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2023 Lifetime Service Awards
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AL STINES
Al was a Colorado native where he graduated with a Bachelor degree in Education from UNC in Greeley, Colorado. He and his wife Norma headed west to San Jose where he began teaching at James Lick HS. Along with head coach Pat Lovell they produced many notable wrestlers such as Jim Plunkett and Dan Lloyd, who won league, section and Nor Cal Wrestling individual and team titles. When Al took over the head reins at James Lick he won the competitive Mt. Hamilton League title prior to him moving to Santa Teresa HS as the Dean of Students. He was also one of the top ranked wrestling official in the Central Coast Section, officiating many of the CCS Championship Tournaments. Al officiated four CIF State Tournaments and was highly respected for the leadership role that he demonstrated while working with the younger, inexperienced wrestling officials.
BEN PARKS
Coach Parks was a high school product of Hollister HS where he graduated as a Haybaler in 1953. Coach Parks wanted to begin working but his HS coach had other dreams for Coach Parksand drove him directly to Stockton Junior College to play football. Coach Parks continued his education at University of Pacific and then moved on to his true passion of coaching young men and women at the high school level. His coaching career began at Edison HS in Stockton and then he moved to Menlo-Atherton HS where he coached football, wrestling and tennis for 35 years. Coach Parks coaching career ended up at Sequoia HS. During that coaching career he always had his wrestling room open for some of the best wrestlers in California pass through those doors. Coach Parks had numerous tournament, league and sectional medalists. Coach Parks’s service to the community continued through his career, which included community outreach by providing food to his home town through the Coach Parks Community Foundation. Coach Parks’ other endeavors included being the personal trainer to countless NFL playersincluding Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott. Coach Parks always believed that “Everyday was an opportunity to give back and help someone where an impact could be made.”
BOB BRONZAN
Bob Bronzan has been involved in the sport of wrestling for nearly six decades. Hired in 1964 at Livermore High School (LHS) as a teacher and coach for wrestling, football and baseball and continued until the end of 1974 when he was promoted to an administrative position at LHS. He then took the reins again during the 1982-’83 season when the wrestling program was unexpectantly in need of a Head Coach at the early part of the season. During his coaching tenure, Bronzan produced 7 East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) Championship teams, 33 individual EBAL Champions, 4 North Coast Section (NCS) Region II placers, NCS Region II Champion, 8 NCS placers, NCS Champion, and a Northern California Invitational (NorCal) Champion in 1967. A master at the art of motivating his athletes, as well as promoting his program, Bronzan on average had up to 80 kids on his roster and was also very instrumental in organizing rooter buses for students and fans to attend away dual meets. Always known to be very organized and detail oriented, Bronzan took his skills back to the wrestling mat and was the tournament Director for the Livermore Invitational and Jim Miltner Frosh/Soph tournaments for many years. The Livermore Invitational was renamed in the early 1990s to the Bob Bronzan Invitational in his honor. He also helped run the CIF North Coast Section Championships and directed several EBAL and novice/JV level tournaments. Bronzan was one of the first individuals to use a computer to run a wrestling tournament in the early 1980s. Bob has ran more than 137 wrestling tournaments in his career. Photography has long been a passion of Bob Bronzan. Since his first coaching position, Bronzan has actively taken thousands of photos of wrestlers in the Livermore School District and has expanded to the CIF North Coast Section. Retired from the Livermore Valley Unified School District as the Deputy Superintendent, Bronzan is still actively taking photos of wrestling, as well as other extracurricular activities in the school district. In 2019, Bronzan was award the Irv Oliner Award at the CIF State Championships for his outstanding contributions and promotion of wrestling in the state of California.
BOB GUSTAFSON
Bob served as a wrestling co head coach & head coach for 35 years. He began his career as head wrestling coach for Blackford HS. He has resurrected the wrestling programs at many schools. Bob served as the head wrestling coach at five different high schools; Blackford, Westmont, Santa Teresa and co-head coach at Delmar and Branham. His teams won league championships at all five schools. In addition to wrestling he coached football for 42 years, winning 12 league championships; four as head coach and seven as assistant. Bob received the Irv Oliner Award, presented at the state tournament for the dedication and commitment that Bob gave to the sport of wrestling. In addition to his high school coaching he was a golf instructor and assistant football coach at Foothill Community College for 20 years.
