HALL OF FAME CEREMONY A BIG HIT!
The 6th Fullerton College Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony took place at the FC Student Center Hall on Friday night as 12 new Hornet inductees were honored for their achievements.
Nearly 300 people were in attendance to witness the latest group of FC coaches, athletes, and supporters to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame. The 2015 class included former Hornet receiver great Jeff Baker (football athlete), Olympian Dr. Marvin "Ace" Burns (water polo/swim athlete), retired FC instructor Tom Duff (special recognition), Olympian Bill Johnson (water polo/swim athlete), Dodger great Tommy Lasorda (baseball/honorary), NFL/college coach Larry MacDuff (football athlete/coach), Hornet legend Marvin Owens (football/baseball athlete), FC and UCLA baseball great Charlie Petrilla (baseball athlete), Hornet great and college coach Jerry Pimm (men's basketball athlete), legendary coach Marvin Sampson (football coach), Olympian Rick Sloan (track & field athlete), and long distance great Jan Underwood (track & field/cross country athlete).
The emcee for the night was former long-time Los Angeles sports and news anchor Ed Arnold.
The first FC Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony was put together by the Hornet Heritage Foundation, which wanted to preserve and celebrate the glory of Fullerton College's sports history. With the first football program beginning nearly one hundred years ago (1916), the college is rich with history and tradition. Each event is held every other spring.
2015 INDUCTEE BIOS (alphabetical order)
Jeff Baker - A native of Southern California, Jeff Baker "The Touchdown-Maker" ran track and played football at Fullerton College during the 1968 and 1969 seasons. He was a star receiver and punt retuner for legendary coach Hal Sherbeck who, in 1969, was voted 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-State, and 1st Team JC All-American.
Baker broke the California State record for touchdowns in one season scoring 18 touchdowns in just seven games. He had to sit out four games due to a severe hamstring injury.
A sprinter in track, Baker was a member of the champion Eastern Conference 440 and 880 relay teams.
Jeff was also a recipient of the Man of Distinction Award in the spring of 1970. The award is Fullerton College's most prestigious honor.
Recruited by almost every major college in the country, Baker ended up playing for another football legend in Don Coryell at San Diego State. In his junior year as an Aztec, Jeff went on to score 8 touchdowns while averaging over 20 yards per catch. A since-changed NCAA eligibitlty rule (must play your first year after high school or lose a year of eligibitly) kept Jeff from playing his senior season at SDSU. His only option was to transfer and play for a NAIA college that did not enforce the rule.
In the fall of 1971 while playing his senior season at Cal-Western in San Diego, Baker whipped through the competition leading the nation in pass receiving while earning team MVP, Outstanding Offensive Player for NAIA Western States, 1st Team NAIA Western States, 1st Team NAIA All-American, 2nd Team NCAA All-American honors.
After college, Baker was drafted by the NFL Buffalo Bills in 1972. He also played for the Denver Broncos and the Portland Storm of the World Football League.
Jeff volunteered for seven years (1990-1996) coaching quarterbacks and receivers at LaJolla High School where he was an integral part of leading the team to a 26-game winning streak (3rd best in San Diego county), a CIF title, and a runner-up finish.
Baker began his residential real estate career with Willis Allen Real Estate in La Jolla, California. He has been with them for over 35 years. Jeff and his wife Patti currently reside in Carlsbad, and their daughter Stacey lives near downtown San Diego.
Dr. Marvin "Ace" Burns – A longtime resident of Newport Beach, California in his later years, Dr. Marvin "Ace" Burns graduated from Fullerton High School in the spring of 1946. It did not take long for him to make his imprint on the Fullerton College campus as he played one year at FJC and led the water polo team 1946 water polo team to a conference championship.
After that season, the USC Trojans quickly snatched Ace up where he excelled in both swimming and water polo. Ace was the 50-yard and 100-yard undisputed NCAA champion for two years straight (1948 and 1949). He was also the team captain and high scorer for USC's water polo team in 1949-50.
