Glendale Community College Athletic Hall Of Fame Class Of 2009:

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — The past and present of Glendale Community College athletics converged in the college’s J. Walter Smith Student Center on Saturday night in a celebration meant to ensure that the legacy of a group of revered athletes, alumni and administrators remains illuminated well into the future.

The Eighth Annual Glendale College Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony saw former distance running great Jeff Nelson and football standouts George McGowan and Steve Moore inducted for Outstanding Athletic Achievement, while the 1978 women’s volleyball team was inducted as an Outstanding Team.

Former Glendale college and longtime UCLA athletic trainer Tony Spino was honored with the Hall of Fame’s Pillar of Achievement award and Dr. John Davitt, who was lauded on Saturday as one of, if not the most influential person in the history of Glendale college, received the Meritorious Service award for his 40 years of work as an administrator and a leader.

“It’s just a thrill to have these young men come back on the campus and be a part of a hall of fame that we truly feel is one of the highlights of the Glendale college experience,” former Glendale college Football Coach and Men’s Athletic Director Jim Sartoris said while presenting McGowan and Moore with their awards. “You’re extremely deserving. We will never forget you and hopefully, you will never forget us.”

Mutual admiration was a common theme of the evening, as various speakers and the audience lavished praise and appreciation on the honorees, who in return, expressed genuine gratitude and joy at their induction.

“The foundations that we built here in this city and then coming back here tonight with you all, it’s been a gift,” McGowan said. “It’s priceless and I’ll never forget it.”

McGowan and Moore both played football at Glendale High before enjoying All-American careers at Glendale college from 1966-67.

McGowan played on the 1968 University of Kansas Orange Bowl team before playing eight seasons in the Canadian Football League, where he was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2003.

Moore saw his playing career cut short by injuries in college, but began a college coaching career in the early 70s that led to a 10-year stint coaching in the National Football League from 1978-88.