ERNIE CECACI
Ernie was a very versatile and successful coach/leader/teacher and mentor at the high school and collegiate levels. Ernie coached four high school sports, football, wrestling, basketball and baseball, while teaching at St. Mary’s HS and Mt. Diablo HS. He was hired at DVC in 1963 and became the Athletic Director at and started the wrestling program and coached for 5 years with all winning season. Ernie became the head coach for the baseball program at DVC in 1968 and in 1977 his team won the Community College State Championships. He is a member of the Diablo Valley College Hall of Fame, St Mary’s College High School Hall of Fame, California Community College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and Mt Diablo High School Hall of Fame. Ernie was also credited for beginning the women’s volleyball team at DVC. During this career he officiated college wrestling and served as the Northern California Officials Assigning Coordinator for 10 years.
FRED AYRES
He has served as the commissioner of the Redwood Empire Wrestling Officials Association for 26 years and president of the association for 5 years. Fred has also been the North Coast Section wrestling rules interpreter for 20 years. He has been a wrestling official for 44 years, including officiating seven state tournaments as well as fifteen years as a state tournament evaluator. He has served as the head official of the North Coast Section duals championship for 18 years. Fred is very proud of the fact that he has mentored so many officials who have officiated at the state tournament as well as the North Coast Section Championships.
JAY LAWSON
Jay’s first competitive match was in 1962 at a Cupertino Recreation Tournament created by his dad, Sam Lawson. He wrestled at Kennedy Jr. High School and Homestead High School coached by Rob Rideout. He then wrestled at De Anza Junior College coached by Tuck Halsey and placed 4th in the State. Jay continued his education and wrestling at UC Santa Barbara, coached by Bobby Douglas and Ed Swartz and his wrestling record was 120-28. Jay’s coaching career started as an assistant at UCSB and then became the head coach at Homestead High School. He later became the head coach at Monta Vista and Cupertino High Schools which resulted in 13 De Anza/SCVAL Championships. Jay is currently coaching at Lawson Middle School. Inaddition to coaching, Jay was the Director of the Monta Vista Invitational and the Gary Bianchini & Danny Ruppel Memorial Tournaments.
He also coached at The Bobby Douglas/Iowa State, San Jose State, Harker and LMS Summer Camps. He has been previously recognized by being inducted into the De Anza Junior College Hall of Fame, the CIF CCS Coach of the Year, the SCVAL Coach of the Year, he received the Irv Oliner Award at the State Tournament and was inducted into the Cupertino High School Honorary Hall of Fame. Jay was inducted into the California Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015.
JOAN FULP
Joan Fulp is a volunteer and advocate in promoting the sport of wrestling for girls and women across the nation. Currently she holds the following positions at USA Wrestling: 1. Executive Board – 2nd Vice President 2. National Women’s Age Group Council Chair 3. Girls High School Development Committee Co-Chair. She also is a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Board of Directors.
Joan is the first woman elected to serve as an officer on the USA Wrestling Executive Board of Directors as 2nd vice president. From 1990 on, she worked beside her husband, Lee Allen to promote and create opportunities for girls and women to wrestle their own gender in California. She supported the Half Moon Bay High School Girls Wrestling team by organizing the season schedule, driving athletes to competition and coaching alongside Lee. Both Joan and Lee pushed for a girls California State Championship and worked continuously to promote an awareness of wrestling opportunities for girls and women at the national level.
Joan’s two daughters attended Menlo College where their father Lee Allen coached the women’s team. Joan continued to support the Menlo team as an assistant helping with driving, travel logistics and administrative tasks.
Since 2016, Joan has worked alongside Andrea Yamamoto supporting high school athletic associations across the nation in the process of creating a girls state wrestling championship.
JOHN LAWRENCE
John began his wrestling career in the club environment before going to Silver Creek HS. He wrestled all four where he placed 2nd in the CCS. John then went on to San Jose City College when he wrestled 2 years and became an All-American by placing in the California Community College State Championships. John continued in wrestling by going back to his alma mater and coached the Silver Creek Raiders for many years along side his high school team mate Fernando Siqueros. John began officiating at the high school and collegiate levels and has done so for the past 33 years. He has worked 31 CCS Championships and 9 boys and girls CIF State Championships.
LAURIE DIXON
More than 30 years ago, Laurie began her wrestling journey at Cupertino High School. Always a lover of any type of sports, wrestling filled a niche for her in that it was individual team sport. The comradery of the Cupertino wrestlers drew Laurie in and the friendships made still remain. Laurie even met her husband at the Cupertino Memorial tournament more than 20 years ago.