After his playing days with the Trojans, Ace went into the U.S. Naval Reserve where he was stationed in Los Alamitos. Playing on the U.S. Naval team allowed Ace to train for the U.S. Olympic Water Polo team. He played on the 1952 U.S. Olympic water polo team that placed 4th overall in Helsinki, Finland and on the 1960 U.S. Olympic team that placed 7th overall in Rome, Italy. Ace was also on two Pan-American Games teams. He was on the 1951 bronze medal winning team and the silver medal winning team in 1955.
In the water polo world, Ace is known as one of the greatest water polo players ever to represent the United States. He was instrumental in revolutionizing the 2-Meter player position with his size and speed. Today's water polo offense revolves around the 2-Meter player much like the quarterback in American football.
Ace was an outstanding student as well. In fact, he went back to USC in between the 1952 and 1960 Olympic Games in order to obtain his doctorate in Dental Science. Ace became a practicing dentist just down the street from FJC for the 27 years until his passing in 1990.
A constant water man, Ace, the former Huntington Beach lifeguard, was a regular in the California body surfing competition circuit and was an annual finalist in the 55 and over age bracket for men at the World Body Surfing Championships. He was a strong contender in his age division for many years, until he collapsed in Oceanside during one of the World Body Surfing Championships. He became paralyzed on his left side, but that still did not stop his love for the water as he went on to take Ernie Polte's SCUBA class at Fullerton College. Ace and Ernie even went on a diving adventure in the Grand Cayman Islands in 1988.
A fantastic story is told about Ace in Bill Missett's 2012 book "Soul Surfer Johnny Rips: Surfing the Edge of Reality... In Puerto's Grinding Barrels". A quote from Bob Burnside in the book: "He was [Ace] a USC Trojan to the very end, a gentle giant, a great water man, and most importantly, a soft soul with strong convictions. I miss him, like many others do. He was one of the great chargers in my life."
Burns is a member of the USC Athletic Hall of Fame (1977) and the Community College Water Polo Hall of Fame (1992).
Tom Duff - Tom grew up in Fullerton and graduated from Fullerton High School in 1960 where he was the student body president.
He enrolled at Fullerton College in the fall of 1960 where he received an Associate of Arts degree in 1962. During his first semester, Tom produced Athletic Publicity for the Hornet football team.
After Fullerton, Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Chico State University in 1964. Soon after he attained a Master of Business Administration from Cal State Fullerton. He later completed the requirements for his CPA certificate in 1976.
In 1980, Tom returned to Fullerton College as an instructor where he happily taught for over 30 years.
Tom and his parents, Jerri and Dan, were long time supporters of the Hornet athletic programs. From football to basketball, the Duff family loved going to the games to see their Hornets play. For over fifty years, Tom has continued this tradition as well as supporting the Fullerton College Foundation.
In 2009, Duff was honored with the Dean's Award by the entire Athletic Department for his commitment to the Hornets.
Tom is very proud of his Hornet Heritage and firmly believes "Once a Hornet, Always a Hornet". His contributions and dedication to all Hornet teams have been the backbone to many championship teams.
Bill Johnson - A local kid, Bill Johnson was a star swimmer and water polo athlete at La Habra High School. As a freshman he was coached by a young Ernie Polte (FC Hall of Famer), who soon after took a job at not too far away at FJC.
Soon after graduating in 1964, Johnson was approached by USC's legandary head coach Peter Daland. Daland wanted Johnson to swim on his team, however the school could only offer a partial scholarship. It was then agreed by all that Bill would swim for Polte at Fullerton College for one year, and then he would transfer to USC.
Johnson hit the water for his freshman year at Fullerton and decided to stay a Hornet for two complete seasons under Polte. Coach Daland would have to wait. In those two seasons at FJC, Bill re-wrote the books setting new school records 100, 200, and 500 yard freestyle events. Johnson was the first Hornet swimmer to break 46.0 in the 100 free with a time of 45.8 his freshman year. During his sophomore year, Bill showcased his speed in the pool by winning the state 200 freestyle title.
"He was one of the most loyal and dedicated swimmers ever. Bill Johnson was not just a great swimmer, but he was also our franchise water polo player", Coach Ernie Polte.
