“This city has supported athletes for its over 100 years,” said Century Club Director of Large Sam Breuklander as a start to the evening’s festivities. “Tonight we continue that with the Century Club’s 54th Sports Banquet.” In the 54 years it’s been in existence, the Century Club has donated over $2.5 million to the support of local athletics—but the club also puts on two important, unique banquets. The first is the Middle School banquet, which honors Long Beach’s finest middle school athletes; the second is the Sports Night Banquet, held Tuesday night at the Grand, which is the Oscars of the Long Beach sporting world.
Columnists from the Press-Telegram’s glory days mingle with high school freshman diving champions, Long Beach State coaches and players rub elbows with Olympians and Hall of Famers (including Misty May-Treanor, Bobby Grich, and Harry Minor). It’s a great night, for the city to recognize its own. Be sure to check out the full list below, and extra be sure to check out our highlight video so you can see all the award winners.
We’d also like to take a second to thank the Century Club again for their generosity in giving us the Keith Cordes Award, for the best promotion of the city of Long Beach through sports. It’s a true honor to stand among the company below, and to join the ranks of previous Keith Cordes Award-winners, including Harry J. Moore, Jim McCormack, Klaus Barth, Bob Maxson, Beverly O’Neil, Steve Lewis, and all the other unbelievable winners since the award’s inception in 1969.
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:
Kemp Richardson – Champion Golfer
Paul Chafe – 6 decade coach @ L.B.C.C.
Dave Marshall – Baseball
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:
Jessica Hardy – World Record Holder – Swimming
CITIZEN AWARDS:
Award Honoree
Bob & Nel Kariger Award Marshall Thompson
Tom & Georgie Gleason Award Rick DuRee
Tom Steward Master’s Award Craig Hofman
John Dixon Citizens Award Glenn & Lori Hass
Keith Cordes Award J.J. Fiddler & Mike Guardabascio
Frank Vessels, Jr. Award Ron Massey
Brian & Michael Warren Award Jack Hutchinson
Ernie Pollman Memorial Award Vicki Stevens
Kirk Jones Inspirational Award Alden Darby
Sam Dimas Award Joe Carlson
Marie C. Gooch Past Presidents Award Jerry Johnson
ATHLETE & COACHING AWARDS:
Harold Hofman Scholarship Award (M) Matthew Johnson
Harold Hofman Scholarship Award (F) Carly Lopez
Special Olympics Award (M) Terry Lane
Special Olympics Award (F) Amber Nething
Loel Schrader High School Coach of the Year Carl Buggs & Crystal Irving
Max Coley/Dick McGree Coach of the Year Randy Totorp
Hank Hollingworth Award Jesse Scroggins
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES – CENTURY CLUB ATHELTE OF THE YEAR:
Badminton – Male David Khim
Badminton – Female Quynh Dao
Baseball Josh Frye
Co-Basketball – Male Michael Wilder
Co-Basketball – Male Stephan Heard
Basketball – Female Monique Oliver
Co-Cross Country – Male Sean Graham
Co-Cross Country – Male Sean Price
Cross Country – Female Dynasty Gammage
Football Jesse Scroggins
Golf – Male Boris Stantchev
Golf – Female Alex Ross
Gymnastics Victoria Dubrowskij
Soccer – Male Jose Torres
Soccer – Female Emily Dillon
Softball Eliza Crawford
Swimming/Diving – Male Deon Reid
Swimming/Diving – Female Paulina Guzman
Tennis – Male Kyle Porter
Tennis – Female Suzy Tan
Track/Field – Male Jonathan Sanders
Track/Field – Female Akawkaw Ndipagbor
Volleyball – Male Michael Wilder
Volleyball – Female Kellie Woolever
Water Polo – Male Daniel Tyner
Water Polo – Female Jamie Williams
Wrestling Oscar Rivera
St. Anthony Boy Athlete of the Year Sergio Gonzales
St. Anthony Girl Athlete of the Year Breana Panaguiton
H/S Male Athlete of the Year Michael Wilder
H/S Female Athlete of the Year Monique Oliver
COLLEGE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR:
Long Beach City College – Female Vanessa Samudio
Long Beach City College – Male Antwain Aguillard
Long Beach State – Female Hannah Grady
Long Beach State – Male Dean Bittner