he would go on to set the school’s career three-point record (since broken by JJ Redick). He was selected 11^th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1999 and spent three years in the NBA before a storied overseas career in Greek, Italy, and Russia. He retired from basketball following the 2011 season and currently serves as President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons.

Ira Brown: An eighth-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2001, Brown posted a 5.43 ERA in 16 games (14 GS) with the Spokane Indians in 2002 and pitched in the minors and independent ball through 2005. Brown shifted to the hardwood with Phoenix College before transferring to Gonzaga in 2007, where he helped the Bulldogs reach the Sweet 16 in 2009. Brown continued to play basketball professionally overseas, eventually settling in Japan, where he became a Japanese citizen and even represented Team Japan in 3x3 basketball at the 2021 Olympics.

TRACK & FIELD

Chris Garia: A native of Curaçao, Garia won the 2004 Little League World Series alongside Jurickson Profar before signing with the Texas Rangers in 2010. The speedy outfielder stole 36 bases in 89 games over parts of two seasons in Spokane and was named a Northwest League Midseason All-Star with the Indians in 2013. Garia reached as high as Triple-A in the Rangers organization but retired from baseball following the 2016 season to become a competitive sprinter. He won the 60 meters at the 2018 Dutch National Indoor Championships with a time of 6.70 seconds and represented the Netherlands in the 4x100 relay at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

SOFTBALL

Cam Schiller: A seventh-round pick by the Texas Rangers out of Oral Roberts (which also produced fellow Indians alums Jose Trevino and Chi Chi Gonzalez) in 2012, Schiller spent all 121 games of his minor league career with the Indians, slashing .247/.320/.340 with 22 doubles, four triples, four home runs, and 41 RBI in 453 at-bats. After the 2012 season, Schiller swapped baseballs for softballs, and went on to win a silver medal with Team USA at the 2019 Pan American Games.

ABOUT THE SPOKANE INDIANS

The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane Valley, Wash., and play at Avista Stadium home of the MultiCare Kids Bench Seat and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Military & Veteran Ticket. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians Office and Team Store hours are 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Fridays. On game days, the Office and Team Store are open from 10:00 a.m. through the end of the game.