Johnson made his mark in water polo serving as the team captain for two years. He went on to score career 163 goals, which was 6th all-time in that era. Bill helped the Hornets win their first Southern Section water polo title in 1964 and then again in 1965. He also led them to 2nd place in the state championships in 1965.
Coach Daland and the Trojans finally got their man in the fall of 1966 and Johnson did not disappoint. In 1967, Bill finished in 2nd place to future Olympic great Don Schollander in 200 yard free at the NCAA championship final with a time of 1:41.3. USC went on to win the NCAA swimming championships and Johnson finished with 24 individual points.
The highlight of Johnson's career came in 1968 when he earned his way to Mexico City for the Olympics. He was one of the six athletes to swim on the World Record 800 meter freestyle relay. Mark Spitz anchored that team and Bill was second off the blocks. Bill also qualified for the Olympic water polo team, but due to conflicting schedules with swim he chose not to join.
Johnson had the bad luck of swimming on two winning Olympic relay teams without receiving an actual gold medal. Unlike the modern Olympic games, in 1968 no gold medals were awarded to swimmers who only competed in the heats. Bill competed in the lead-off legs of both the 4x10m and the 4x200m freestyle relays, that were both won by the US team.
Before his passing in 2005, USC honored Bill by inducting him into their Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
Tommy Lasorda - Regarded by many as baseball's most popular ambassador, Tommy Lasorda begins his 66th season in the Dodger organization and ninth as Special Advisor to the Chairman.
He was named Vice President in 1996 after retiring as manager, a position he held for the previous 20 seasons. Lasorda assumed all player personnel responsibilities when he was named the Dodgers' interim General Manager on June 22, 1998.
He relinquished his General Manager duties when he was promoted to Senior Vice President on Sept. 11, 1998.
In his current position, Lasorda reports directly to the Office of the Chairman, serving as an advisor on all areas of the Dodger organization for Owner & Chairman Mark Walter.
Lasorda's current responsibilities include scouting, evaluating and teaching minor league players, acting as an advisor and ambassador for the Dodgers' international affiliations, and representing the franchise at more than 150 speaking engagements and appearances to various charities, private groups and military personnel each year.
He has spoken to troops at more than 40 military bases around the world, including a five-country goodwill tour in 2009.
Lasorda compiled a 1,599-1,439 record and won two World Championships, four National League pennants and eight division titles in an extraordinary 20-year career as the Dodgers' manager. He ranks 17th with 1,599 wins and 16th with 3,038 games managed in Major League history. His 16 wins in 30 NL Championship Series games managed were the most of any manager at the time of his retirement in 1996. His 61 postseason games managed ranks fifth all-time behind Joe Torre (138), Bobby Cox (136), Tony LaRussa (107), and Casey Stengel (63). He is only one of five managers to manage the same team for 20 years or more, joining Walt Alston, Connie Mack, John McGraw and Bobby Cox.
In 1997, Lasorda was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in his first year of eligibility. He was the 14th manager and 52nd Dodger inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2007, Lasorda was asked by the Hall of Fame to be a member of the committee on managers and umpires, leading to the elections of Billy Southworth and Dick Williams to Cooperstown. He served the Hall in the same capacity in 2009 that led to the election of Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey.
Though the National Baseball Hall of Fame is his most prestigious, Lasorda has now been enshrined in 18 different Halls of Fame, including Fullerton College (2015), the Chattanooga Professional Baseball HOF (2010), Brooklyn Dodgers HOF (2009), Philadelphia Sports HOF (2009), Ogden Professional Baseball HOF (2009), Albuquerque Baseball HOF (2009), Inland Empire 66ers HOF (2009), International League HOF (2008), Pacific Coast League HOF (2006), Canadian Baseball HOF (2006), Italian American Sports HOF (1989), California Sports HOF (2006), Montgomery County Coaches HOF (2002), South Atlantic League (2001), Albuquerque Baseball HOF (2007), Louisiana Italian American HOF (1985), and the Rhode Island Italian American HOF.
Lasorda's uniform number (2) was retired by the Dodgers on Aug. 15, 1997 and the main street that leads to the entrance of Dodgertown in Vero Beach, FL was renamed Tommy Lasorda Lane on March 5, 1997. He also threw out the first pitch in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.
