Banning Game Was Definitely on Carson Coach’s Mind

After Carson High’s 20-9 victory over San Fernando last week football Coach Gene Vollnogle was upset about his team’s lackluster offense.

Perhaps, someone suggested, the Colts had been looking ahead to this week’s match with rival Banning.

“If they were it was on their own. We did not mention Banning until today (in a post-game huddle),” Vollnogle said.

Well, Vollnogle may not have mentioned Banning, but during the entire game he wore an eye-shade reading “Beat Banning.”

College basketball practice officially began Tuesday but Loyola Marymount star Forrest McKenzie, who must be chomping at the bit, got an early jump on the season.

McKenzie, the high-scoring forward who sat out last season after a grades dispute with the NCAA, played for an Athletes in Action team that toured Germany and Hungary over the summer. In 13 games the 6-7 senior averaged 19.1 points, second on the team, and 7.2 rebounds. He shot 51.4%, with six three-point baskets and nine dunks. He had a high game of 25 points against Rhein Main of Frankfurt.

The AIA team had a selection of U.S. college players including Georgia’s Joe Ward, who led in scoring with a 24.2 average, and Mark Gottfried of Alabama.

The name Loyola Marymount University may not shake down the thunder in athletic circles but the Lions have a long and colorful tradition in sports that new Athletic Director Brian Quinn hopes to acknowledge by establishing a Loyola Athletic Hall of Fame.

Quinn appointed a selection committee that chose 20 inaugural inductees, to be announced in November. The 20 will be honored at a dinner before Loyola’s basketball game with the University of San Francisco on Jan. 25 and they will be introduced at halftime of the game.

The Hall of Fame will be located in the Founders Room of Albert Gersten Pavilion, upstairs from the arena. Plans call for inductees to be added annually.

Quinn hopes the Hall of Fame will help increase enthusiasm among students as well as alumni. “Our students do not realize how much tradition there has been at this university, and probably aren’t aware of our previous athletic successes,” Quinn said.

“This will help educate them to the successes that earlier students and student-athletes enjoyed here, and hopefully will inspire them.”

Loyola’s past includes several football All-Americans until the sport was dropped from the intercollegiate level in 1951. The last All-American was Don Klosterman, who later became Rams general manager. The school has won the last six Southern California rugby titles (the sport is played on club level) and has had similar success in crew.

Quinn, who played baseball and basketball at Loyola, was a guard on the 1961 basketball team that won Loyola’s last West Coast Athletic Conference title.

Around the horn: Two of the South Bay’s best high school running backs will be back in uniform this week after nursing leg injuries. Gardena’s Brian Brown, considered the area’s top backfield prospect by college scouts, will play against Fremont after recovering from an ankle sprain described by Coach Bill Partridge as “slight.” The move frees Pee Wee Smith to return to his flanker-wide receiver position. In a similar situation, West Torrance back Kevin Maher will be in the lineup against South Torrance after sitting out with a thigh bruise. That moves junior Brad Dodge, his understudy, back to wide receiver. . . . Cal State Northridge linebacker Reggie Wauls, a former St. Bernard High star, was named Western Football Conference defensive player of the week last week. In a game against nationally ranked Cal State Hayward Wauls had 17 tackes, 14 solos. . . . Fullback Paulo Pueliu of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a former Bishop Montgomery star, started his first game at fullback two weeks ago against UC Davis. Pueliu had the best running performance of the season for Cal Poly, gaining 127 yards on 22 carries. Pueliu, a senior, is averaging 4.8 yards per carry.