The newest members of the Alma Schools Athletic Hall of Fame were announced Sunday during the annual all-class reunion held at Wright Park in Alma. Hall of Fame committee members Doug Yarnell and Mike Miller announced the Class of 2010 at 1 p.m., listing off six former standout athletes all of whom will be inducted during the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet at Pine River Country Club on Oct. 23. The Class of 2010 is the fourth to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame and it brings the running total up to 29 former athletes/coaches and ambassadors. Here's a closer look at the Class of 2010.

Melvin Fuller - Class of 1932

Fuller was a four-sport athlete for the Panthers and was the president of his class in 1931-32. He earned three letters in football and was all-conference and honorable mention All-State at tackle in 1931. He also played basketball, baseball and ran track and field before moving on and having an exceptional college career at Alma College. During his collegiate run he was a three-sport letterwinner for the Scots as he played football, basketball and ran track and field. In 1935 Fuller earned All-MIAA honors at tackle. That same season Alma College won the MIAA by going 4-0 and finished ranked in the national poll. The 1975 Alma College Athletic Hall of Fame honoree was known as a '60 Minute Man' as he played nearly every down on both offense and defense. Melvin Fuller's son Gary Fuller was at Sunday's ceremony and was honored when he heard the announcement. "We're very proud to have him recognized," said Gary Fuller, who graduated from Alma High School in 1960. "I appreciate the committee's work in nominating him. It's great that it's on the record so our grandchildren and great grandchildren can come back here and see what their grandfather did."

Dale Narragon - Class of 1952

Narragon was a four-sport athlete who earned 12 letters during his prep career. He played football, basketball, baseball and ran track and field for the Panthers. He also captained the 1952 football team. On the hardwood he earned All-State honorable mention honors from the Detroit News and was on the Saginaw News' first-team. In track, where he was also the team captain in 1952, he set the school record in the shot put with a throw of 49-7 7/8. This throw stood for 15 years. After graduation he was a three-sport athlete at Taft College in California. He competed in football, basketball and track and field.

Jan Bowen — Class of 196

Bowen starred in cross country and track and field and is one of the best distance runners in school history. As a senior he won 15 titles combined and finished runner-up in the mile in Class B. As a freshman in 1958 he also landed runner-up in the mile in Class B before winning the state title in the event in both 1959 and 1960. In the mile alone he set the Alma High School school record; the North Central B Conference record and the Saginaw Area record. Bowen went on to run at Michigan State in both cross country and track and field from 1961-64. He won the Big Ten Conference title in the mile in 1963 and led the Spartans to conference titles in cross country in 1962 and 1963.

Mike Ward — Class of 1979

Mike Ward was a three-sport athlete for the Panthers who earned seven letters during his prep career. He excelled in football, baseball and basketball and earned numerous honors in each. On the gridiron he played a key role in leading the Panthers to the conference title in 1978 and earned all-conference honors at defensive back. On the hardwood he earned three letters and helped Alma win district and regional titles en route to an appearance in the state semifinals in 1978. Alma also won a district title in 1979 and he was named Team MVP after leading the team in scoring. Ward also garnered all-conference honors and All-State honors in basketball as a senior. On the diamond Ward led the Panthers to a conference title and a district title in 1978. He also earned all-conference honors as a junior and senior and was All-State in 1979. He played baseball for four years at CMU and established career records for home runs and extra-base hits. Ward also played minor league baseball in the Detroit Tigers' farm system.

Mark Ward — Class of 1979

Mark Ward, twin brother of Mike, was also an exceptional three-sport star for the Panthers as he excelled in football, basketball and baseball. In football he was a standout lineman who earned All-State honors from the AP, UPI and the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press in 1979. The all-conference selection was also a key cog in helping the Panthers win a conference title in 1978. In basketball he helped the Panthers advance to the semifinal round in 1978 and secure a district title in 1979. As a senior he was the team's top rebounder and free-throw shooter. Ward also earned three letters in baseball and played a key role in Alma winning conference and district titles in 1978 and 1979. He also earned all-conference honors as a junior and senior and was All-State as a senior. Ward also went onto play baseball at CMU. "It's a great honor and something I'm looking forward to," said Mark Ward Sunday. "We weren't really expecting this and don't know how we got involved but we both think it's a great honor.