Prior to replacing Hall of Famer Walter Alston as manager on Sept. 29, 1976, Lasorda spent four seasons in Los Angeles on Alston's coaching staff from 1973-76. He spent eight seasons as a manager in the Dodgers' minor league system at Pocatello (1965), Ogden (1966-68), Spokane (1969-71) and Albuquerque (1972). Lasorda also spent four years as a Dodger scout after retiring as a player following the 1960 season. An astounding 75 players Lasorda managed in the minor leagues went on to play in the Majors and he serves as a godfather to nearly a dozen of their children.
Lasorda compiled an 0-4 record and 6.52 ERA as a left-handed pitcher in parts of three Major League seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1954-55) and Kansas City Athletics (1956). In all, he spent 14 seasons in the minor leagues from 1945-60 and he served two years in the military from 1946-47.
He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including being named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News in 1970, Manager of the Year by UPI and AP in 1977, Manager of the Year by AP in 1981 and N.L. Manager of the Year by Baseball America and Co-Manager of the Year by The Sporting News in 1988. He was the recipient of the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America's inaugural Milton Richman Memorial Award with Sparky Anderson in 1987, the BBWAA Philadelphia Chapter's Humanitarian Award in 1993, Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce's Award of Merit in 1997, Touchdown Club of Columbus' Baseball Ambassador of the Year in 1997, Arete's Courage in Sports Award in 1997, and was honored by the President of the Dominican Republic in 1997 for his dedication to the game of baseball throughout his career. In September 2006, Lasorda received the Branch Rickey Award from the Denver Rotary Club for his lifetime of community service.
Lasorda has been a spokesperson for the American Heart Association and regularly visits patients at the Tom Lasorda Heart Institute at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, CA, which opened on Nov. 6, 2000. He is a founding member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation and serves on its Board of Directors. The PBSF now gives an annual award in his name for the most outstanding manager of the year and in 2006, the first year of its existence, Lasorda received the award as the Manager of the Century. Lasorda also sits on the board for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation, and the U.S. Army Recruiting Advisory Council.
Many of Lasorda's greatest accomplishments and stories have been compiled in "I Live For This," his autobiography that came out in 2007, which he wrote with Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke. His first book, "The Artful Dodger" was released in 1986.
Lasorda and his wife, Jo, have been married for 64 years. They reside in Fullerton, CA, and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on April 14, 2013.
The couple renamed a gymnasium and youth center in memory of their son, Tom Jr., in Yorba Linda, CA on Sept. 7, 1997.
They are also the proud grandparents of Emily Tess, the child of their daughter, Laura Lasorda.
Larry Mac Duff - Larry Mac Duff played defensive end on the 1966 and 1967 Hornet football teams... and never lost a game. He played under Hal Sherbeck during the Hornet's historic 47-game win streak that ran from 1964 to 1968. During his time at Fullerton, Mac Duff helped the Hornets win two, conference titles, and a national championship (1967). He was selected twice to the All-Conference team and was named the Eastern Conference "Lineman of the Year" in his sophomore year. The Hornet's Defensive Captain, Mac Duff was voted First Team as an All-American, was a Fullerton College Man of Distinction, and an Arthur Nunn Award winner.
After his days of playing in royal blue and gold, Mac Duff transferred to the University of Oklahoma where he was the starting outside linebacker on the 1968 Big 8 Championship team. He graduated from O.U. in 1970.
With his playing days behind him, Mac Duff soon began coaching. He came back to California and started coaching football and baseball at Sunny Hills High School (his Alma mater) from 1971 to 1973. Working down the street from Hornetville, he was soon brought in to coach with some familiar faces. Larry coached at FJC for seven years helping the team to 4 conference titles (1970, 1974, 1976, and 1977). He even served as an assistant coach for the Hornet baseball team under Mike Sgobba (1974-76).
