CAL SOUTH HALL OF FAME
Cal South Hall of Fame Class of 2015 are Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke, John Napier, Toros Kibritjian and Frank Sanford. Mike Connerley, Cobi Jones, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Eric Wynalda, Joe-Max Moore and Shannon MacMillan are also among the other members of the Cal South Hall of Fame.
Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke, John Napier, Toros Kibritjian and Frank Sanford were all welcomed in to the Cal South Hall of Fame on March 21st at the Cal South AGM awards evening.
“It is with great honor that Cal South celebrates the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 and inducts Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke, John Napier, Toros Kibritjian and Frank Sanford. This awards reflects exceptional accomplishment,” said Derek Barraza, President and Chairman of Cal South. “Being inducted into the Cal South Hall of Fame is our ultimate award, and earning this recognition signifies great achievement. More than just exemplary role models, each of these recipients have made a difference and given back to the game of soccer and in particular, to our members.”
Cal South Director of Coaching, Steve Hoffman said, “It is a tremendous honor to give this award to someone who has done so much for soccer. Personally, I love what Rachel has done.” Van Hollebeke receiving a standing ovation, accepted with grace and let the audience know she was grateful for being part of the Cal South family and to be part of the Hall of Fame.
Van Hollebeke who made the 25-player roster that will train in Los Angeles for a week before traveling to St. Louis for the USA’s first domestic match of the year against New Zealand said, “I will be training with Jill Ellis and my team next week and am so happy I was able to attend this special evening. I am very honored to be inducted into the Cal South Hall of Fame. Soccer has given me so much in my life and I very proud to have trained as a youth player in Cal South. My ODP coach Platini Soaf and my club coaches Colin Chesters and Ada Greenwood were great and helped me get to where I am today.”
John Napier was also highly honored to be inducted into the Cal South Hall of Fame. “Being inducted into the Cal South Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor for me and my family. I would have never imagined even being considered for such a prestigious award. Coaching Soccer is a joy for me, and I have been so fortunate to be able to give back to the game at the youth level,” said Napier.
“I have been with the Cal South ODP, now Pro+ and the Coaching Education programs for such a long time,” Said Napier, “Hopefully I have been able to make a difference in the lives of the young people that I have crossed paths with in this wonderful game of soccer. We coaches know it is not just about the game of soccer, but also ‘life lessons’ we can teach along the way.
When accepting his award told the audience he hopes to keep going for a few more years and win more championships for Cal South who said, “It is unbelievable for me, I never thought I would be going into anyone’s Hall of Fame. I can walk away being proud to be part of Cal South for the rest of my life.”
When reflecting back on the experience, Napier said, “The whole evening was really spectacular, and I must admit very overwhelming. Cal South staff did such a tremendous job in their presentation to the many and deserving people in many different categories throughout the evening.”
The Cal South Hall of Fame Class of 2015 also includes Frank Sanford, former Cal South tournament chairman from 1998 to 2013 and Toros Kibritjian, former NASL referee from 1968 to 1984 and a FIFA referee from 1968 to 1983.
How does the Cal South Hall of Fame selection process work? We asked Roy Carlson, head of the Cal South Hall of Fame Committee, how the inductees are selected.
“Cal South recognizes many outstanding individuals who have used their dedication, experiences and knowledge to become successful, meaningful contributors to Cal South and its leagues, clubs, teams and players,” said Carlson. “We believe that positive role models are extremely important in today’s landscape, and Hall of Fame inductees are the “best of the best” as positive role models for our youth, volunteers and staff.”
“The goal behind the Cal South Hall of Fame is to preserve, recognize and educate soccer lovers on the impact and contributions of individuals who really make a difference and exemplify our values,” said Carlson.
How do these outstanding individuals exemplify Cal South Values? According to Carson, “Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke – U.S. Women’s National Team and Portland Thorns defender – provides evidence of excellence regarding the commitment of time and skills necessary to play at the highest levels in this country, whether as a member of her club teams, Cal South ODP teams, US Youth teams, her professional clubs or the US Women’s National Team. But what set Rachel apart from some of the other great Cal South players has been her willingness to give back to the current generation of players. Rachel has always been willing to share her experiences with our Pro+ players whenever she has been asked.”
John Napier – head coach for Cal South ODP Girls and youth soccer coach at San Diego Soccer Club – is another example of amazing devotion to the beautiful game. “John sets an example of leadership within Cal South that all can follow and hope to build upon in the future,” said Carlson. “He has literally done all there is to do in soccer as a player, coach, administrator and even as a referee. It is clear to everyone that John loves to coach. Over the years he has touched many lives with the goal of wanting every player to be the very best that their body will allow them to be. John gets what it takes to be the best and Cal South has been fortunate for his years working with our ODP/Pro+ teams, which, like John, are the very best.”
Behind the scenes at Cal South: Roy Carlson, head of the Cal South Hall of Fame Committee, worked with other members of the Selection Committee this year which included Ken Goldman, Christie Paulson and Jack Larkin to choose the inductees for this special recognition. The Nomination Committee, a sub-committee of the Selection Committee included
Steve Hoffman – Cal South Director of Coaching, David Lamb – Cal South Director of State Tournaments and Steve Marquez – Cal South Director of Registration.
Our annual Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner is our way of recognizing the tremendous work and invaluable contribution made by our volunteers, players, coaches, and administrators,” said Derek Baraza, President and Chairman of Cal South.
The Cal South Hall of Fame Committee can chose inductees who fulfill one or more of the following categories: a soccer player, a coach, an administrator and/or a referee. The members were inducted into the Cal South Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel at the Cal South AGM weekend in Long Beach, CA.
As a final thought, Napier said it best, “There are so many coaches and volunteers out there in the Cal South programs that work every week within their clubs and regions to make this organization the very best in the Nation and I salute them, and respect the work they all do behind the scenes, these awards are also always a part of you.”
Cal South Hall of Fame Members include:
1980: Norm Nielson, Rolf Rath, 1981: Gary D. Patton, 1983: Harry Bramble, 1986: Norm Jackson, 1987: Celina Henderson, Norris Greenwood, 1988: Reg Banks, Steve Oliver, 1989: Derek Armstrong, Bela Biresak, 1990: Rosemary Woodard, Fran Simpson, 1991: June Mitton, 1992: Norma Sullivan, Andy Szymanski, 1993: Bob Long, 1994: John Harper, 1995: Charlie Enzler, Louise Langdorp, 1996: Michael Murphy, 1997: George Mitton, 1998: Alexis Sanchez, 1999: Judith Wesling, 2000: Ray Horspool, Fred Singer, Randy Gamble, 2001: David Lamb, 2002: Ralph M. Wyatt, 2003: Allan I. Whitman, Wayne Carver, 2004: Russ Martin, Mike Connerley, 2005: Sandy Castillo, 2006: Gil Oftedal, 2007: Heros Baghoumian, 2008: Cobi Jones, Joy Fawcett, 2009: Julie Foudy, Eric Wynalda, 2010: Tad Bobak, 2011: Carin Jennings-Gabarra, Lee Popejoy, 2012: Stanko Bilaver, Marcelo Balboa, 2013: Joe-Max Moore, Shannon MacMillan, Steve Biresak.
Photography Credit: Cal South Soccer / Joe McDonald & Dan Kirksey
