Art Ahonen

West Seattle Athletic Club Yellowjackets

Pasco Naval Air Flyers

Halfback / Punter

1935-1942

Joining the storied West Seattle Yellowjackets following a standout career at the University of Washington (1932-1934), Ahonen became the immediate impact player to take over for the legendary Thurle Thornton and Walt Stuns backfield.  Together with fellow future Hall of Famer Fanny Hunting, the dynamic due led the 1935 team to a 7-1-1 record with their only loss being a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Olympia which they avenged a month later 13-0.

Leading the league in scoring with 40 points in 1936, Ahonen was also adept in the passing game tossing the only West Seattle score to Ralph Phelps in a 7-7 tie at Tacoma enroute to an 8-1-1 record. 

During a 1937 battle, Ahonen was involved in 3 of the first 4 plays of the game as he returned the opening kickoff 65 yards, then had a tipped ball intercepted and returned 75 yards for a score by Grays Harbor end Gill, only to then return the next kicoff 45 yards leading the Yellowjackets to a 13-6 victory.

As war broke out, Art joined the military and ended up in Pasco, WA where someone discovered he and Marv Harshman (GNFA Hall of Fame) were available to start a team on base.  The Pasco Naval Air Flyers became one of the top military teams in the Northwest.

Just before his dominating play for the Yellowjackets, Ahonen, billed as the "Phantom Finn" was being courted to play for the Gogebric Panthers, a professional team in the "Northwest League" of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Throughout his career, Ahonen was deemed the most dangerous "triple threat" athlete on the gridiron of his time.

In 1946 Ahonen made his way back to Michigan where he was offered the job of building and coaching an independent squad in his old hometown of Ironwood.