State Football Coaches Induct Nine Hall of Famers   Posted on: Apr 12 2000 12:53PM SPRING CONVENTION, CLINIC, AND HALL OF FAME LUNCHEON MARCH 16, 17, 18, 2000 VISALIA ELKS CLUB VISALIA, CALIFORNIA OWEN HAHN, SANTA MONICA COLLEGE CONTRIBUTOR Owen is a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles with a BS degree in 1961 and a MS degree in 1963. His first coaching position was at Bell High School in Los Angeles. His record as a head coach there was 40 - 11- 1 and his team won three league championships, and was the L.A. City 4A runner up in 1972. In 1975 he moved to West Los Angeles College as an assistant coach and was the head coach there for two years before transferring to Santa Monica in 1981. He was the Corsairs' head coach for four years, from 1990 through 1993. His team won the Western States Conference Championship in 1991 and went to two bowl games, the Western States Bowl, and the K Swiss Classic, during his head coaching tenure. Owen's accomplishments in coaching have carried over into a very strong leadership role in the Football Coaches Association. He has been a conference representative in three different conferences, the Metro in 1981, the Pac 9 in 1982-1983, and the Western States from 1984 through 1993. He has been on the board of directors from 1989 to the present, and served as the president of the association in 1991. He has been a driving force in the Association in many ways. He has hosted the CCCFCA Hall of Fame Luncheon, has been the master of ceremonies at most of the Hall of Fame banquets, revised the constitution in 1991, and provided the leadership and ideas to defeat pending legislation which would have had a detrimental effect on community college football. He also has assumed responsibility for the current Hall of Fame interior decorating project. Owen has devoted and contributed many hours for the betterment of football and the students that play the game. Owen and his wife Christy have been married for 35 years and have two daughters, Piper Underwood and Linsey Buechluer. AL BALDOCK, TAFT COLLEGE COACH Holly, Texas was Al Baldock's birthplace , and he moved to Santa Monica in 1940. He played on Santa Monica High's 1947 C.I.F. championship team for whom he was the captain and an All-CIF choice. Transferring to the University of Southern California, he played there from 1948-1950 before spending two years in the Army. He returned for his final year in 1953. While in the Army, Al was the player/coach of the Fort Riley team that was the 5th Army champions in 1952. He began his coaching career at Allan Hancock in 1951, staying there through 1961. Hancock won the Central Conference crown in 1960 and 1961 and won the Orange Show Bowl in 1960. In 1962 he moved to College of Sequoias for seven years and left with 46 wins, 13 losses and 4 ties, and with Valley Conference titles in 1963 and 1965, and the Empire Bowl championship in 1965. At Los Angeles City College from 1972 through 1974, Al's teams had a record of 22 wins, 10 losses, and 1 tie. They were State Champions in 1973 after winning the Southern California Conference title. Taft College was his next stop for Al, where he compiled 143 wins, 26 losses and 5 ties in 17 seasons. During that time Taft won 10 conference titles, five Potato Bowls, four State Championships and a pair of mythical national crowns. He was California Community College Football Coach of the Year six times. He completed his career at West Hills in 1995. His overall community college record was a tremendous 233 wins, 63 losses and 12 ties. He has retired in Taft with his wife of 47 years. He has a daughter Erin and a grandson. LARRY BATTLE, REEDLEY COLLEGE POST-1965 PLAYER Larry Battle was a four-sport star at Washington High School in Fresno, where he won 14 letters in basketball, baseball, track, and football. He transferred to Reedley College in 1969 and played football for two years as the Tigers won conference championships in 1969 and 1970. He also competed in track while at Reedley and was the third-fastest 200-meter runner in the state. The football season of 1970 was a memorable one for Larry. He was named All-Conference and All-State, and to the JC All-American team. He was also selected as Reedley's Most Valuable Player. Among the highlights of that 1970 season were twice scoring six touchdown on pass receptions in a single game. He also set a single season record for touchdowns, with 26, and scored five two-point conversions in one game. He transferred to the University of Oregon in 1971 and was a starter when Dan Fouts was the quarterback. In 1972, injuries cut his career short. Larry returned to Fresno where he now lives with his two sons, Seth, 18, and Dustin, 15. He is a Deputy Assessor for the County of Fresno. PAUL LATZKE GAVILAN COLLEGE ASSISTANT COACH Paul grew up in Gilroy, and was one of the top athletes to ever graduate from Gilroy High School. He played varsity football, basketball, and baseball as a sophomore. As a senior he was all-conference in all three sports. He was captain of the football team and basketball team. Paul transferred to Menlo College in 1960, where he again played all three sports, and as a freshman was "Athlete of the Year". He was captain of the football team. After transferring to the University of the Pacific in 1962 he was again elected captain. Paul was a two-way starter and won the " Iron Man" award for most minutes played for the season in 1964. He continued to show his versatility by playing basketball at Pacific in 1964. He graduated with a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Physical Education in 1965, and continued playing football for Sid Gilman at San Diego with the Chargers from 1966 through 1968 and with the Denver Broncos in 1969 and 1970. His first teaching job was at Robert Louis Stevenson High in Pebble Beach, and he began his coaching career at Gavilan College in 1972. He has been an assistant coach for six different coaches in 25 years. He has coached numerous JC All Americans, and assisted 10 bowl teams and six championship teams. He has been the glue that binds at Gavilan. Paul and his wife, Marcia, have been married for 26 years. they have two children, Brooke 22, and Aaron 19. CLAUDE GILBERT, BAKERSFIELD ALUMNI COACH Claude has had a long association with community college football, both as a player in 1950 and 1955 at Bakersfield College, and as a coach, again at Bakersfield, as an assistant for three years, 1963 -1965. Prior to coaching at Bakersfield, he was the head coach at Tulare High School, and Shafter High