April 28, 2004
BERKELEY -
Five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Hardy Nickerson, an All-Pac-10 selection who played 16 seasons in the National Football League, headlines a list of eight former athletes and coaches who have been selected for induction into the California Athletic Hall of Fame this fall, Cal Athletic Director Stephen C. Gladstone announced today.
The Class of 2004 also includes football All-Americans Harvey Salem and Arleigh Williams, Cal's Centennial Football Team member Frank "Bud" Van Deren, 21-time All-American swimmer Sarah Anderson, former Collegiate Water Polo Player of the Year Kirk Everist, baseball All-American outfielder John Fiscalini and two-time Pac-10 Baseball Coach of the Year Bob Milano.
Williams and Fiscalini are honored posthumously.
Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday evening, Oct. 29, at the annual Hall of Fame banquet in the Greek Orthodox Church conference center in Oakland. The new inductees will also be honored at halftime of the Golden Bears' football game against Arizona State at California Memorial Stadium the following afternoon, Oct. 30.
"Every one of these former Cal athletes was a true champion in their respective sports," said Gladstone. "They join very select company in our Athletic Hall of Fame and are richly deserving of this honor. Our congratulations to each new inductee and their families."
With the addition of eight members, Cal's Athletic Hall of Fame now features 193 individuals and five rowing teams. The school's Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1986, with this year's group representing the 19th class of inductees.
For three straight seasons from 1983-85, Nickerson led the Golden Bears in tackles and was voted the team's Most Valuable Player. A first team All-Pac-10 selection as a senior, he reeled off tackle totals of 141 in 1984, 167 in 1985 and 132 in 1986. His 167 stops as a junior remains a Cal single season record, while his 501 career tackles rank second behind David Ortega's 525 in school history.
A fifth-round NFL draft pick by Pittsburgh in 1987, Nickerson played six seasons with the Steelers. He joined Tampa Bay in 1993, becoming the Buccaneers' No. 2 career tackle leader with 1,028 stops in seven campaigns. Nickerson, who ended his pro career with brief stops in Jacksonville (2000-2001) and Green Bay (2002), was named to the 1990's NFL All-Decade second team in 2000.
Salem, a four-year starting offensive tackle at Cal from 1979-82, earned both first team All-America and Academic All-America honors his senior season. A two-time first team All-Pac-10 selection, he played on Joe Kapp's 7-4 team in 1982, a year that featured "The Play" in the now-famous Big Game. Drafted in the second round by Houston, Salem played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Oilers (1983-85), Detroit Lions (1986-91) and Denver Broncos (1991-92). He was a member of the 1991 Bronco team that claimed the Western Division title and advanced to the AFC Championship game. Salem, who also set the eighth-best shot put mark (58-0˝) in Cal track history 1982, currently serves as a teacher and assistant football and track coach at nearby Albany High School.
Williams is one of the storied names of Cal athletics and academics, having starred in both football and baseball in the 1930's and later serving 20 years at the university in student-related capacities that included Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs (1970-76), Dean of Students (1967-70), Dean of Men (1959-66) and Director of Student Activities (1957-59). Earning both first team All-America and first team All-Coast notice as a senior halfback in 1934, Williams remains the Bears' No. 17 all-time career rusher with 1,404 yards on 526 carries. He also was a fine punter who still owns the fifth-longest punt in Cal history, a 72-yarder against USC in 1933. While no individual statistics were available, Williams lettered on the 1934 and 1935 Cal baseball teams, with both clubs finishing first in the conference and combining for a 45-15-1 record during that period.
A 1948 first team all-conference end who later was voted a member of Pappy Waldorf's All-Time Team on both offense and defense, Van Deren played on Cal clubs that posted a 19-2 record during his two seasons (1947-48) in Berkeley. Also selected on Cal's Centennial Team-along with teammates Jackie Jensen and Rod Franz-he starred on a 1948 squad that registered a 10-1 mark and earned a share of the Pacific Coast Conference championship. That '48 team lost 20-14 to Northwestern in the 1949 Rose Bowl. Van Deren also coached on Waldorf's Rose Bowl teams of 1950 and 1951, returned to Cal in the 1960's to coach on Ray Willsey's staff, and later served as head coach at Humboldt State for 26 years.
Anderson, one of the best mid-to-long distance swimmers in Cal history, still holds school records for the 1,650-yard (16:10.33 in 1988) and 1,000-yard (9:46.08 in 1991) freestyle events-the only two freestyle categories to withstand the talents of three-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year Natalie Coughlin in school annals. In addition, she currently ranks second in the 200 and third in the 500 freestyle events in California history. During her tenure at Cal, she placed in the top three at the NCAA meet four times, finishing third in the 1650 in 1988, second in the 200 free in 1991, and third in both the 1650 free and 500 free in '91. Anderson was voted Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year in 1989, when she claimed conference crowns in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle races. As a senior, she also earned national and Pac-10 All-Academic honors.
A three-time All-American who led the Golden Bears to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1987-88, Everist was named Collegiate Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament MVP during his senior campaign in '88. Now Cal's head water polo coach, Everist was a key member of U.S. Olympic teams that placed fourth at the 1992 Barcelona Games and seventh at the 1996 Atlanta Games. He also represented the United States at the World University Games in 1991, and at the Pan American Games in both 1991 and 1995. In all, Everist logged nine years (1988-96) with the U.S. National Team.
Fiscalini, who played left field on Cal's baseball team from 1946-48, enjoyed one of the finest seasons in school history in '47. That junior year, he earned both All-America and All-District 8 accolades after batting .414 and leading the Bears to the NCAA championship in the first-ever College World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich. One of the most feared hitters of his era, Fiscalini was often walked intentionally during his Cal career.
Retiring from California after the 1999 season, Milano completed his baseball coaching career with the most victories (688) in the program's history. Prior to today's announcement, his crowning moment came last year when he became only the fourth person in Cal baseball history to have his game jersey (No. 7) retired. During his illustrious 22-year stint as head coach, Milano was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice (1980 and 1992) and coached 12 college All-Americans. He directed the Bears to three College World Series appearances (1980, 1988 and 1992), six NCAA Regional berths and the 1980 Pac-10 Southern Division title. His '80 club finished third at the College World Series. A member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, Milano served as head coach of the U.S. National Team in 1997 and was an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Team in 1988. Part of the Cal baseball program as a player, assistant coach and head coach during a period that spanned 29 years, he also held the position of assistant athletic director at the school from 1974-78.
2004 California Hall of Fame Inductees
Name Sports(s) Years
Sarah Anderson Women's Swimming 1988-91
Kirk Everist Men's Water Polo 1985-88
John Fiscalini Baseball 1946-48
Bob Milano Baseball (Coach) 1978-99
Hardy Nickerson Football 1983-86
Harvey Salem Football 1979-82
Frank "Bud" Van Deren Football 1947-48
Arleigh Williams Football/Baseball 1932-35
