Saint Mary's to Induct Six Members into Hall of Fame in the Spring
12/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
Dec. 6, 2004
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's College Department of Athletics and Recreational Sports announced it 2005 Hall of Fame Class on Friday. The six-person class will be inducted to the SMC Hall of Fame on Sunday, May 1, 2005 on the Saint Mary's campus. A mass will take place at 11 a.m. in the Saint Mary's Chapel, followed by a reception at noon in the Soda Center. The Hall of Fame banquet will begin at 1 p.m. in the Soda Center. For more information, please contact Mark Chiarucci at 925-631-4168 or at mchiaruc@stmarys-ca.edu.
This year's inductees include Jim McDonald (Football), Randy Farris (Women's Soccer), Robert Haugen (Men's Basketball), Mary Ann Little (Women's Basketball), Denis O'Connor (Football) and Ana Robles (Women's Volleyball). Saint Mary's will also honor the 1984 women's soccer team that won an NAIA National Championship.
Below are the Inductees for the 2005 Hall of Fame Class:
· Jim McDonald, a 32-year football coach and long time professor at the College, began his tenure at SMC as an assistant coach from 1971-73. He was named the head coach of the football program in 1974, and guided the Gaels for three seasons. In 1976 he returned to his assistant coach role as the defensive line coach before serving as the offensive line coach from 1976-2003. In 1995, coach McDonald's offensive line helped the offense rank 33rd nationally in total offense (376.7) and 10th in scoring (33.4 points per game). In 1993 the Gael offense ranked eighth nationally in passing (289.7 yards per game). A 1961 graduate of the University of San Francisco, he earned three varsity letters in football at USF and Santa Clara and was a team captain and most inspirational player while at USF. Coach McDonald is regarded as the football historian of Saint Mary's College. He served as a professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation from 1976-2003.
· Randy Farris, the women's soccer coach from 1982-1997, continues to work at Saint Mary's as a professor in the department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. Farris was the founding coach of both the men's and women's soccer programs and guided the women's soccer team to several national rankings. He was the head coach of two NAIA Women's Soccer National Champions in 1984 and 1986. He was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1986. Additionally he guided the Gaels to a school record 143 career wins. He's extremely passionate about an orphanage in the Dominican Republic with whom he corresponds with and visits each summer to coach, teach, and donate SMC athletic equipment to local youth. A 1975 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Farris has been a professor in the HPER department and an instructor in the SMC Summer Camps since 1979.
· Robert Haugen (Men's Basketball, 1985-89) was a four-year letter winner in men's basketball at Saint Mary's. Haugen was a senior leader on the 1988-89 team that advanced to the NCAA Regional for the first time since 1959. A three-time All-West Coast Athletic Conference selection, Haugen is ranked in the top-10 in six categories in the SMC men's basketball annals. He currently ranks second in career points (1,502), third in field goals made (528), fifth in career rebounds (730), first in free throws made (443), second in free throws attempted (553), third in games played (114). The 1986 WCAC Freshman of the Year also holds a number of single season accomplishments. In the single season annals, he ranks first and fifth in field goal percentage (.649 and .622) fourth in free throws made (148) and fifth in single game scoring (37).
· Mary Ann Little (Women's Basketball, 1979-83) was a standout for the Gaels in the early 1980s. In her four years with the women's basketball program, Little helped Saint Mary's post the first 20-win season in the history of the program when the Gaels went 20-9 in 1982-83. She finished her career ranked first in field goal percentage (.587) and holds the school record for most career rebounds with 1,234 and rebounding average at 13.1. She also holds the record for most rebounds in a season, pulling down 375 boards during the 1979-80 campaign. Additionally, she holds claim to the four best single season rebound averages with 14.4 in 1980-81, 13.0 in 1981-82, 12.8 in 1979-80 and 12.1 in 1982-83. In additional to her domination on the boards, Little ranks seventh in the history books in scoring with 1,351 career points, eighth in career scoring average (14.4), fourth in career field goals made (598) and seventh in career field goal percentage (.507).
· Denis O'Connor (Football, 1944-47) was a four-year starter at quarterback for the famed Galloping Gaels football team. He captianed the "Whiz Kids" to the 1945 Sugar Bowl and the 1946 Oil Bowl. According to SMC Hall of Famer Herman Wedemeyer, Denis "was the tape, the glue, the bailing wire" that made the teams successful. O'Connor was member of the West team in the 1945 East-West Shrine Game.
· Ana Robles (Women's Volleyball, 1982-85) was a four-year player on arguablely some of the best teams in the history of the women's volleyball program at Saint Mary's. In her four years at SMC, the women's volleyball team posted an overall record of 118-33 (.781). The .781 winning percentage was the highest of any four-year period of volleyball at SMC. A 1985 NAIA All-American selection, Robles was dubbed a "Pioneer of women's sport at Saint Mary's College." Robles was a vital component in helping the women's volleyball team capture an NAIA National Championship in 1985 with a 32-8 overall record. Robles was also a member of the team that posted a 38-2 record.
· In addition to the six individual inductees, the Hall of Fame Committee will also honor the 1984 Women's Soccer Team. The 1984 women's soccer team posted a 10-9-3 record en route to the NAIA National Championship. The members of that team included: Sue Caporicci, Marcie Champie, Kathy D'Avolio, Lyn Del Carlo, Lisa Del Fiugo, Dawn Ferris, Sylvia Galvan, Rae Garza, Wendy Jackson, Jeanne Jenkins, Kathy Jones, Mary Jane Laster, Beth Litell, Molly McDermott, Stephanie Meda, Ann Noel, Anne Wagner, Tessie Wagner.
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