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THREE FORMER OCC COACHES AND THREE FORMER ATHLETES
INDUCTED INTO ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
On October 27, 2007 the Coast Athletic Alumni Association inducted its newest members into the Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame:
Coaches being inducted include: Sue Brown, an OCC administrator for 31 years; Dick Tucker, OCC’s head football coach from 1962-85 who led the Pirates to two national championships; and Jane Hilgendorf, who coached OCC’s women’s volleyball team for 19 seasons and won three state titles. Former athletes who’ll be inducted include: Mike Hunter, an All-American halfback who led OCC’s Pirates to a 21-0 victory over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the 1963 Junior Rose Bowl Game that gave the Pirates a national title; Jim Newkirk, a strapping right-handed pitcher during the 1956 and 1957 seasons, who led the Pirates to a state championship; and Laura Held Watkins, a cross county and track athlete in 1978-79 and 1979-80 who was named OCC’s Female Athlete of the Year as a sophomore, in 1979-80.
OCC ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME 2007 INDUCTEES SUE BROWN
OCC PE Division Chair and Dean, 1964-95
Brown, an OCC administrator for 31 years, was chair of the college’s Physical Education and Athletics Division from 1977-85, and played an indispensable role in ushering in implementation of Title IX – ending discrimination against female athletes – in California Community College athletics. In 1977, she was named the first woman to serve on the state’s Commission on Athletics. In 1980, she was named COA president, becoming the first woman and first non-college president to hold the honor. She served as chair for four years. Under her leadership, the COA became the first postsecondary, amateur athletic governing body in the nation to adopt a single set of rules for men’s and women’s sports. In 1991, Brown became the first woman to be inducted into the COA Hall of Fame. She was named OCC’s associate dean of Admissions and Records in 1985, and, from 1988-95, served as administrative dean of Admissions and Records
JANE HILGENDORF
OCC Volleyball Coach, Athletic Director, 1970-01
Hilgendorf joined Orange Coast College’s faculty in 1970. She coached OCC’s women’s volleyball team for 19 seasons and led the Pirates to three state titles, in 1978, 1980 and 1982. Her teams made it into the playoffs 15 of her 19 seasons, and finished second in the state once, and third on two occasions. Hilgendorf was named California Community College Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1978, and was inducted into the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1995. She was named conference coach of the year on several occasions. Hilgendorf was OCC’s Assistant Athletic Director for seven years, and was Dean of Physical Education and Athletics – as well as Athletic Director – for three years, from 1998-01. She was a member of the state Commission on Athletics from 1981-87, and was president of the Orange Empire Conference in 1998.
DICK TUCKER
OCC Football Coach, Athletic Director, 1962-95
A member of OCC’s Physical Education and Athletics Division staff for 33 years, Tucker was the college’s head football coach for 24 seasons, from 1962-85. Two of his teams captured national championships. His 1963 squad finished with a 10-0 record and defeated Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, 21-0, in the Junior Rose Bowl Game in front of 44,044 fans. His 1975 outfit went 11-0 and won the Avocado Bowl. Six of Tucker’s squads won conference championships, and he logged a career OCC coaching record of 129-102. He was inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame in the 1990s, and into the California Community College Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in March of 2004. Tucker was OCC’s athletic director for more than a decade. Before joining OCC’s staff in 1962, he was head coach at Brea-Olinda High for 11 years. He won eight league championships at Brea and two CIF titles.
MIKE HUNTER
OCC Student, Student Body President,
Football Player, JC All-American, 1962-64
Hunter, a two-time JC All-American halfback at OCC, led the Pirates to a combined 19-1 record during the 1962 and 1963 football seasons, and to a 21-0 victory over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the ’63 Junior Rose Bowl Game that gave the Pirates the national title. He set the national JC record his sophomore year with four punt returns for touchdowns, including one in the Junior Rose Bowl. Hunter was OCC’s student body president during the 1963-64 academic year. He played football at USC, and was the starting safety against Purdue in the 1966 Rose Bowl Game. He earned a B.S. degree in finance and marketing. Since 1970, Hunter has been involved in the real estate industry, most recently with his 12-year tenure as a principal at O’Donnell Atkins. During his 30 years in real estate development and land sales, Hunter has bought and sold over $3.5 billion worth of properties.
JIM NEWKIRK
OCC Student, Baseball, Football Player, 1955-57
Newkirk graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1955. A strapping right-hander, he pitched for Orange Coast College’s Pirates during the 1956 and 1957 seasons. He led the Bucs to two Eastern Conference baseball championships and a state title. During his two seasons with the Pirate baseballers he racked up an incredible 19-1 career record. As a freshman, he logged a perfect 6-0 record for the Pirates’ state championship team. In 1957, he went 13-1, losing to Pasadena City College in the state semifinals. He continues to hold five OCC top-10 pitching records. He ranks number one in career pitching percentage for the Pirates, with a .950 winning percentage. Newkirk was a starting offensive and defensive tackle on Orange Coast College’s 1957 football team that beat Santa Ana College, the number one JC team in America, 13-7.
LAURA HELD WATKINS
OCC Student, Cross Country and Track Athlete,
JC All-American, 1978-80
Watkins was a cross county and track athlete at OCC in 1978-79 and 1979-80, and earned JC All-American honors. She finished second in the state in the 400 hurdles as a sophomore, and continues to hold OCC school records in four events, including the 400 hurdles. Watkins was named the South Coast Conference’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 1980, and was OCC’s Female Athlete of the Year for 1979-80. She was a member of two national champion NCAA Division II track teams at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1981 and 1982, and finished seventh in the 400 hurdles at the NCAA championships. She earned her B.S. in physical education at Cal Poly and her M.S in athletic training at the University of Arizona. She is in her 24th year as head athletic trainer at California State University, San Bernardino, and is also the university’s assistant athletic director for sports medicine.
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