Lisa (Peska) Robinson — Class of 1983

During her tenure Robinson earned eight letters, four in swimming and four in track and field. In the pool this four-year state finals qualifier earned All-State honors in 1982 and 1983. She also set numerous school records and was named the Mid-Michigan B Conference Outstanding Swimmer in 1981 and 1983. Robinson was the team captain and MVP as a senior. On the track she also qualified for the state finals four times and set multiple school records. In 1982 she won conference titles in two events and regional crowns in four events en route to All-State honors. Then in 1983 she claimed conference and regional titles in two events and was again All-State. To her father Gerald the fact that she is being inducted is nice, but he had an inkling early on that his daughter Lisa had something special. "The one I remember the most is the field day in the seventh grade," said Gerald Peska, who also coached Lisa for 10 years. "They had all the boys and girls going together and throwing (the shot put). Usually it was about 17 feet. I called her over and asked her to tell the guy who's running it to move back. He looked at her like 'who are you.' She threw that six-pound shot put 37 feet."

Six More Added to RC Hall of Fame
by Will Goldbeck
The Reedley Exponent
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010

With the host and two inductees, the 1970 Reedley College Tiger football team was well represented at the 19th annual induction dinner for the Reedley College Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the Reedley Community Center. About 130 people, some making the trip to Reedley from as far as Texas, heard the incredible story of how inductee Mark Pinheiro rebounded from a back injury to play offensive tackle for the 1970 Tigers. Pinheiro's teammates, inductee Robert Pendergrass and dinner host Ed Kezirian, made it a perfect ending for a perfect evening as the Hall of Fame grew to 149 members.

Making the trip to the World's Fruit Basket for the ceremony from Texas were inductee Edrina Pogue Baker (1985-87) and many members of her family. Only needing about two miles to make it to the ceremony was former Tiger tennis and basketball standout Richard Groening (1952-53). The other inductees were golfer Todd Hansen (1995-1997) and basketball standout Greg McCall (1987-1989). Also in attendance were 15 other members of the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame. Pendergrass delighted the crowd by telling stories from the 1970 football team, including one involving Kezirian's wife, who was the mascot at the time.

Kezirian shared the story of Pinheiro's injury, suffered when he was training for the 1969 City-County All Star Game. Pinheiro was lifting weights in the Kingsburg High School Gymnasium when he lost his balance and injured his lower back. Despite being in pain all summer, Pinheiro practiced for five days with the County All-Stars before he couldn't stand the pain anymore. Pinheiro spent a month in the hospital after they removed the fourth and fifth discs in his back. He went from a 240-pound lineman to 190 pounds. "The 1969 and 1970 football seasons were two of the best seasons in school history," said Kezirian. "No one was going to move our anchor," said Kezirian, who moved to left tackle to keep Pinheiro at the right tackle position in 1970. "No one on our team studied film more than Mark." Kezirian showed the crowd an autographed photo from former Green Bay Packers lineman Jerry Kramer of Kramer holding up Coach Vince Lombardi after the famous Ice Bowl victory. The photo was signed, "To Mark from one offensive lineman to another, Jerry Kramer."

Pinheiro said that the team chemistry and the closeness of all the players were keys to the success of the two Tiger teams. He also told the story about a defensive lineman from West Hills College, who after watching films, Pinheiro thought that he wouldn't have to face his sophomore year. But that lineman, known only as number 87, lined up across from Pinheiro. "I'm known as the guy that almost got Steve Jacoby killed," said Pinheiro. "What a leader, he said of the late Jacoby, who was one of the 14 members of the first induction class back in 1992. "I never realized in my wildest dreams that I would be up here," said Groening, who starred for the Tigers in tennis and basketball in 1952-53. He said that he was so fired up when they played College of the Sequoias in basketball that he was able to dunk the basketball.

He averaged 19.6 points per game in an era when teams averaged only about 60 points per game. "Reedley College was one of the best experiences of my life," said Pendergrass, who has coached wrestling, football and softball at Mendota High School. Pogue Baker is considered by many to be the best female all-around athlete to play at Reedley. "The school was small and the town was small, it was just what I needed," said Pogue Baker, who was met in Houston, Texas by then Tiger football coach Gerry Scheidt, who was also at the dinner. Pogue Baker was named Teacher of the Year in her area in 2005-2006. Hansen told a story about his only hole-in-one of his golf career. Coach John Perkins told him that he needed the ace and a birdie to win the tournament and that's just what he did. Hansen's youngest son is 18 months old. He told Perkins that he needed him to coach another 18 years.

