July 19, 2007
BERKELEY -
Mike White, a three-sport varsity letterman as an undergraduate who returned to coach the Golden Bear football team to a share of the 1975 Pac-8 title, and Jennifer Bennett, who owns eight of the top nine single-game women's basketball scoring efforts in school history, highlight a list of nine former student-athletes who have been selected for induction into the California Athletic Hall of Fame.
Photo Gallery of 2007 Hall of Fame Inductees
The Class of 2007 also includes former basketball and baseball standout Bob Albo; Don Anderson, runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters at the 1950 NCAA championships; Lisa Arce, a two-time All-Pac-10 choice in volleyball; Loren Hawley, who is recognized as one of the greatest U.S. rugby players ever; water polo standout Nina "Maggi" Kelly, who is now a faculty member in Cal's College of Natural Resources; two-time All-American baseball player Matt Luke; and Monte Upshaw, who helped set a world record in the sprint medley relay in 1958.
Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 9, at the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Greek Orthodox Church conference center in Oakland. The new inductees will also be honored during Cal's football game against USC at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 10.
With the addition of the nine members, the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame now features 222 individuals and five rowing teams. The school's Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1986, with this year's group representing the 22nd class of inductees.
Bob Albo earned three letters in both basketball and baseball from 1952-54. On the court, he averaged 12.0 ppg and 9.2 rpg as a senior, when he served as team captain and earned second-team All-Southern Division honors. He was also Cal's starting catcher and team captain in baseball. Albo, who received Cal's Jake Gimbel Award for having the best combination of athletics and academics among graduating seniors, had a professional baseball offer from the New York Giants before deciding to pursue a career in medicine and coach the Cal freshman basketball and baseball teams under head coaches Pete Newell and George Wolfman, respectively. Albo graduated from the UC School of Medicine in 1959 and has been in the medical profession nearly 50 years. He is currently clinical professor of surgery at UC San Francisco and chief of the surgical service for student health at UC Berkeley. He serves as chief physician for the Golden State Warriors and the Oakland Raiders. Albo was inducted into the Berkeley High School Hall of Fame in 1993 and the University of California Class of '54 Hall of Fame in 1990. In June of this year, he was inducted into the Berkeley High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Albo is also an accomplished magician and has the largest private magic collection in the world.
Don Anderson was a track & field standout for the Bears from 1947-50. The runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters at the 1950 NCAA championships when he earned All-America honors, he was named Outstanding Athlete of the Year in track & field by the Pacific Association of AAU in 1950. Anderson won the 100 and 200 races at the 1947, '48 and '50 Big Meets vs. Stanford and posted best times of 9.5 seconds in the 100-yard dash and 20.8 in the 220. In 1948, he reached the semifinal round in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Anderson's brother, George, also ran track at Cal and finished second in the 200 meters at the national AAU meet in 1935.
Lisa Arce ended her four-year collegiate career in 1990 as Cal's all-time leader in attempts (4,801) and digs (1,602, now second). She still ranks second on the school's career list in kills (1,806), and is fifth in total blocks (364) and fourth in service aces (128). Arce earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in both 1989 and '90 and was voted to Cal's All-Decade Team (1986-96) in volleyball. A longtime member of the pro beach volleyball tour, she was first alternate for the U.S. beach volleyball team at 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Arce was named the tour's WPVA Rookie of the Year in 1994, Most Improved Player in 1995 and Best Blocker and Best Hitter in 1997, and she has won 20 pro beach volleyball tournaments. She is currently head volleyball coach at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach.
Jennifer Bennett competed in women's basketball from 1984-87 and ranks as Cal's second all-time leading scorer with 1,766 points. On the school's career lists, she is also fourth in field goal shooting (52.5%), fifth in rebounds (812) and seventh in blocks (75). Selected honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Pac-10 as a senior in 1987, Bennett was voted first-team All-NorPac Conference in 1986 and second team in 1985. She continues to hold eight of the top nine single-game scoring efforts in Cal history, including a 45-point game vs. Arizona in 1987 and a 44-point outing against Washington in '87. In addition, Bennett scored 736 points for a 23.7 average as a senior, marks that still stand atop Cal's single-season lists. Today, she serves as an assistant women's basketball coach at Diablo Valley College.