In 1980, Stanford University came calling for Mac Duff's talents as a defensive coach. He then went on to coach at the University of Hawaii (1984 to 1986), University of Arizona (1987-1996, 2001-2002), and the University of Texas (2007). Mac Duff was the defensive coordinator for the University of Arizona's nationally recognized "Desert Swarm" defense that terrorized their opponents as a top 10 defense in the country for four straight seasons. Arizona's defense was #1 in the NCAA in scoring defense with 8.9 points a game in 1992 and #1 against the rush allowing a mere 30.1 yards a game in 1993. Larry coached 5 Pac-10 Defensive Players of the Year and helped Arizona to a Pac-10 co-championship in 1993.
Mac Duff spent 12 seasons as a coach in professional football, 8 with the NFL and 4 in the UFL. From 1997 to 2000, Larry was the special teams coach for the New York Giants. The Giants were the NFC East champions in 1997 and 2000. They were the NFC champs in 2000 playing in Super Bowl XXXV against the Baltimore Ravens. Mac Duff also coached special teams with the San Francisco 49ers from 2003 to 2006. From 2009 to 2012 he served as the defensive and special teams coordinator for the United Football League Las Vegas Locos. The Las Vegas team won back-to-back UFL championships in 2009 and 2010.
Larry and his wife Barbie live happily in Tucson, Arizona and have one adult son, Justin. Mac Duff travels the country sharing his knowledge at several developmental football camps.
Marvin Owens - Marvin Owens established his legacy of leadership and athletic prowess in football, baseball and basketball at Fullerton Union High School. A Fullerton native, Marvin is the sixth member of the famous Owens family to compete in athletics at Fullerton College. He had the honor of playing for legendary Coach Hal Sherbeck and position Coach Marv Sampson during the 1968 and 1969 football seasons. Marvelous, as he is known to the legion of Hornet fans, was given the Outstanding Freshman award by the coaching staff in 1968.
Legendary Coach Hal Sherbeck described Owens as, "the best quarterback there is" and the first game of the 1969 season against Cypress College is a shining example: Marvin completed three touchdowns to fellow Hall Of Fame inductee Jeff Baker, ran for a touchdown and also kicked five conversions in the 53-0 victory. The passing combination of Owens to Baker became a prominent and renowned offensive staple for the Hornets. Marvin was named Outstanding Offensive back in the come from behind 30-16 victory over well regarded El Camino. "Marvelous Marv" scored all five touchdowns and threw 58 and 72 yard passes in the final regular season game against San Diego Mesa.
Heading into the 1969 California Junior College playoffs, Marvin had a 52% completion average, 1,351 yards and 18 touchdowns. Mr. Owens statistics are truly remarkable and would be tenfold, however he was sidelined with an injury for three games. Marvin was selected as Player of the Year by the South Coast Conference football coaches, First Team All-American and named Most Valuable Player on the 1969 Hornet Football team.
While at Fullerton College, Marvin played center field for FC Hall of Fame Coach Mike Sgobba. He had a .371 batting average, with 3 home runs, 19 runs, and 25 RBI in the spring of 1969. Marvin is still in the FC record books with one of the longest hitting streaks at 18 games from March 25, 1969 to May 10, 1969. He was named the Most Valuable Player and earned a spot on the second unit All-Conference team. During the offseason, Marvin played on an All-Star team for College Baseball Hall Of Fame Coach Rod Dedeaux (USC).
In recognition of Marvin's football and baseball achievements, the Art Nunn Award was bestowed upon him as the most inspirational athlete at Fullerton College.
A highly sought after athlete, Marvin received a scholarship to play football for San Diego State University. Professionally, Marvin was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1970 and the Minnesota Vikings in 1972. Mr. Owens selected to play in the NFL and played a few years with the New York Jets and St. Louis Cardinals.
Marvin and his wife, Romell will celebrate 40 years of marriage in June and reside in Diamond Bar, CA. They have two grown children, Natasha and Brigman. Marvin retired from a career spanning over 30 years in home lending management. Currently, Mr. Owens is enjoying coaching football at Fullerton Union High School and making an impact in the community with the Leon Owens Foundation.
