New classes of Pioneer Hall of Famers have been chosen for the 2012 induction class, as announced by the CSU East Bay Director of Athletics Debby DeAngelis, last Monday.

The CSUEB Athletics Department is set to induct four former student-athletes and two former coaches into the Athletic Hall of Fame, adding to the current list of 74 Pioneer hall of famers.

Every two years, the CSUEB hall of fame committee comprised of one student-athlete, one alumnus, one faculty member and two coaches representing one men’s and women’s sport, select the new Hall of Fame members.

This year, their selections were track and field assistant coach Dr. Charles Harmon “Doc” Brown, men’s tennis head coach John Nelson, women’s volleyball player Marion Champion, women’s basketball and volleyball player Antoinette Goode, football player Don Sawyer and men’s tennis player Jeff Southwick, according to Pioneer Athletics.

The first of two former coaches being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, the late Dr. Charles Harmon “Doc” Brown, served as an assistant coach to the Pioneer track and field team from 1974 to 1992.
Brown was a four-time Olympic coach and a 10-time coach to U.S. national teams.

As an assistant coach to the Pioneers, Brown helped guide the men’s team to the 1977 National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II National Championship, guiding five current Pioneer hall of famers to individual national championships.

Brown became a clinical professor at UC San Francisco from 1961 until his passing in 2008.

Former Pioneer men’s tennis coach John Nelson began his collegiate career as an athlete for the Pioneers for two seasons from 1977-78 where he earned four all-conference selections and All American honors in singles.

He returned to coach at then-Cal State Hayward from 1983 to 1988 when he began his now 29-year collegiate coaching career.

Nelson guided the Pioneers to five Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships and in every season that he was coach of the Pioneers, the team finished among the top 10 in the nation, with notable third place finishes in 1983 and 1988.

After his time at CSUEB, Nelson went on to coach at UC Davis, San Diego State University and is currently entering his seventh season as coach of the Hawaii tennis team.

The first of five student-athletes in the 2012 induction class is Marion Champion, two-year outside hitter for the Pioneers volleyball team from 1998-99.

Champion helped lead the Pioneers to back-to-back NCAA Division III playoff appearances. The Pioneers overall record was an impressive 55-17 during her two years and she also held team captain duties in both years.

In her senior year campaign, Champion set the Pioneer record for kills with 451, a record that is still intact.

Champion went on to graduate from then-Cal State Hayward in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with an emphasis on public relations.

Since her playing games, she has coached club teams throughout California for more than 15 years and currently is attending Strayer University to receive her MBA while working as the Officer of Media communications for the Imperial irrigation district.

Former women’s basketball player, Antoinette Goode spent four seasons as a dominating center for then-Cal State Hayward from 1984 to 1988.

Goode was a four-time NCAC selection leading the league in rebounds and shot blocks her sophomore and junior years. She remains the all-time leading scorer with 1,210 career points and still holds the current rebounding records with 1,110.

A multi-sport athlete, as she contributed a year of her play to the volleyball team as well, Goode graduated in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Although CSUEB does not currently possess a football team, Don Sawyer left his mark on the Gridiron in the football days of CSU Hayward.

Sawyer was an offensive lineman from 1966 to 1967 and was a member of the first Pioneer team to win a far Western conference game and to post a winning season in 1967.

After graduation, Sawyer became the first Pioneer ever to sign a professional contract when he signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 1968.

Sawyer would then later return to the Pioneers as an assistant football and track and field coach.

Currently, Sawyer serves as Chief of Staff to the Interim President at CSUEB, Dr. Leroy Morishita.

The final inductee into the 2012 Hall of Fame is Jeff Southwick, who was a seven-time all-conference and two-time All-American selection while also an athlete for the former Pioneer tennis team.

Southwick played for the Pioneers from 1979 to 1983 and led the team to four straight NCAC titles.

Southwick graduated from CSU Hayward in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has since established himself as a leader in the tennis industry in the west coast as a coach and tennis professional.

The induction will take place on May 5 at the Hall of Fame Banquet on campus at the New Student Union, where past Pioneer greats will be present in celebration of the newest class.