School. He finished his community college career as the head coach at Southwestern College in 1966. In 1967 he joined the staff at San Diego State University as an assistant for Don Coryell, where he coached for six years. He became the head coach at San Diego State in 1973, and in eight years compiled a 62-26-2 record before moving on to his alma mater, San Jose State University, as an assistant for 3 years. He was the head coach at San Jose for six seasons, and took the Spartans to two California Bowl games. Claude has coached the West Shrine Team twice, in the Japan Bowl once and in the Blue-Gray Bowl once. He also had a two-year stint with the World Football League. His last coaching assignment was at San Diego State again, as the defensive coordinator, where his team was ranked as the best in the nation. Claude and wife Mary Lou are now retired and living in Grass Valley. MACARTHUR LANE, MERRITT- LANEY PRE-1965 PLAYER Macarthur Lane played his high school football at Oakland , where he was an outstanding player and was on the All-City Team. He transferred to Merritt Peralta College, which is now called Laney College. With his 6- 1, 220-pound frame and great speed, he was an imposing force for community college defensive players to tackle. Utah State University was the next stop in his educational and football career. He was selected for several All Star teams by the time he finished his career at Utah in 1968. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Physical Education. Lane was the number one draft choice of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969, and led the league in scoring and was All-Pro in 1970. After four years with St. Louis he went to Green Bay for three seasons, and led the league in pass receiving one year. He finished his playing career in the NFL with Kansas City. Macarthur also played and coached in the Canadian football league, and with the Raiders, and with several semi-pro football teams. He has played for or coached with some of the greatest the game of football has ever had, among them Marv Levy, John Ralston and Paul Wiggin, who was inducted into the California Community College Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1993. Macarthur lives in Oakland with his wife and three daughters, Edna, Rhonda and Casandra, and is in the real estate buisiness. ISAAC BRUCE, SANTA MONICA CITY COLLEGE POST-1965 PLAYER Isaac began his community college career at West Los Angeles College and completed it at Santa Monica. As a sophomore in 1991 he caught 36 passes for 861 yards and seven touchdowns and helped lead Santa Monica to a K-Swiss Bowl championship. He graduated in 1992 and transferred to Memphis State University, where he enjoyed an outstanding career and earned a degree. He was the number two draft choice of the L.A. Rams in 1994. In his first season with the Rams he caught 21 passes for 272 yards. He became a full-time player in 1995 and turned in the best season by a Ram and the second-best receiving season in league history with 119 catches and 1,781 yards. His 119 catches ranks fifth on the all time NFL single season reception list. In 1996 Isaac, despite missing five games which ended his 43- game streak with at least one reception, he had three 200-hundred yard games, the only Rams player to accomplish that feat. He was named All Pro and was elected to the Pro Bowl Team. Playing and winning the Super Bowl this year has been at the top of his list of accomplishments. Isaac is a great team leader and is the captain of the Rams. He has received the Rams' Most Valuable Player award in 1994, 1995, and 1996. He has numerous L.A. Ram team records and continues to break records every year. Isaac lives in Memphis during the off season but returns each year to work with the Santa Monica team and to run a charity golf classic to help support local inner city youth programs. ED BROWN, HARTNELL COLLEGE PRE-1965 PLAYER Ed graduated from San Luis Obispo High School in 1948. Transferring to Hartnell College in 1949, he played quarterback and safety as a two-way performer. He transferred to the University of San Francisco in 1949 and played quarterback for USF squads that were heralded as the top teams on the Pacific Coast. He was drafted into the Marines in 1952 and was the star on the Pendelton Marine team for two years, where he again played both ways as a quarterback and safety. When his service years were complete, Ed joined the Chicago Bears for eight years. He led the NFL in passing in 1954 and 1955. Ed had the honor of playing in the Pro Bowl in 1955 and 1956. In 1962 he went to the Pittsburg Steelers, where he was second in passing in the NFL. His career statistics are: 949 passes completed in 1987 attempts, 15,600 yards and 102 touchdowns. He also was an outstanding punter with a 40.6 average for 493 punts. Ed is retired and living in San Luis Obispo, California. J.R. BOONE, REEDLEY COLLEGE ASSISTANT COACH J.R. was born and grew up in Oklahoma, where he graduated from Sand Springs High School in 1943. He played in the Oklahoma State All Star Football game. In 1944 he enrolled at the University of Tulsa and graduated in 1948 with degrees in Physical Education and Social Science. He earned nine varsity letters, four in football, two in basketball, two in track, and one in baseball. He was captain of the football team, and was voted the "Outstanding Athlete" his senior year at Tulsa. He was also selected to several All American football teams. Being drafted by two professional teams, the Chicago Bears, and the New York Yankees, he decided to go with the Bears. He was with the Bears for four years, 1948 through 1951. He also played with the 49'ers and the Green Bay Packers. He played offensive running back and defensive safety. He started coaching in 1955 as an assistant at Selma High School. In 1956 he moved to Lindsay and won a league championship. In 1958 his team was undefeated in winning the championship again. Transferring to Sanger High School in 1959 his team was undefeated and won championships again in 1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964. Moving on to Reedley in 1966, he continued his winning ways. His Reedley teams won four conference championships between 1966 and 1972, and in 1967 he won his 100th game. Reedley won the State Championship in 1971. He transferred to Fresno State University in 1972 and retired from coaching in 1975. J.R. and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year and are very proud of their three children. In retirement he continues to live in Selma.