Laurie has been a mainstay for tournament operations in California for the past 3 decades. She began running wrestling tournaments by hand and was very adept in this process and her tournaments were exceptionally well run. With the advent of electronic tournament operations,she became a pioneer in seeding/running and awarding tournament placers using pioneering software. Once online tournament operations became available, she was a leader in not just using the technology but mentoring other people in the usage of this great online tool to eliminate paper at tournaments. No more weigh-in cards, no more bout sheets, no more team scoring tabulations.
Laurie carried these skills into the position of Chief of Tournament Operations for California USA Wrestling. Her duties range from not just the running of CAUSAW 15 mat tournaments but in the mentoring of other individuals to help process tournaments using the latest online programs. Laurie has held this position for the past 12 years. She was also the lead person for the Central Coast Section for almost 2 decades and her valuable skills helped meld the boy’s and girl’s tournaments together into one smooth operation.
The friendships and connections that she has made over the years remain very dear to her. I have only wanted to provide the best possible experience for the athletes. A place that would nurture them and allow them to grow and thrive.
MARK DELGADO
Mark began his wrestling career at William C. Overfelt High School in San Jose, where he was a member of the wrestling teams that won 4 straight league championships. Mark attended San Jose State University where he received a degree in Human Performance and a minor in Biology, while also attaining a certified athletic training authorization. He also obtained his Master Degree in Administration and Urban High School Leadership at SJSU. He returned to his alma mater and became an assistant wrestling coach and then became the head wrestling coach in 1997. His teams continued the winning tradition of the Overfelt Royals, while winning many league titles and sending numerous wrestlers to the section and state championships. He coached 50 CCS medalist and 9 CCS Champions. He had been the athletic director for 19 years and a member of the Central Coast Section Athletic Director Advisor Committee. Mark remains on the CIF State Wrestling Advisory Committee while representing the CCS. He has been on the cutting edge of introducing TrackWrestling, a web-based program, which facilitates over 200 wrestling tournaments. His expertise in this web-based program was instrumental in moving wrestling in the CIF State Wrestling Championships, from pencil and paper to the electronic platform that is being used in today’s events. In 2009, Mark was awarded the Central Coast Section Honor Coach, as well as the CIF Model Coach for his outstanding contribution to wrestling. He also, represented the state of California nationally.
ROBERTO DIXON
Roberto began his wrestling career in middle school and carried his passion to Monterey High School, where he was a multiple time section qualifier. He also wrestled freestyle and Greco Roman for California USA Wrestling, where he participated in the Junior Nationals. Roberto continued his international wrestling by representing the country of Panama in the Pan Am Games and also at the World Championships, where he had the honor of carrying the Panamanian flag in the ceremonies.
The past 35 years, Roberto has taught physical education in Pacific Grove while also being the head wrestling coach at his alma mater Monterey HS since 1997. He has been awarded the Central Coast Section Honor Coach and also the CIF Model Coach Award for coaching wrestling. He has continued his involvement with California USA Wrestling by being the Director of the Santa Clara Valley Association since 2000. Roberto continues to be the Head Coach for the California Junior Dual meet teams and the Head Freestyle Coach for the Junior Nationals. He continues to provide clinics and opportunities for young men and women. Roberto has dedicated his life to the sport of wrestling. Roberto values the opportunities that wrestling has given him and continues to give back to the sport that has given him so much.
SIMON JIMENEZ
Simon began his wrestling career at Gonzales HS between 1979-1983. He participated in three sports in high school and was an all-league selection in football, wrestling and track. Simons’ high school wrestling career notched 100+ wins collecting numerous league and section medals. He eventually returned to his alma mater as the head coach at Gonzales and remained for 18 years. His teams won many league titles and his athletes performed remarkably at higher level tournaments. He then wen to Palma HS where he has been the head coach for 20 years. Overall Simon’s teams have amassed 200+ dual meet wins, 5 time top 4CCS team finishes, 80 CCS medalists, 4 CCS Champions, 3 CIF State medalists, 9 collegiate wrestlers and one NCAA All American. Simon continues to coach young men and women at Palma HS.
TED CANO
Ted Cano has been actively involved with various wrestling activities since 1966 when he coached Hamilton City High School wrestlers. He was a teacher and assistant wrestling coach at West Bakersfield High School, Chico High School, he assisted Lee Allen at Skyline College, assisted Jim Root at West Valley College and assisted Lynn Dyche at Oak Grove High School for three years before becoming the head coach at Santa Teresa High School. Ted was also the assistant tournament director of the first California State Tournament in 1973. He was a cultural exchange coach that competed in Hawaii and also a year later in Japan. He later coached at Herman Middle School. He coached the kid wrestling program in San Jose and sat quietly in the stands while his two sons, Matt and Tim wrestled at Stanford and Cal Poly.