Charlie Petrilla - A product of Orange County, Charlie Petrilla went to school at Garden Grove High School where FC Hall of Fame coach Mike Sgobba noticed his skills on the baseball diamond. Two other rival colleges were trying to recruit Charlie, but Coach Sgobba had him playing on Hornet Field by the spring of 1964.
During his freshman season at Fullerton College, Petrilla made an immediate impact on the Hornet baseball team hitting .316 with 20 RBI to lead the team. Charlie helped the Hornets to a 17-12 overall record while placing third in Eastern Conference.
Coming back for his sophomore year at Fullerton, Charlie led the Hornets to 20-12-1 overall record and a 9-5 second place finish in conference. By the end of the 1965 season, he was named All-Conference for the second time with a .328 batting average.
Charlie was offered and turned down an opportunity to sign a professional contract with Major League Baseball. He also had full ride offers from USC, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Los Angeles, and UCLA. A true believer in a strong education, Charlie decided to go to college. He became a Bruin.
UCLA was a great fit for Charlie, and he did not disappoint earning All-Conference honors his junior and senior seasons (1966-67) as a second and third baseman. He was also the team co-captain his senior year and was one of the Bruin leaders in batting with a .313 average, with 9 home runs, and 59 RBI. After his senior year, Charlie went on to play on the National Baseball Congress champion team in Wichita, Kansas. He also coached the freshman baseball team at UCLA.
Charlie walked away from the game of baseball in order to pursue a life of giving back to the youth. He became a teacher. He received his Master's Degree and teaching credential from Cal State Long Beach and spent the next 37 years teaching junior and senior high math and physical education. Petrilla was a multiple year honoree in "Who's Who" for teaching, a Hughes Southern California Teachers Semi-Finalist Award winner, and was voted "Teacher of the Year" several times. He did manage to keep in touch with the game of baseball for 30 years, however he did it his way... by giving back as a coach. Charlie and his wife Linda met in the old Fullerton College library in 1964. They have been married for nearly 46 years and have two children.
Jerry Pimm - An outstanding athlete out of Montebello High School, Jerry Pimm played basketball at Fullerton College under legendary coach Alex Omalev during the 1956-1957 season. In 31 games as a Hornet, Pimm made his mark scoring 694 points in a single season (23.9 points a game), ranking him 9th overall on the Fullerton College All-Time list. He led the team to an overall record of 24-7 and an Eastern Conference co-championship with a 13-1 record. Pimm was also voted to the All-State team and led the conference in scoring.
Pimm was soon playing basketball for the USC Trojans where he was a standout player from 1958 to 1960. He was voted All-Conference his senior year and coached the 1960 Trojan freshman team.
In 1973, Pimm landed his first head coaching job at the University of Utah where he Pimm led the Utes to a 173-86 (.668) record, including four Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Under Pimm, the Utes also won 3 Western Athletic Conference basketball titles and only had one losing season.
After 9 successful seasons at Utah, Pimm left for sunny California to take over the UC Santa Barbara basketball program. He inherited a program that had recorded 10 straight losing seasons and immediately set it on a path that culminated in national rankings and postseason bids.
Pimm coached the teams that transformed the Campus Events Center into the Thunderdome.
In 1988, he guided UCSB an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was the program's first NCAA Tournament berth ever.
In 1989, Pimm led the program to a school-record 11-game winning streak, and then in 1990, the Gauchos received their second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament defeating the University of Houston in the first round, the school's only Division I postseason victory.
Pimm led UCSB to wins over numerous top-20 opponents, including top-ranked UNLV and 5th ranked North Carolina State. He holds the UCSB record for most coaching victories with 222. He guided 5 Gaucho teams into the postseason, was a two-time Big West Coach of the Year, and a two-time NCAA Region Coach of the Year.
Including his time at the University of Utah, Pimm led his teams to a total of 395 wins. In all, Pimm's teams went to 7 NCAA Tournaments and 10 postseason overall. His 1983 Utah team advanced to the Sweet 16.
Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh) and Ben Howland (UCLA & Mississippi State) both were assistant coaches for Pimm while at UCSB.
Coach Pimm was also very involved in USA Basketball and was an assistant coach on the 1986 U.S. Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships in Spain.
