photos courtesy of COC Athletics
Over 50 years ago, the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley wanted a college to call their own, and on November 21, 1967, voters made that happened.
Dreams soon thereafter turned into realities. Dr. Robert C. Rockwell was named the first superintendent of the SCV Junior College District, as well as president of the new campus, which was later called College of the Canyons.
College of the Canyons officially opened on September 22, 1969, with over 700 students who signed up for the new semester. Classes were temporarily held at Hart High School and in a Newhall Avenue Bungalow while the college was being built. Administrative offices were near San Fernando Road. Classes offered included art, astronomy automotive, biological sciences, chemistry, English, French, geology, philosophy, psychology and much more.
And thus was the birth of the College of the Canyons’ first athletic teams…Baseball, basketball, cross-country and track.
As the campus grew (the second semester had well over 1,200 students attending) so too did the athletic department.
The College of the Canyons’ first football team, led by coach Don Kloppenburg, finished with a 7-2 record, second in the Desert Conference and 5th in the state. The cross-country team, led by Ed Jacoby, also won the conference championship that year. The Cougars were on the board, and making their way through the college scene.
On September 21, 1974, the Cougars football team played their first official home game at Cougar Stadium. The 7,500-seat stadium is currently home to football, men and women’s soccer and men and women’s track & field.
Since the college’s inception, they have continued to provide the student athletes with the finest of facilities to accommodate the growing student body. Built in 1976, the Cougar Cage is a 3,000-seat gymnasium, home to the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. In 1976, the swimming pool was built to host swim meets for the COC men’s and women’s swim and dive team. On the west side of campus is Cougar Field, where the three time state champion baseball team calls home. Just south of Cougar Field is Ray Whitten Field, home of the Cougar softball team.
Throughout the years, many athletes who have, at one point, worn the Cougar uniform, or who have coached a team, have achieved excellence through competition and leadership. On Thursday, January 24, 2013, the College of the Canyons Athletic Hall of Fame will be honoring the 2013 class of inductees, which includes the 1975 State Championship men’s cross country team, former softball coach Ray Whitten, former men’s basketball player Nick Sanderson, former swimmer Christine (Castellanos) Worby, former softball player Chantal Pershing and the late former baseball player Robert Corrales. The inductees will be honored during the Cougar Athletic Hall of Fame induction at the Hyatt Regency in Valencia.
The COC 1975 cross country team made history when it won the college’s first ever state championship. Coached by Monty Cartwright, the team had-after just six years of its beginnings-raced to the top, taking home the California State Championship.
Softball skipper, Ray Whitten, led the COC team from 1984 to 2007. As a coach for over two decades, Whitten led the team to eight conference championships and competed in 16 regional playoff games. The current softball field is named after the successful coach.
Men’s basketball player, Nick Sanderson will be honored as an inductee this year as well. Sanderson played for two seasons with the Cougars from 1989 to 1991. Two-time All-Conference winner, the 6-foot-4 guard was also All-State honoree, Conference MVP and All-Star Game MVP. Following his career at COC, Sanderson went on to play at Brigham Young University.
Christine (Castellano) Worby made waves in the pool on the swim and water polo team for two years. Worby transferred to the University of Redlands after COC where she continued to swim and was a two-year letter winner and SCIAC finalist. She is currently a teacher at Old Orchard Elementary School and is an assistant swim and dive coach at Hart High School.
Former softball player Chantal Pershing played with the Cougars for two seasons in 1999 and 2000. Pershing was named Conference MVP and All State during her time at COC. She later transferred to the University of Santa Barbara where she compiled a .291 career batting average, one of the best in the school’s history.
Number 11 graced the Cougar baseball team in 1973 and 1974. Robert Corrales was the first COC baseball player to be named first-team All-State. During his seasons at COC, he hit six homeruns, six doubles and drove in 35 runs with a .348 batting average. He played shortstop before joining Pepperdine University’s baseball program, where he hit .311 with two home runs and 19 runs batted in 1975. Corrales lost his battle with Leukemia in 2009 at the age of 57.
The College of the Canyons Athletic Hall of Fame induction is a biennial event that celebrates the college’s athletic history and excellence. Established in 2005, the event has been a vehicle for fundraising for the permanent Hall of Fame, located in the West Physical Education building on the Valencia campus.
“The 2013 Athletic Hall of Fame is once again a stellar group of inductees,” said Len Mohney, COC dean of athletics and physical education. “The night promises to be a gala affair. We also are excited about announcing the completion of the first phase of the Athletic Hall of Fame permanent site in the West Physical Education building.”
The Hall of Fame Induction will take place on Thursday, January 24 at the Hyatt Regency in Valencia. Cocktails will begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person.
For more information and tickets, please visit www.COCAthletics.com or call the COC Foundation at 661-362- 3434. |
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