Frank Inslee Service Award
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SPS High School Athletic Hall of Fame • Seattle WA
The Frank Inslee Service Award was created this year to recognize an individual who has
made significant contributions to positively impact student-athletes. This recipient embodies
sportsmanship, dedication and service by engaging schools and developing student-
leaders, which celebrates the mission of Seattle Public School Athletics.
Frank Inslee was a fourth- generation Washingtonian. A 1944 graduate of Ballard High
School, he served in the Navy during World War II. During his education career, Frank was
a biology teacher, high-school coach, counselor and Athletic Director.
After the war, Inslee started teaching in Tenino, Thurston County, while working nights
cleaning tanks at the Olympia Brewery. He later taught biology for many years and served
as the assistant coach of the basketball team at Garfield High School. In 1957, when Chief
Sealth High School opened, he moved to the new school, where he
was the basketball and track coach. He is remembered as a teacher who went out of his way to help students
who were struggling academically.
In 1965, Inslee became Athletic Director of Seattle Public Schools, where he embraced implementation of
federal Title IX, the law that expanded women’s athletics in public schools. In 1977, he was named State Athletic
Director of the Year.
After retiring from Seattle Public Schools, Inslee sold artificial turf and was active, with his wife, in the Student
Conservation Association, leading trips to Mount Rainier to do conservation work on trails and wilderness areas
and working to restore meadows.