Marvin Sampson - Marvin Sampson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 1, 1935, and moved to California in the summer of 1945. Marv played quarterback at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles as well as catcher on the baseball team. He went on to play quarterback for 4 years at Pepperdine University where he started with his long time friend and outstanding coach Al Feola.
After graduating from Pepperdine with a Bachelors and a Masters degree, he coached three years at Cathedral High School in East Los Angeles. He then spent three years at Valencia High School in Placentia, California, where he served as head football coach in 1962.
Marv came to Fullerton College in 1963, and served as the Offensive Coordinator for the Hornet football program under legendary coach Hal Sherbeck. He was the creative mind who called the plays for some of the greatest teams to ever play at Fullerton College. His own players referred to him as their "Einstein"!
During Sampson's era as the offensive coordinator he coached the quarterbacks and the wide receivers. During his tenure of 31 years, the Hornets won 3 national titles, 16 conference titles, and went on a 47-game unbeaten streak that spanned four seasons (1964 to 1968).
The players that Sampson helped mature into fine football players and men included Jim Fassel (NFL Coach), Steve DeBerg (NFL player), Marvin Owens (NFL player), Dave Wilson (NFL player) to name just a few of his quarterbacks. He also coached All-American wide receivers Rich Leon, Gary Orcutt, Jerry McCoy and Jeff Baker during this time. Sampson guided over thirty total players to All-American status.
Sampson and his wife, Ruthie, have five children, Dawn, Dana, Scott, Leslie, and Kevin-- a former Hornet Quarterback ('80) and current Hornet assistant coach. Marv & Ruthie also take credit for 8 grandchildren and 1 soon-to-be great grandchild.
Among his proudest professional accomplishments, Marv lists being part of a great Community College program with excellence as its standard--not a goal. He enjoyed working with other outstanding coaches and being part of a staff that developed student athletes for a purpose beyond just football.
Rick Sloan - A local product out of Anaheim High School, Rick Sloan made an impact on the Fullerton College track and field record books. In 1966, Sloan set the High Jump at 6'10", and then he set the Pole Vault record at 16'1". A well rounded student- athlete, Rick was also selected as a Man of Distinction, one of the college's greatest honors.
Sloan transferred to UCLA in the fall of 1966 where he went on to set more school records. In 1967, Sloan became the first Bruin to hit the 7-foot mark in the High Jump breaking the record with a jump of 7'0 1/2". The team captain, Rick's highest mark in the Pole Vault at UCLA was an effort of 16'8" helping him to get NCAA All-American status in 1967. Sloan's senior season was cut short by an ankle injury on the day he jumped 7-0 1/2 during the first meet of the year. His ankle was injured on the very next jump.
After his days at UCLA, Sloan continued to grow making it on the U.S. Olympic team competing in the Decathlon. In 1968, Rick had a 7th place Decathlon finish at the games held in Mexico City, Mexico. In 1969, Sloan was a member of the U.S. National team breaking World Decathlon records in the High Jump at 6'11 1/2" and the Pole Vault at 16'6 3/4". He was a Decathlon All-American in 1968 and 1969. Sloan was the fourth American to score over 8,000 points in the Decathlon.
Sharing his passion for track and field with the next generation of athletes became Rick's next endeavor. A dynamic coach and skilled technician, Sloan took his first coaching job in 1972 as an assistant at Pasadena City College and Cal Tech. Rick moved over to Mount San Antonio College in 1973, and during that same year he left California for an opportunity at Washington State University. This was a great move as Sloan worked as an assistant coach, made associate coach in 1983, became head coach for the men's team in 1994, and then head coach for men and women in 1995. He headed up the program there until his retirement in 2014. He served a total of 41 years as the longest tenured coach ever at WSU for all sports. During his years as the Cougar head coach, Sloan directed 42 athletes to NCAA Outdoor All-American status 76 times, and directed 33 athletes to NCAA Indoor All-American status 46 times. He also has helped guide the Cougar men to 22 school records and helped the Cougar women to 83 school records.