2023 Hall of Fame Honorees
ABRAM ROSS
Interview | Speech
Abram began his wrestling career in 1986, training and competing for the Soaring Eagles Club out of Oak Grove HS in San Jose. He won the MHAL league title 3 times, was a 2 time Central Coast Section Champion, and placed 6th in the 1991 CIF State Wrestling Championships. Abram’s freestyle and Greco Roman accomplishments include a double Cadet National Championship in 1989 and a silver medal in freestyle at Cadet Worlds. He was a Junior National Champion in 1990 and 1991 as well as an Espoir National Champion, earning a Bronze medal at the Espoir World Championship in Greco Roman. Abram has excelled on the mat as an official at the high school and collegiate levels. He has refereed the CIF State Championships for the past 15 years, ranking in the top 5 in the past 11 years. Abram has officiated many collegiate conference championships, including the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championships.
BERNARDO “BERNIE” OLMOS
Interview | Speech
Bernie’s high school wrestling career began at Mountain View HS. He was a 2 time SCVAL League Champion, a 3 time Central Coast Section Champion and a 3 time Nor-Cal Champion. Bernie was undefeated in his junior and senior years and was the Outstanding Wrestler at his league championships, the Central Coast Section Championships and the Nor-Cal Championships. He had an undefeated string from February 1965 to February 1968, three years. Bernie wrestled at Foothill Community College where he was a 2-time Nor-Cal Champion and was a 2-time runner-up in the California Junior College State Championships.
Bernie continued his education and graduated from UC Berkeley. During his tenure at UC Berkeley, Bernie was a 2-time NCAA qualifier. Bernie’s career in education and coaching began in the Central Valley, Central HS and Firebaugh HS where he was a teacher and wrestling coach. Many of his athletes succeeded at the league and state levels. Bernie then moved back to the Bay Area to teach and coach at Independence HS, where 3 of his wrestlers won individual CIF State Championships. Bernie continued his service in education by becoming a high school principal and administrator.
BOB RINEHART
Interview | Speech
Bob Rinehart started wrestling as a sophomore at Royal High School and upon graduation, he continued his wrestling career at Moorpark Community College. In Bob’s sophomore year he was 35-5-0 and finished 2nd in the JC State Championships/All-American status and was inducted into the Moorpark Community College Hall of Fame.
Bob transferred to California State University, Chico where he continued his wrestling growth. As a junior he placed 6th in the NCAA II National Championship. As a Senior,Bob was selected team captain and won 3rd Place/All-American in the NCAA II National Championship. Bob was also chosen as the CSU, Chico Outstanding Wrestler the most prestigious athletic award given annually. Bob was inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Bob landed a job at Orland High where he began his teaching and coaching career. He coached wrestling for 35 years before retiring in 2018. Bob was also Athletic Director for 10 years and has served on the State CIF Wrestling Advisory Committee for 8 years. During Bob’s time as head coach his teams won 26 tournament titles. His dual meet record as head coach was 120-28-2. His teams had won 5 CIF North Section Masters Championships. In addition, Bob has had the pleasure of coaching 14 CIF State place winners. He was voted North Section wrestling coach of the year twice.
During Bob’s last year of teaching, he was awarded a North Section Lifetime Gold Pass for his outstanding service to interscholastic athlete programs and operations. He was also inducted into the prestigious Glenn County Teachers Hall of Fame.
CORY SALMON
Interview | Speech
Cory began his high school career at the powerhouse wrestling school of Merced HS coached by Steve Sanchez. His senior year had a record of 35-7 while winning the Sac-Joaquin Section Championships and was one match away from placing in the CIF State Championships. Cory went on to wrestle at Diablo Valley College where he placed 2 times in the JC State Championships, prior to him going on to St. Mary’s to attain his bachelors degree and teaching credentials.
Cory’s head coaching career spanned from 1983 to 1996 at College Park HS where his teams achieved a dual meet league record of 72-12. His wrestlers garnered 36 North Coast Section medals with 9 champions and 5 CIF State medalists. Cory became the assistant coach and the College Park program continued to have success at the league, section and state levels. He also had opportunities to coach at many different levels within USA Wrestling, as the Head Coach of the Cadet and Junior National Teams and the USA Cultural Exchange team to Japan.