Loren Hawley played both rugby and football for the Bears from 1961-65 and is known as one of the best American-born rugby players to ever play the game. Tabbed "King of the Lineouts," Hawley helped revolutionize the game with his tremendous aerial skills. Playing for the legendary Miles "Doc" Hudson, the 6-4 Hawley led Cal to an undefeated record vs. U.S. competition in 1965 and to a 5-2-2 mark during a team trip to Australia and New Zealand when rugby experts predicted the Cal squad would go winless on its tour. On the football field, he was an accomplished defensive back and wide receiver, who caught a long pass for a touchdown to beat Iowa State in 1964.
Nina "Maggi" Kelly played for the Cal women's water polo team at the club level from 1983-87 before it was elevated to varsity status. A member of the U.S. National team for 10 years (1987-94, 1997-98), she competed in four World Championships and was named the USA Water Polo Female Athlete of the Year in 1992. Kelly was also the top U.S. goal-scorer at the World Championships in Rome in 1994. Inducted into the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2006, she was a part of three national club championships while playing for the Bears. After receiving her bachelor's degree in geography, Kelly earned a master's degree from North Carolina in 1991 and a Ph.D. from Colorado in 1996. Currently, she is an associate specialist in cooperative extension and adjunct associate professor in the Ecosystem Sciences Division of the Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management at Cal. Kelly is also the faculty director for the Geospatial Imaging & Informatics Facility (GIIF) in the College of Natural Resources.
Matt Luke lettered for the Cal baseball team from 1990-92. A two-time All-America outfielder (1991, 1992), he helped the Bears to an NCAA regional final in 1991 and to the College World Series in 1992. Also a two-time All-Pac-10 selection, Luke set a school record with 105 hits while batting .393 in 1991. He finished with a career batting average of .365 and is the school record-holder with 15 career triples. Luke played professionally for 11 seasons, including stints in the major leagues with the Yankees, Indians, Dodgers and Angels. He won a World Series title with the 1996 Yankees and was part of four minor league championship teams.
Monte Upshaw was a track & field standout for the Bears from 1954-58. As a senior, he set a world and American record in the sprint medley relay (3:18.8), along with Jack Yerman, Willie White and Don Bowden. He also established a national collegiate freshman record in the sprint relay (3:20.9) in 1955, with teammates Leamon King, John Merchant and Bowden. Upshaw, who was inducted into the Piedmont Hall of Fame in January 2004, has remained closed to the Cal track program. One of his daughters, Joy, served as an assistant track coach at Cal, while another daughter, Grace, lettered in track at Cal from 1995-97 and is a four-time U.S. champion and a 2004 Olympian in the long jump.
A varsity letterman in football, rugby, and track & field at Cal from 1955-57, Mike White also served as the Bears' head football coach from 1972-77, compiling a 35-30-1 record and leading the team to a share of the 1975 Pac-10 title. Playing under coaches Pappy Waldorf and Pete Elliott, White played wide receiver and was team captain as a senior in 1957. On the track, he won the high hurdles and high jump competition in the 1957 Big Meet vs. Stanford. In addition to his three varsity sports, White also earned a pair of junior varsity letters for Pete Newell in basketball. He began his long coaching career as a Cal assistant from 1959-63. He returned to Berkeley as head coach in 1972 and had his best season in 1975 when the Bears finished 8-3 and were ranked 14th in the final Associated Press poll. Among the players he coached were Chuck Muncie, Steve Bartkowski, Steve Sweeney and Joe Roth. White went on to become head coach at Illinois and with the Oakland Raiders. He currently directs the Camp Blue at the Lair of the Golden Bear.
The 2007 California Hall of Fame Inductees:
Name Sports(s) Years
Bob Albo Men's Basketball, Baseball 1952-54
Don Anderson Track & Field 1947-50
Lisa Arce Volleyball 1987-90
Jennifer Bennett Women's Basketball 1984-87
Loren Hawley Rugby, Football 1961-65
Nina "Maggi" Kelly Women's Water Polo 1983-87
Matt Luke Baseball 1990-92
Monte Upshaw Track & Field 1954-58
Mike White Football, Rugby, Track & Field 1955-57
Head Football Coach 1972-77
