Before a packed banquet hall at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
in Norwalk, three more products of Cerritos College athletic
programs were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Joining Eric Draper
(Distinguished Alumnus), Carmen Garcia (Distinguished Classified),
John Boyle (Distinguished Faculty), Nello DiCorpo (Distinguished
President's Award of Excellence) and Southern California Edison
(Distinguished Corporate Partner), former softball coach Nancy
Kelly, former wrestler Antonio McKee and former women's basketball
player Shelley Hall were all part of the Third Annual Hall of Fame
induction Ceremony on Thursday, March 14.
Nancy Kelly (Softball Coach): From 1976 through 1997,
Nancy Kelly served as the college’s softball coach and led
her teams to 502 career wins and the first state championship
(1978) in California Community College history. She coached her
teams to 15 Southern California Regional Playoff appearances and
five South Coast Conference championships. Prior to winning the
state title in 1978, she led her team to a 27-3 mark and was the
Southwest AIAW runner-up as well as the National AIAW runner-up.
Kelly came to Cerritos College after a storied high school and
college athletic career that saw her get inducted into the Temple
University Hall of Fame in 1982. While at Temple, Kelly was on the
field hockey, softball and basketball teas, where she averaged 28.7
points a game and played on the 1962 World AAU basketball
championship team. Since her retirement, Kelly created the Nancy
Kelly Academic Scholarship, which is awarded to a softball player
who competed for two seasons and qualifies to transfer to a
four-year college under NCAA rules. The award has been given out
annually since 2003 at the Foundation Golf Tournament. In addition,
Kelly had the field she built from scratch upon her arrival named
in her honor and is still instrumental in the progress of the field
and softball program.
Said Kelly during her induction speech: I truly
believe I was meant to be at Cerritos. The path that I took to get
here isn't something you can plan. I came in at a time when Title
IX started and it allowed me to coach the softball team. We didn't
have a field, so we had to build our own field. What a great
experience to help build our field, bring in players and then win
the first ever softball state championship (1976). My time at
Cerritos was wonderful and having several of my players from that
first team here tonight shows how much of an impact we had on the
lives of young people.
Antonio McKee (Wrestling): In his two seasons
as a member of the Cerritos College wrestling team, Antonio McKee
was unbeatable. He won a pair of state championships (1988 &
1989) while posting a combined 61-0 record, which is the second
best all-time record in California Community College history.
In addition to his state titles, he won a pair of Southern
California and South Coast Conference championships, while he was
also victorious in both of his North/South All-State matches.
For his efforts, Antonio was a two-time 1st Team All-American
and helped the Falcons finish in second place at the state
championships, while they won the SoCal Championship and conference
title his sophomore year. As a freshman, they won the
conference championship and came in third place at SoCal. At the
conclusion of his collegiate wrestling career at Cerritos, he
eventually went on to a successful Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career,
which includes fighting for SherDog (28-6 record) since 1999 and
was also a Maximum Fight Lightweight Championship and fought in the
World Fighting Alliance and UFC among others. He currently owns
www.KOFightNight.com and helped bring the first MMA event to the
Cerritos College campus. The response was overwhelming and the
college will look to bring in more Antonio-sponsored
events
Said McKee during his induction speech: I was
fortunate to end up at Cerritos at a time in my life when I needed
direction the most. There's no way I would have accomplished what I
did at Cerritos, and then in MMA and as a successful businessman
without the guidance of (former head coach) Jeff Smth and (former
assistant coach) Steve Glassey. They taught me how to be
respectful, and humble and what it means to be a man. Now that I
teach young kids, I carry those lessons on to them and see them
evolving. Cerritos College and the wrestling program is what I have
to thank for the life I have today.
Shelley Hall (Women's
Basketball): Shelley Hall, who set three career
records, two single-season records and countless single-game
records during the 1984-86 seasons as a member of the Cerritos
College women’s basketball team, was inducted into the
California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Hall
of Fame on March 13, 2004. Shelley, who went on to play at Cal
State Los Angeles, led the Falcons to their first-ever South Coast
Conference championship and state tournament appearance. In her
freshman year of 1984-85, the Falcons struggled to a 12-17 season,
but watched Shelley break the single-season scoring record with 575
points and a 20.7 scoring average. Yet, it was in her sophomore
season that the Falcons began their current 20+ years of success
and post-season accomplishments. The Falcons turned in a 25-8
record and won the conference title, as Shelley broke the scoring
record she set the season before with 636 points (since broken) and
averaged 20.5 points a game. Shelley still holds the record
for most career points (1,221) during a time where there was no
three-point basket. Also a great defender, she set the
school record with 64 career blocks as well as 191 career steals.
In her 65 games, she scored in double-figures 63 times, which
included streaks of 31 and 25 games in a row. While at Cal State
Los Angeles, Shelley was a 3rd Team All-American her junior
season.
Said Hall during her induction speech: One of
the main reasons I decided to come to Cerritos was because (head
coach) Karen (Welliver) was a young coach and only in her second
year. She was such a wonderful coach and I call a dear friend to
this day. She instilled in us that school is what will allow you to
build a life, while basketball is just a way to get to that next
level. I hope that my three kids can see how hard work and going to
school is best way to give them a chance to succeed in life.
Receiving this award is just the culmination of everything I put
into being a student-athlete.