The first inductee to be introduced was McCall, who came to Reedley from Birmingham, Alabama. Kezirian told the story how Coach Keith Hughes met McCall in Alabama. Hughes later explained that he was officially an assistant coach at Arizona State University at the time. "He came into the projects and recruited me," said McCall. He said that Hughes showed him a picture of Reedley Beach. "I'm still waiting to see Reedley Beach," joked McCall, who said that he wished Reedley was a four-year university. Hughes answered by saying that he never recruited anybody to Reedley without telling them the real story about Reedley Beach.

The following student athlete have excelled academically with a grade point average of 3.0 or above, on a 4.0 scale, in at least 12 semester units while successfully participating in the current season of sport.

Scott Layman was the smallest man in the contest, but he came up big. Again. The 149-pound UPS driver from Bakersfield, who played football at Taft College in 1990-91, was the overall champion Saturday in the 12th annual Samson’s Gym bench press championships. It was the ninth time in the history of the local weight-lifting event that Layman has been crowned the best pound-for-pound lifter. It was no surprise. He is one of the best power lifters in the country. Layman has won four national titles. In last July’s USPF nationals, he squatted 600 pounds, bench-pressed 374 and dead-lifted 573 pounds for a total of 1,574 pounds. In the American Cup Invitational Power Lifting championships in Los Angeles last January, Layman lifted 1,504 pounds (595 squat, 380 bench, 529 dead-lift).

In Samson’s contest all he and the others had to do was the bench press. His best of the day was 405 pounds, which is 271.81 percent of his body weight. Brothers Michael and Brian Risenhoover took second and third, respectively, with lifts of 380 (238%) and 345 (226%).  Michael weighs 160 and Brian 153. One of the highlights of the event was the effort by 63-year-old Taftian Dick Russell, who was a shot put and discuss champion at Taft High School just a few years back. Russell won the heavyweight division by lifting 445 pounds or 187 percent of his body weight.

Results in every category were based on percent of body weight lifted. Other results, with weight lifted and percent of body weight in parenthesis: Women’s open: 1. Lisa Piotrouski, 235* (163), 2. Judy Camsuzou 230 (151%) High School: 1. Pablo Hernandez, 260 (174), 2. Jonathan Alfaro, 415 (238), 3. Daniel Watts, 250 (144) Lightweight: 1. Scott Layman 405 (272), 2. Michael Risenhoover 380 (238), 3. Brian Risenhoover 245 (225). Middleweight: 1. Ken Fasulo 405 (224) Light heavyweight: 1. Robert Miller 430 (201), 2. Matt Nixon 405 (190), 3. Cameron Parsons 380 (178) Heavyweight: 1. Dick Russell 445 (187), 2. Louis Seal 445 (178), 3. Tom Fischer 405 (242) Super heavyweight: 1. Steve Denison 535 (198), 2, Travis Plumlee (345 (125)

* Denotes new record The event is organized by Samson’s Gym owners Travis and Andrea Botts and sponsored by: Accelerated Environmen-tal Hudddleston Crane  Pride Athletics, Cooper’s Petroleum General Production Service TIC H&E Equipment Ser-vices MTS Stimulation Services Westside Believers Fellowship. It was held at Westside Believers and covered for an enthusiastic audience and DVD by four high definition cameras that displayed the competition on two 15-foot screens. 