Cory continues to be an official at the high school, college and international levels. He has attained the rank of M-1E within USA Wrestling, and he remains as one of the top officialswithin the college and high school ranks. Cory has worked the CIF State Championships since 2001 and has been evaluated as the #1 official in 10 of those meets. Cory is currently ranked as the 5th best official who has ever worked a CIF State Wrestling Championships.
JASON WELCH
Interview | Speech
Jason was a four-time CIF North Coast Section Champion. He won numerous tournaments during his high school wrestling career. He was a 4-time finalist and three time CIF State Champion. Jason is considered to be one of the top state tournament wrestlers and won all three of his state titles by Tech Falls. He won the Dan Hodge Award as the Outstanding Wrestler in the Nation. While wrestling in high school, Jason was also a member of the championship soccer team and was a tackle on the Las Lomas High School Football Team, with a 13-1 record. He wrestled at Northwestern University where he was a NCAA Big-10 Champion, a three-time All-American and he placed 6th, 4th and 2nd at the NCAA Championships. He coached at Northwestern and is now the coach of the San Francisco State Wrestling Team.
JAY JAMES HOLT
Speech
Jay was born in San Francisco and after his high school career he participated in the San Francisco Olympic Club. During this time Jay was a 4 time Far Western Champion and won the 1954 AAU Freestyle and Greco Roman Championships. In 1956 Jay won the United States Greco Roman Olympic Trials at 73 Kilos which placed on the Olympic Team for the United States. Jay competed in the Melbourne Olympic Games and placed 5th in the 73 KG weight class. Jay retired in Las Vegas.
JESSE DELGADO
Interview | Speech
Jesse began his wrestling at a young age, participating in many local and regional open tournaments. His high school years were at Gilroy HS where he wrestled varsity all four years and won the Central Coast Section title four times as well. Jesse was a four time CIF State placer and won the State Championships in 2009. He then went onto win the NHSCA Senior Nationals and the FILA Junior National Championships. Jesse landed at Illinois University for his collegiate career. He has an overall record of 101-16 winning the Big-10 championships three times. In 2013 he was named the Big-10 Most Outstanding Wrestler. Jesse won 2 NCAA Division I Championships in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 he was named Illinois University Male Athlete of the Year. Jesse has taken his skills to Brown University where he is currently the Assistant Coach.
MARK HALVORSON
Speech
Mark was the head coach of De La Salle HS for 21 years, where his teams won 11 North Coast Section titles as well as 13 NCS Dual Team Championships. In those years his teams finished in the top 4 teams twice, while sending 100 wrestlers to the CIF State Championships and they garnered 23 individual medals and 2 individual state champions. Mark’s love and passion for wrestling and in particular Greco Roman was where Mark began to develop his legacy of helping student athletes help them attain their dreams. He coached many California USA Wrestling National teams and was the head Greco Roman coach for 12 years. Mark used this opportunity to fuel his passion, where he attained the Coaching rank of Gold Certified Coach within USA Wrestling. This certification opened many doors where Mark was assigned to many national and world teams including 6 World Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.
Mark was the director of the Concord Youth Center (CYC) for 23 years, where numerous athletes came to train in the art of wrestling and in particular Greco Roman style of wrestling. The CYC hosted the Greco Roman World Duals, now renamed to Halvorson Memorial Greco Duals Tournament, where many foreign and state teams came to compete and train. Mark started the West Coast Greco Regional Training Center (WCGRTC) non-profit with the mission of helping all people through the sport of wrestling. It continues to grow with the support of hisformer wrestlers, family and community. His legacy will carry on through his athletes and mentees who were positively impacted by Mark’s passion and love.
MATT GENTRY
Interview | Speech
In 2004, Gentry became the first wrestler in the 109 year history of Stanford Wrestling to be crowned an NCAA Division I wrestling champion, going 42-0 for the season. He was named the PAC–12 wrestler of the year. He was a three-time team-elected captain and three time academic “All-American”. Gentry captured 64 consecutive matches from 2003-2005, the longest streak in Stanford history. He now ranks second in Stanford history for career (138) and single season (42) victories. Gentry also served as an assistant wrestling coach for five years at Stanford. He was inducted as a first ballot inductee into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
Representing Canada, Gentry competed in two Olympics, the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London games, finishing 5th in London. He was a Pan-American champion and also a 2x Pan-American games bronze medalist. Gentry lives near Chicago, IL with his wife and four children. He currently serves as a NCAA Division III wrestling coach at the University of Chicago and holds a doctorate in physical therapy.
