FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION: 02/12/97
CONTACT: Margie Yu,
Public Affairs Assistant
(323) 343-3047
CAL STATE L.A. ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTS FOUR AT ANNUAL EVENT
Los Angeles, CA -- February 12, 1997 -- The Athletics Hall of Fame at California State University, Los Angeles recently inducted Burbank resident Gudrun Armanski, track and field, Thousand Oaks resident John W. Hermann, coach/athletics director, Fullerton resident Carey Simons, cross country and track and field, and Jack Deutsch, baseball, residing in Mount Airy, North Carolina, during an awards ceremony held at the Tower Restaurant in the Transamerica Building, downtown Los Angeles.
Since its inception in 1985, Cal State L.A. Athletics has honored 75 men and women—including Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis champion Billie Jean King, three-time track Olympian and 1954 Sullivan Award winner Mal Whifield, two-time Green Bay Packers Super Bowl participant Jim Weatherwax, two-time Olympic track medalist Barbara Ferrell, and 1984 Olympic swim coach Don Gambril—to highlight just a few.
Here’s a closer look at our 1997 award honorees:
Gudrun Armanski is a former Cal State L.A. women’s track and field coach (1973-93). During her 20-year tenure, she coached numerous All-Americans such as Rosalyn Bryant, Diane Williams, Denean and Sherri Howard, each of whom has earned collegiate, American and Olympic records. In addition, she has coached 13 Olympians and 26 collegiate champions. Eight former athletes under her guidance are Cal State L.A. Athletics Hall of Fame honorees. While at Cal State L.A., she also garnered the 1992 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Coach of the Year award. She was chosen as the Sprint Coach for the West Team at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival.
Jack Deutsch’s Cal State L.A. baseball success began his first year at CSLA when he was named 1977 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Coach of the Year after guiding the Golden Eagles to a fourth-place national finish in the College World Series. After twice defeating Division I powerhouse USC to gain a Series berth, Cal State L.A. beat Minnesota and Clemson before bowing to South Carolina and Southern Illinois. Deutsch ended his ’77 campaign with a 42-22 overall record and a 17-7 conference mark. Among his players are former and current major-leaguers Tim Corcoran, René Gonzales and Darrell Brown. He was head coach at Cal State L.A. from 1977 to 1983.
John W. Hermann started his Cal State L.A. career as football and rugby coach (1966-69) and then continued as athletics director from 1970 to 1980. As a mentor in the Intercollegiate Athletics division, Hermann led CSLA to a 1978 national trophy in track and field, a bid into the 1974 NCAA basketball tournament, and three conference titles in baseball. He also was instrumental in obtaining full-time positions for an athletics trainer and sports information director at Cal State L.A. and establishing a five-year contract with the Associated Students Board of Directors. In addition, he served as president of the CCAA and on various NCAA committees for eight years. He was awarded professor emeritus status in 1989 after having taught physical education courses from 1966 to 1990.
Carey Simons was a four-year (1973-77) letterwinner in cross country and track and field while competing for the Golden Eagles. In 1976, Simons earned All-American kudos in cross country and placed 15th overall in the national meet. During that same season, he finished fourth nationally in the 5,000- meter race at the NCAA track championships. For three consecutive years, Simons also won individual conference crowns in the mile, 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. In academics, he earned Cal State L.A. Scholar-Athlete honors. A 1979 Cal State L.A. graduate, he is a senior operations analyst with Beckman Instruments in Fullerton.
For more information, call the Cal State L.A. Athletics Office at (323) 343-4650.