Kari Lawrence 41, born November 25, 1968 in Everett, Washington to Bill and Bobbie Robinson. She passed away April 22, 2010 of Breast Cancer. Kari was a resident of Tulare, CA. A 1987 graduate of Rex Putnam High School, Milwaukie, Oregon, Taft College in 1990 and Cal State University, Hayward, CA in 1993. She married Mark Lawrence on August 12, 1996 and they have two beautiful children Hope, 13 and Lucas, 10. A respected Physical Education teacher and coach at Richgrove Middle School for the last 10 years, she loved her students and co-workers and taught every day to the very end. She is survived by her parents Bill and Bobbie Robinson of Tulare, CA, her children Hope and Lucas, her sister Renee Vansickel and husband Ken and their two children Jacob and Aubrey of Tulare, CA. Her brother Brent Robinson of San Jose, CA, her grandfather Jack Harrsch of Dexter, Or and many Aunts, Uncles and Friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation . A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 2:30 P.M. at Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel, 127 E. Caldwell Ave, Visalia, CA. Condolences may be e-mailed to salseranddillard@aol.com

Proposed TC Conference Change on Hold
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
April 5, 2010

A proposal to boot three colleges from the south – including Bakersfield College – into the Central Valley Conference has been left in limbo. That was the result of Friday’s meeting in Ontario of the governing body of community college athletics. The proposal – drafted by conferences in southern California – would have moved Bakersfield, Allan Hancock of Santa Maria and Cuesta of San Luis Obispo into the Central Valley Conference, which includes Taft College. All three currently are members of the Western State Conference.

The Commission on Athletics (COA) pulled the item from the agenda. “Its’ been tabled again,” said TC Athletic Director Kanoe Bandy.  “I don’t think this discussion is over yet.” “They didn’t say what they were going to do with it,” she said. She said she was unsure when the plan would be taken up again, but it likely won’t be approached again until the COA meeting next fall. There also is talk of moving Modesto J.C. back into the Central to make it a 12-team conference with two divisions. “There are some other conference ideas out there that haven’t been fully explored,” Bandy said.  “I know there are some other options out there, but they didn’t share much at the meeting.”

Moving BC, Hancock and Cuesta into the CVC will bolster the conference, she said. “It would be good for our conference.  I don’t know that it would solve everything, but it would have been good for us.” Bandy emphasized that the Central wasn’t courting other colleges. “It wasn’t something we were doing.  It was a proposal by the south to move them into our conference.  It had nothing to do with us.  We would have to rework things, but we are willing to take them.  We’re not hurting without this.”

Bakersfield has opposed any effort to move the Renegades from the south to the north, citing a potential for increased travel costs during post-season playoffs. One proposal drafted by the north would, in addition to shifting Modesto back to the Central Valley, move Columbia College into another conference.  Columbia is hosted by the CVC in volleyball only. BC’s representative at the COA meeting – softball coach Sandi Taylor – was reported to have said the reconferencing issue will be taken up by the state athletic directors association, but Bandy questioned that. “I’m on the board of directors of athletic directors association and haven’t heard anything about that,” she said.

A proposed change that will be voted on this week by the state governing body could rekindle the Taft-Bakersfield rivalry. The Commission on Athletics, citing cost-containment as the primary reason, is considering a plan that would bring Bakersfield, Allan Hancock, Cuesta and Modesto colleges into the Central Valley Conference. TC is a longstanding member of the CVC.  Other schools include Sequoias, Fresno, Merced, Reedley, Porterville and West Hills.  The CVC hosts Columbia College in volleyball, but that arrangement would end with the realignment, said TC Athletic Director Kanoe Bandy. “That’s our longest trip,” she said, of the college that is located just outside Sonora. BC, Hancock of Santa Maria, and Cuesta of San Luis Obispo may be forced out of the Western State Conference, Bandy said. “They are essentially being kicked out of the Western State,” she said.  “Travel is the main consideration.”

Bakersfield, despite its close proximity to Taft, rarely engages TC even in non-conference games. Softball is the only sport the schools are playing each other in this year. Baseball coach Vince Maiocco said he’d like to play the Renegades in a home-and-home series, but the Bakersfield school has declined. He thinks the prospect of BC joining the Central Valley league would add luster. “I welcome it,” he said.  “It will make us – the CVC – one of the premier athletic conferences in the entire state.  There’s talk that we’d have a north and south division and that would guarantee our conference at least four playoff spots.” He sees another plus. “It would continue those high school rivalries for another two years.  These kids in the valley play against each other in high school, and this would keep that going.”

The Central Valley has wooed Bakersfield in the past, Bandy said. “We’ve tried to get them in before.” According to an article in the Bakersfield Californian, BC contends a switch to the Central Valley will drive up its travel expenses. And, BC has more sports than most CVC members with 18 (nine for women and nine for men). TC has just six sports – volleyball, soccer, basketball and softball for women and soccer and baseball for men. An expanded conference may put pressure on TC to add sports.

