Sports

Forever enshrined

Don Bailey (1971-2007) retired from the Long Beach State athletic department after 36 years, including 34 as head athletic trainer. Starting in the late ‘70s, he started working with U.S. Olympic teams, including being named the head athletic trainer in 1990 for the men’s water polo teams at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games. He was an innovator and the first to use heel and lace pads, an item every training room uses to prevent blisters when taping. Bailey passed away Nov. 16, 2007 due to complications from surgery.

Don Baird (1975-77) was a four-time NCAA All-American pole vaulter for the 49ers, earning honors in both Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He participated in the 1976 Olympics and finished 12th for his home country Australia. Baird was the 1977 PCAA pole vault champion and won the 1975 title (17’6″) at the USA Track and Field Championships, the same year he was ranked No. 7 in the world by Track and Field News.

Jade Carvalho (1978-80, unpictured) was a three-time All-American in field hockey for LBSU. She led the 49ers to the 1979 NCAA title, the first Division I championship in LBSU history. Carvalho was a member of the U.S. national team and was an alternate for the 1984 Olympic team. She also participated in judo and finished second at the 1979 Intercollegiate Judo Championships.

James Cotton (1996-97) was a two-time All Big West Conference first-team selection for the men’s basketball team. He ranks sixth in school history with 1,452 career points, and his career 18.2 points per game average is the third best in 49er history. Cotton was drafted in the second round (32nd overall pick) by the Denver Nuggets in the 1997 NBA Draft. He also played for the Seattle SuperSonics and Chicago Bulls, his final NBA stop in 1999.

Tayyiba Haneef-Park (1998-2001) was one of the greatest two-sport athletes in LBSU history, competing in women’s volleyball for four years and track and field for three years. In 2001, she was a first-team AVCA All-American in her senior season, leading the 49ers 33-1 record, the Big West title and the NCAA Championship match. Haneef-Park competed for Team USA at the Olympics in 2004 and was named to the 2008 team, as well. In track and field, she was a three-time All-American high jumper and was named to the All-Big West and All-MPSF team three times.

John Kahler (1969-71, unpictured) was a three-year letterwinner as a standout defensive linemen for the 49er football team. He was a two-time first-team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association selection in 1970 and ‘71. Kahler was drafted in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1972 NFL Draft. He helped lead the 49ers to a 9-2-1 record and first place in the PCAA in 1970. LBSU was 25-9-1 during his three seasons, the most wins in a three-year span in school history.

Pete Manarino (1984-2006) compiled a 843-508-2 record in 23 seasons as the 49er head softball coach. He led LBSU to five College World Series appearances (1986, 1990-93) and won five league titles (1996-97, 1999, 2004-05). He was named the Big West Coach of the Year five times (1986, 1997, 1999, 2003-04) and led the team to 17 NCAA Regional appearances. Manarino led LBSU to a record 51 wins in 2004. He coached 86 all-conference selections, 30 all-region selections and three All-Americans. Manarino was selected into the original Long Beach Softball Hall of Fame class.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Daily 49er newsletter

Instagram