On the RAL athletic webpage, Edson Arantes do Nascimento …aka… Pele is quoted as saying "Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, a love for what you are doing or learning to do." Pele's definition of success fits R.A. Long graduate Chris Nolden like a glove. The 1984 grad's athletic and academic resume mirror Pele's thoughts. Nolden earned the following:
- Most valuable performer on the cross country team as a junior
- Mr. Hustle award on the boys' basketball team as a junior
- Most improved runner in track in 1982 and 1983
- A state championship in the 400 meters as a senior
- Inspirational Award and Coaches Award in track as a senior
- The Johnny Hammer Award as a senior
- Honor Society recognition all four years of high school
Team-wise, Nolden was part of RAL's state champion 1600 meter relay team and helped the Jacks to a third-place team finish. Track coach Dwight Cranston said "Chris always ran just fast enough to win”. Cranston added that he never knew how Chris was going to run because he always kind of did his own thing. So it is little surprise that Nolden's athletic and academic traits have served him well, well beyond the hallowed halls of RAL. As a freshman, Nolden attended Spokane Community College and competed in track (800 and 1600 meter relay). Spokane won the NWAACC men's track title in 1985. As Nolden's journey continued he earned an AA award from Lower Columbia College and a Bachelor of Arts in Business (Finance) degree from Western Washington University. Nolden's work life began at Electronic Data Systems founded by Ross Perot in Plano, Tex. He worked in accounting and finance before transitioning to computer programming. While at EDS, Nolden and a colleague wrote a ticketing app. for a local charity's annual Reba McEntire fundraising concert. After EDS, Nolden worked a short time with a computer consulting company before joining Siebel Systems (a software company principally engaged in the design, development, marketing, and support of customer relationship management (CRM) applications).
Nolden has four children - Forrest, 23, Robbie, 22, Katie, 20, and Avery, 17 - from his first marriage. The oldest three have graduated from college, and youngest will start college in the fall. The Nolden's other "child" is a 7-year-old Australian Shepherd named Shelby. Nolden remarried in 2015 to Adella Fremstad. Fremstad grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Chris states, "So now, along with rooting for the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, I have to find support for her Green Bay Packers”.