TC to Hold Baseball Clinic on Sunday
Taft Midway Driller
March 26, 2010

The Taft College baseball team will hold a free youth baseball clinic Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at Cougar Field on the TC campus, 29 Emmons Park Drive.

Head Coach Vince Maiocco said the clinic will cover the fundamentals of the game.  The coaching staff and players will put youngsters 13 and under through a series of drills.

Participants are asked to bring their gloves along with a bat and helmet, if they have those items.

Former Taft College Football Player David Kelly's Miraculous Recovery Recalled at Hall of Fame Dinner
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
February 5, 2010

David Kelly’s inspirational story was revisited two weeks ago when he was inducted into the Arvin High sports hall of fame.  Kelly, who played two seasons of football at Taft College in 1975-76, made a miraculous recovery from a near-fatal traffic accident in 1996, fought his way back to a normal life and is now inspiring young athletes as a junior varsity assistant coach. “I had to start all over,” he said.  “I was like a baby.  I had to learn to crawl and walk and talk all over again.” Despite his painful and sometimes frustrating recovery, Kelly plowed ahead with the same level of commitment and determination he brought to athletics. He was a three-sport star at Arvin but played only football at TC, where he was team captain and a two-time All-Central Valley Conference wide receiver who made a big impression on legendary coach Al Baldock. They kept in touch after Kelly returned to Arvin where he established a successful produce business. They became even closer after the near-fatal injuries Kelly suffered when his produce truck was broadsided on a rural road.

In fact, Kelly and Baldock met in Bakersfield just two days before the coach he so admired and respected drowned in his back yard swimming pool in September. “Coach Baldock was such an inspiration to me,” Kelly said.  “I’ll never forget what he did for me and his other players.” Kelly likewise was an inspiration to his former coach, who was awed by Kelly’s miraculous recovery. At Kelly’s request, Baldock staged a clinic for the Arvin High coaches. “I learned so much as a young man from him,” he said.

He recalled with pride a crucial conference game at Porterville College where he made the game-winning catch and had a coach tell him he “could be the mayor of Taft after that catch and winning the game.” Kelly also has been an inspiration to his former Cougar teammate and dorm roommate Kerry Denison, who flew out from Denver, Colo. to attend the induction ceremony. “David and I have been close since our playing days at Taft,” he said.  “We went separate ways after our days at TC but kept in touch.  I was in Bakersfield visiting my parents when he had his accident.  I spent four days with him at the hospital. Kelly was not expected to survive the crash.  He was in a coma and on life support for three weeks. “His recovery was just amazing,” Denison said.  “He is such an inspiration to everyone.  We’ve remained close and kept in touch.”

Chuck Chamberlain, a coaching legend in Arvin and head football and baseball coach when Kelly was a Bear, highlighted his former player’s career. “He was a great three-sport athlete,” he said.  “He played on five different championship teams.  In baseball we were second in the valley and in basketball we were third in the valley, with no player over six feet tall.  He is a guy you wanted at bat when the game was on the line.” Kelly continued to contribute to the community after his playing days ended, organizing a highly successful youth football program. “You talk about a guy who gives back to the community,” he said.  “He coached my sons in Little League and has coached JV football for the last 10 years.  He’s making a big difference in these players.” Kelly credited his coaches with giving him the courage and dedication to recover from his horrific accident. “Life today is pretty good again.  I will always be thankful to my coaches for instilling in me the never-give-up attitude that helped me get through the rehab after my accident.”

Twenty-three fall semester Taft College athletes have been named to the Central Valley Conference academic all-conference team. The award is based on academic excellence.  Student athletes must have earned a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or above in at least 12 units of credit coursework to qualify.

Services for Al Baldock were held at the Westside Believers Fellowship, 101 Highway 33 , Taft, CA at 10:00 am on Monday September 21, 2009. Taft College hosted a reception at the Taft College gym following the services.

A scholarship has been established in his name through the Taft College Memorial Scholarship Fund, 29 Emmons Park Drive, Taft, CA 93268. Or contact Debbie Hegeman at 661.763.7727