The Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame inducted 16 new members on Sunday:
Mike Bright
Col. Edward DeGroot
Scott Fortune
Brian Gimmillaro
Brent Hilliard
Flo Hyman
Ron Lang
Liz Masakayan
Nina Matthies
Elaina Oden
Pat Powers
Larry Rundle
Steve Salmons
John Speraw
Ernie Suwara
Byron Shewman (Lifetime Service Award)
This was the second class. The crowd represented volleyball history from the first Olympics in 1964 and first NCAA championships in 1970 to the present. The HOF is housed at American Sports Centers in Anaheim.
The inductees represented the USA in 21 Olympic Games and won more than 50 NCAA, US Collegiate and AIAW and USVBA titles combined. They were recognized in a special video tribute.
Attendees included 2017 SCIVBHOF charter HOF class selections Karch Kiraly, Debbie Green, Chris Marlowe, Kim Oden, Doug Partie, and Al Scates, plus Lifetime Service winner Elissa Sato. Also back was George Mulry, the International Hall of Fame Executive Director from Holyoke.
Other key volleyball personalities and coaches in attendance included multi-time Olympian and USC men’s head coach Jeff Nygaard, former Olympic and USC women’s coach Mick Haley, former UOP and Stanford women’s coach John Dunning, UOP current head coach Greg Gibbons, Olympic volleyball announcer Kevin Barnett, former Olympians Bev Oden and Rudy Suwara, veteran USVBA player and coach, 99-years old Bertha Lucas (mother of Olympian Patti Bright), MotorMVB President Wade Gerard, Olympic Assistant Coach Gary Sato and Don Patterson from Starlings & Dig Magazine.
“We are very honored and excited with the support we have had from the Southern California indoor volleyball community in our two years of existence,” said Michael Sondheimer, Executive Director of the SCIVBHOF. “We’re looking forward to the 15-person third induction class for May 5, 2019, as we continue to recognize the significance of the indoor game.”
For more, go to socalindoorvolleyballhof.com.