PATRICIA MIRANDA
Speech
Patricia Miranda was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, claiming bronze at the 2004 Olympic Games, the first Games to include women’s wrestling. The daughter of Brazilian political refugees, she represented the United States in four Senior World Championships, earning silver medals in 2000 and 2003 and a bronze in 2006. The seven-time U.S. Nationals champion was a trailblazer in women’s wrestling, becoming the first female to join her middle school and high school wrestling teams. Miranda went on to compete as a member of the men’s varsity wrestling team at Stanford University from 1997 to 2002 and became only the second woman in NCAA history to defeat a male athlete in competition. She was also the Pan American Games and FILA World Cup champion in 2003. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in international policy studies, Miranda was accepted to Yale Law School, but she deferred her admission there to train for the 2004 Olympic Games. She eventually continued her academic career, receiving a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School in 2007. She is currently a partner at Miranda, Magden & Miranda LLP and specializes in immigration law. Her impact on wrestling continued as she was co-chair for the Keep Stanford Wrestling effort that was successful in reversing Stanford’s recent decision to cut its wrestling program. Stanford University has the Patricia Miranda Associate Head Wrestling Coach and The Open Mat website presents the “Miranda Medal” to the best women’s college wrestler each year.
ROBBY SMITH
Interview | Speech
Robby began wrestling at the age of 5 in his home town of San Ramon and then he began wrestling for the Concord Youth Center under his future mentor Mark Halvorson. Robby attended San Ramon HS where he was a 4-time EBAL League Champion and a 3-time North Coast Section Champion. He also placed 3 times in the CIF State Championships an 8th, 7th and 4th places. Robby’s freestyle and Greco Roman included a 3-time Fargo national Champion, 3 time Junior World Team member and a 3 time University World Team member. As a USA Wrestling Team member Robby won 4 US Open Championships and was a 10 time National Team member. Robby wrestled in 2 World Championships and he placed 5th. Robby completed his trek as the USA Olympic Trials Greco Roman Champion and he represented the United State at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.
Currently Robby is coaching at the Concord Youth Center with his longtime teammate Steve Gee. They both have vowed to preserve the legacy of his former Coach Halvorson.
ROCKY HISATOMI
Speech
Rocky attended Samuel Ayer HS in Milpitas prior to the school being closed. He graduated in 1966 and amassed a record of 100 wins and 4 losses. Those losses coming all in his freshman year. He was a 4 time Mount Hamilton Athletic League Champion, a 4 time North Coast Section Champion (prior to CCS becoming a section). Rocky then went on to win three Northern California Invitational Championships, this was the tournament prior to the CIF State Championship being developed.
SANDRA FAKAOSI
Interview | Speech
Sandra combative career began in the world of Judo. She was a black belt competing for San Jose State University where she won the National Collegiate Judo Association Championship for three straight years. Sandra won 14 Judo national championships. She also represented the United States Judo Team in three straight Olympic Games, Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. Sandra then turned her interest into Freestyle wrestling where she continued her success winning 5 USA Wrestling National Championships. She was a World Champion in 1999 and placed 3rdin 1998 and 2nd in 1997. In 1999 she helped the United States team win the World Championships. Sandra was named the 1997 USA Wrestling Woman’s Wrestler of the Year. In 2010 she was inducted into the San Jose State University Hall of Fame. Sandra continues her work in the world of wrestling by coaching high school girls at Lincoln HS in San Jose and being a board member in the Beat the Street organization and is a member of the California Wrestling Hall of Fame.
SHANNON YANCEY
Interview | Speech
Shannon began her high school career at Chaffey HS, where she wrestled for two years and was selected as the Team Captain. Upon leaving high school she continued her wrestling career competing in freestyle wrestling. Shannon began to excel where she was a 4 time National Champion, a 6 time World Team member and was a 4 time World silver medalist. She also won the Pan Am Championships 2 times and captured the prestigious Sunkist Open 3 times. In 1994 Shannon was named the USA Woman Wrestler of the Year. Her coaching career included a cadet team to Russia and she also was the coach of the USA Wrestling Senior Team that won the 1999 World Team title in Sweden. Shannon organized an all–girls tournament at Thousand Oaks HS which was named the “Williams Cup” names after her. Shannon has been teaching for the past 25 years, married for 25 years and has 2 daughters and is now the assistant coach at Liberty HS in Brentwood.