Athletics: Six emeritus Hall of Champions inductees to be honored March 2

The 2012 Long Beach City College Hall of Champions Emeritus Induction ceremony is set for Friday, March 2 from 12-1:00 p.m. in the foyer of the Hall of Champions Gym at the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC). The event is open to the public and admission is free.

Six former Vikings will be honored. The list includes Sam Cathcart (Football), Tom DeLong (Swimming & Diving/Football), Ed Knox (Water Polo), Harry Nelson (Track & Field), Bill Sprague (Football/Track & Field), and Kent Taylor (Water Polo).

To be honored as an emeritus selection, the inductee must have completed his participation at LBCC 50 years prior to induction or be deceased.

The emeritus inductees of the 11^th class will join a list of over 100 previous Hall of Champions inductees.

Biographical information on the six inductees follows below:

Sam Cathcart, Football (1942)
Cathcart played running back for the 1942 LBCC Vikings before being drafted into the United State Army where he battled in World War II and earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star. Following wartime, Cathcart returned to school at UC Santa Barbara where he was a member of the football, track, and boxing teams (1946-48). He was named all-conference in football and boxing while at UCSB. Cathcart then took his talents to the NFL where he played running back, defensive back, and returned kicks for the San Francisco 49ers (1949-50, 1952). Following his professional football career, he was the head football coach at Santa Barbara High School for 30 years (1954-84). He has also served as a NFL officiating observer as well as a college scout. He is a member of the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame (1979) and Long Beach Poly High School Football Hall of Fame (2009).

Tom DeLong, Swimming & Diving/Football (1957-59)
DeLong was an all-conference diver on two state championship swimming & diving teams (1958-59). In 1958, he earned All-American honors and was the state championship runner up. DeLong was also a two-year member of the LBCC football team (1957-58) and was a part of the 1958 Alfalfa Bowl championship squad. Following LBCC, he took his two-sport talents to the University of Denver (1959-61) and twice earned All-Skyline Conference honors as a diver (1960-61). DeLong returned to California to become the head coach of the swimming  (1966-92) and water polo (1967-75) teams at Foothill High School in Santa Ana. He was named California High School Coach of the Year in 1975, Orange County Coach of the Year in 1976, and was inducted into the CIF Hall of Fame in 2005. He is also a member of the Long Beach Lifeguard’s Hall of Fame (2010).

Ed Knox, Water Polo (1932)
Knox was a member of both the LBCC water polo and football teams, but went on to really make a name for himself in the pool. Following his freshman season at LBCC, he transferred to UCLA and was a three-time all-conference selection in water polo. After his collegiate career, he was a member of two USA Olympic Water Polo teams (1936, 1948). Three times he helped lead the Los Angeles Athletic Club to AAU National Championships (1941, 1947, and 1948). Knox was selected to the All Europe Olympic Games team in 1948 and was inducted in the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1983.

Harry Nelson, Track & Field (1954-55)
Nelson is regarded as one of the finest collegiate sprinters in LBCC history. In 1954, he set LBCC and conference records in the 100 and 220-yard dashes on his way to earning All-Metropolitan Conference honors. He was also a member of the school-record setting 440 and 880-yard relay teams. In 1954, Nelson was named the nation’s best 220 yard junior college and university-level sprinter. Nelson went on to become a member of the 1956 Canadian Olympic team and also competed for Canada at the 1955 Pan-American Games. His all-time best record times include 9.4 in the 100, 20.5 in the 220, and 15.02 in the 110-yard hurdles.

Bill Sprague, Football/Track & Field (1959-61)
Sprague was a two-sport standout at LBCC. In football (1959-60), he was a member of the 1960 Junior Rose Bowl National Championship squad. That season, he was named second-team all-conference  as well as All-American honorable mention. In track (1960-61), Sprague was the Metropolitan Conference runner up in the 120-yard high hurdles. In 1961, he was a member of the school-record setting shuttle hurdle relay team. Also in 1961, he received the LBCC Silver Key and Viking Award. Sprague took talents to the University of California, Berkeley to compete in both football and track and was Cal’s top hurdler during his final two collegiate seasons (1962-63).  Sprague continued to remain involved in track after his running career as an official, and was named Southern California’s Track Official of the Year in 1997.

Kent Taylor, Water Polo (1959-60)
Taylor was an All-Metropolitan Conference water polo player for LBCC in 1959 and 1960. He was also a member of two state championship swimming teams (1960-61). Following LBCC, he transferred to USC and helped lead the Trojans to a pair of conference championships in 1961 and 1962. As a senior, Taylor was second on USC in scoring with 25 goals. He went on to represent the United States as a member of the national team at the 1963 Pan-American Games in Brazil.