Sloan is well-known internationally in the multi-events circuits because of his 14 years as coach for four-time world decathlon champion, Olympic champion and World record-holder Dan O'Brien and his mentoring of Olympic heptathlete Diana Pickler. O'Brien set the World Record for the decathlon in 1992.
Sloan is a much sought-after clinician who is the author of Track and Field Techniques and Training, and has produced nine instructional video tapes. He served as the head coach of the U.S.A. decathlon team, which competed in the USSR in 1983. In 1988, he conducted clinics for the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in Georgetown, Guyana.
In the fall of 2002, Sloan served as an assistant men's coach for the United States team competing at the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Cup in Madrid, Spain.
Rick and his wife Sandy met at a dance here on the Fullerton College campus in 1965 and are happily living in Pullman, Washington.
Jan Underwood - Though football was Jan Underwood's first love, he discovered a talent for track thanks to FC Hall of Famer Coach Tom Tellez. While at Buena Park High, he set the school record in the 440 yards and the Freeway League 880 yard record at 1:52.4, which lasted over 30 years. He took second in the state meet his senior year with a time of 1:52.0, .3 under the national record and .1 behind winner Ray Van Asten.
During Jan's freshman year at Fullerton College, under another FC Hall of Famer Coach Jim Bush, he ran with FC track greats Harry McCalla and Leroy Neal while setting 4 national relay team records. He was on the national record holding mile relay team, finished second in the conference 440 yards (47.6 ) and was second in state in the 880 yards (150.6 – an FJC record), again pushing Ray Van Asten to a new national junior college mark of 150.3 .
During his sophomore year at Fullerton under Coach Tellez, Jan ran a 4:09.7 mile, .7 off the national mark. He took third in the mile and second in the 880 at the state meet and finished 7th in the SoCal cross country finals. A well-rounded student-athlete, Jan was named Man of Distinction at Fullerton College in 1962.
At Oregon State, under Coach Sam Bell, Jan was a member of a national record distance medley relay team and a world record two mile relay team. During his senior year, he won the NCAA regional indoor championship at 1000 yards in 2:08.5, the second best time in the world that year. 'Undies' also anchored OSU's relay team to win the OSU/UO dual meet, finally defeating Ray Van Asten. Jan went into the NCAA finals with the best 880 time in the nation only to be controversially disqualified in the semifinals, and he was tripped on the last curve at the Olympic trials. He was named to the NCAA All -American Track and Field Team and was awarded the Outstanding Competitor of the Year by the U. of O.
In 1965 Jan married FJC teammate Roger Herbert's sister, Martha. He taught and coached in Ashland, OR for two years but returned to coach at Buena Park High and Fullerton College the following years. A longing for Oregon, however, and a more rural place to raise his three sons led to a move to Gilchrist High School in 1970 where he taught and coached for 27 years. His teams were state powerhouses and his sons became outstanding athletes themselves. He and Roger pedaled their bikes across the USA in 1976.
Jan and Martha still enjoy life in Central Oregon, though they have traded the snowy winters for sunny Southern California beaches and being closer to their four grandchildren.
Event Emcee Ed Arnold - Ed Arnold has been a friend of Fullerton College Athletes many years and has hosted the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies since the beginning. The retired L.A. Sports and News Anchor became good friends with the legendary FJC Football Coach Hal Sherbeck in the 60's and not only covered the Hornets on television, but hosted events for Coach including his on-campus Retirement Rally.
The L.A. Emmy and Golden Mike Awards winner continued his involvement through his friendship with one of his best friends, Football Coach Gene Murphy, Athletic Director Dr. Susan Beers, and Baseball Coach Nick Fuscardo for whom Ed hosted several fundraising events.
Ed is well known for his involvement with numerous non-profits, but his special love is Special Olympics. He was a founding board member for Special Olympics in the Western U.S. in 1968 and is still heavily involved.
Ed retired from his 60-year broadcasting career last year and his wife, Dr. Dixie Arnold, is retiring from Vanguard University this week marking her 50-years in education.
Arnold has been honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award at Arkansas High School, Santa Ana College and Long Beach State. He is also in the Athletic Halls of Fame here at Fullerton College, Santa Ana College, and Vanguard University.