Trainer Bailey Tops Hall Of Fame Class

By Kurt Helin
Editor

Just about everywhere you look in the sports world today — from the Olympics to Major League Baseball — there seems to be a Long Beach State alumni playing a key role.

It has been that way for years, which is why the Long Beach State Hall of Fame is such a rich place.

The 2008 class for the Hall of Fame was announced last week and it covers legends both on and off the athletic field. The induction ceremony will take place Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the CSULB campus.

This year’s inductees are:

• Dan Bailey, who had been the Head Athletic Trainer at Long Beach State for the past 34 years before stepping down in 2007. An innovator among athletic trainers, he was the first to use heel and lace pads, an item every training room now uses to prevent blisters when taping. Starting in 1982, he worked with USA Water Polo (attending a few Olympics) and during the 1984 Olympics, he was in charge of athletic training for the sailing venue in Long Beach. He passed away in 2007.

• Don Baird, a former Olympian and maybe the best pole-vaulter ever to compete for Long Beach State, competing from 1975-77. He was a four-time NCAA All-American, earning honors in both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He placed second at the 1976 NCAA Outdoor Championships and followed that up with a 3rd place finish in 1977. Indoor, he was second in 1976 and in 1977 he was the NCAA Indoor Pole Vault Champion. Baird participated at the 1976 Olympic games, competing for his home country of Australia, finishing in 12th place. At one point, he ranked seventh in the world at the event.

• Jade Carvalho, a three-time All-American in field hockey (a sport no longer played at Long Beach State on a team basis). She led the 49ers to the 1979 national championship, the first NCAA Division I title by a Long Beach State team. She is now a top-level field hockey official.

• James Cotton, the former men’s basketball player who averaged 18.2 points per game during his Long Beach State career, third best in university history.

He ranks sixth all-time in most points scored during his 49er career (1,452). In his junior year he averaged 23.5 points per game. He eventually was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, played a couple of years for the Seattle Supersonics and finished his career with the Chicago Bulls.

• Tayyiba Haneef-Park was the star of the 49er women’s volleyball team that went 33-1 in 2001 and advanced all the way to the NCAA title game. She ranks sixth of all-time with 1,421 career kills and her .388 career hitting percentage is second-best in school history. She is a key member of the 2008 USA women’s indoor volleyball team headed to the Olympics. She also played in the 2004 games. While at Long Beach State, she also lettered for three years in track and field.

• John Kahler was a standout defensive lineman for the 49ers from 1969 to 1971. He was a leader on the famed 1970 team that had a 9-2-1 record and took first place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. That year’s 49ers played in the only bowl game in school history — a 24-24 tie to Louisville in the Pasadena Bowl, a game that was played in the Rose Bowl. He was drafted in the 1972 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round.

• Pete Manarino was the Long Beach State softball coach for 23 years, leading the 49ers to five College World Series appearances (1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993). In his 23 years, the 49ers made 17 appearances NCAA Tournament appearances. His 843 career victories ranks 21st all-time among NCAA Division I softball coaches. He led Long Beach State to 40 or more victories seven times.

The induction ceremony for these athletes and coaches will take place Nov. 19.

The 49er Athletic Club Golf Tournament will take place on Nov. 20 at El Dorado Park Golf Club.

For tickets or more information to either event, call 985-4662 or log on to www.longbeachstate.com.