SACRAMENTO, CA. . . The Commission on Athletics (COA) will induct five new members into the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame at the 6th Annual COA Convention in Reno, NV. The 2003 inductees are:
Mike Martz (Santa Ana College), Francie Larrieu-Smith (De Anza College), Hugo Salcedo (Compton College), Tom O’Connor (Butte College/Golden Valley Conference) and Gail Malone (Los Angeles Valley College).
The 20th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held Thursday, March 27 at 12:00 p.m. at the Peppermill Hotel. Martin Wyatt, sports director and weekday sports anchor at ABC7 in San Francisco will serve as master of ceremonies at the event. To purchase tickets, please print, complete and return the convention registration form available at www.coasports.org. Advance tickets are $40 and $45 after March 8. Tickets will be on sale until March 24 and will not be available on the day of the banquet.
Mike Martz, Santa Ana College
Mike Martz was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota before moving to San Diego at the age of 8. Martz, a collegiate tight end, played two seasons at San Diego Mesa College, one year at UC Santa Barbara and a final season in 1972 at Fresno State, where he graduated summa cum laude. Martz’s first coaching appointment was at Bullard High in Fresno in 1973. Between 1974-1982, Martz served as an assistant coach at San Diego Mesa College, San Jose State, Santa Ana College, Fresno State University, University of the Pacific and the University of Minnesota.
Martz was quarterbacks and receivers coach at Arizona State from 1983-87 and was the Sun Devils’ offensive coordinator in 1984 and again from 1988-91. He then moved on to an offensive assistant’s position with the Los Angeles Rams in 1992, and after a stint as quarterbacks coach with the Washington Redskins, Martz returned to the (St. Louis) Rams as Offensive Coordinator in 1999. That year, he was named NFL Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Football Digest and NFC Assistant Coach of the Year by USA Today as he directed an offense that became known as “The Greatest Show on Earth”. In 2000, Martz was named the Rams head coach, and has since posted an impressive 33-19 record. In 2001, Martz’s Rams became the first team to score at least 500 points in three consecutive seasons. The Rams also produced three consecutive NFL MVP award winners, as Kurt Warner took the honor in 1999, followed by Marshall Faulk in 2000 and 2001.
In 2002, Martz hosted a high school coaching clinic that attracted over 500 coaches from across Missouri. He also is host of an annual golf tournament in St. Louis that raises funds for Alzheimer’s research and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Francie Larrieu-Smith, De Anza College
Francie Larrieu-Smith, born in Palo Alto, California, is one of the most accomplished female athletes of our time. In 1991, she was selected by Runner’s World magazine as “The Most Versatile Runner of the Quarter Century.” It is easy to see why: During her career, Larrieu-Smith set 36 U.S. records and set 12 World Bests in distances ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 meters. She captured 19 USA Track and Field National Championship titles and participated on five Olympic teams, including the 1992 team, where she was selected by her teammates to serve as flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies in Barcelona.
Larrieu-Smith is a member of several distinguished halls, including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Long Distance Running Hall of Fame, the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame and the City of San Jose Sports Hall of Fame. Larrieu-Smith currently serves as the head coach of the women’s and men’s cross country and track and field teams at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
Hugo Salcedo, Compton College
Hugo Salcedo began playing soccer as a child in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. Following graduation from Compton College in 1966, Salcedo went on to play professional soccer in Columbia before landing a position on the U.S. team at the Pan American Games. In 1972, Salcedo competed in Munich as a member of the U.S. Olympic team. He has served as a general coordinator at five FIFA World Cup Events, as a consultant for Major League Soccer, and as a member of the Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee.
In 1998, Salcedo founded the Southern California Youth Soccer Association (SCYSO). The non-profit organization was created “to provide youth from disadvantaged communities an environment where they may develop as individuals and as athletes.” SCYSO provides coaching education to parents, volunteers and coaches, Youth Soccer Tournaments, athletic training for youth players, academic advising for parents and players, and placement opportunities for athletes to community colleges, universities, Olympic Development programs and international professional teams. Under Salcedo’s guidance, the SCYSO placed seven players into community college programs in 2002, has certified over 950 inner-city coaches and has sponsored 16 youth soccer tournaments that have attracted over 50,000 young players in southern California.
Tom O’Connor, Butte College/Golden Valley Conference (posthumously)
Tom O’Connor joined the Butte College staff as director of student activities in 1969. In his years at Butte, O’Connor also served as Athletic Director, Dean of the Evening College and Chairman of the Physical Education Department. He assumed the duties of Golden Valley Conference Commissioner in 1974 and served in that capacity for 20 years. In 1995, O’Connor was inducted into the California Community College Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame. O’Connor passed away in 1995. His wife, Evelyn, will attend the ceremony and receive the award.
Gail Malone, Los Angeles Valley College
Gail Malone was born in Glendale, California and competed in volleyball, basketball and gymnastics at Crescenta High School where she was voted the school’s top athlete in 1975. Malone attended Los Angeles Valley College from 1975-77, capturing a state title in 1976 and placing second in 1977. The following year, Malone attended California State University at Long Beach, where she was an all-conference selection. In 1980, Malone was named a USVBA All American and then went on to play professionally in the Italian Pro Volleyball League for two years. In 1983, Malone returned to Los Angles Valley College and was voted Coach of the Year in 1983. Malone then shifted her focus to professional beach volleyball. In the Grand Slam circuit, Malone and Lori Forsythe teamed in 1991 to win the Shootout and U.S. Open, and became the first team, women or men, to advance through a Shootout undefeated. She established a WPVA record with 127 final twelve appearances, including 64 final fours.
Malone represented the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where she and partner Deb Richardson tied for ninth place, having qualified for the games by finishing second in the U.S. Trials. She is currently a teacher and coach at Tri-City Christian School in Vista, California, where her 2002 girls’ team competed in the final four of the California State Championships, a first for Tri-City.
For more information on the COA Annual Convention and COA Hall of Fame, and for the latest news and updates of all 23 COA sanctioned sports, please visit www.coasports.org.
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