6 Former Loyola Athletes Inducted Into Hall of Fame

They were telling stories about themselves last week when six inductees were added to the Loyola Marymount Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jerry Neri, an assistant football coach from 1949 to 1952, when the school dropped the sport, and who later held coaching and administrative positions in the National Football League, remembered Loyola playing football on a shoestring budget.

In 1949, Neri recalled, the Lions opened the season losing, 52-0, to College of the Pacific and the next week fell to a USF team whose roster had nine future pros, including stars Ollie Matson and Gino Marchetti. But Loyola, which featured Don Klosterman at quarterback, won its last five and showed a promise of what was to come the next year when the Lions went 8-1 and were under consideration for the Orange Bowl.

But the atmosphere was small college, as illustrated by an anecdote about a game against St. Mary’s.

“We were a small Catholic school on a small budget,” Neri said. “We had only one stretcher. There was a collision between (Loyola star) George Musacco and John Henry Johnson of St. Mary’s. Being that we were the home team, we took care of Musacco first, and we let John Henry sort of roll around in the dirt in pain until we could get to him later.” Johnson obviously recovered nicely. He went on to star in the NFL.

Hugh Boyle, class of 1942, played basketball and baseball at Loyola and was named to former USC Coach Rod Dedeaux’s all-time, all-opponent team.

He obviously relished a Pete Rose style of baseball.

“When I slid into second base the second baseman and shortstop headed for San Bernardino,” Boyle said. “I went in flying in all directions.”

Two of the inductees, the late Jim Tunney and Harry (Bud) Brubaker, went on to become brothers-in-law after attending Loyola.

Tunney’s widow, Kay, was on hand to see her husband and brother installed. Jim Tunney Jr., the National Football League referee, was also present. Brubaker, class of 1932, holds a collegiate record for longest punt. He connected on a 108-yarder in 1931. That’s a record that won’t be challenged soon because punts are now measured from the line of scrimmage.

The other inductees were football halfback Skip Giancanelli (1951) and the Rev. Donald Merrifield, former Loyola president.

WCAC Baseball Notes: As Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine open NCAA regional action today, the West Coast Athletic Conference carries a 17-15 postseason record in the last four seasons. Loyola and Pepperdine, who account for all but three of those games, are a combined 16-13. Pepperdine, in 1979, and Loyola in 1986 are the only WCAC teams to win a regional and reach the College World Series at Omaha. In the 1980s Pepperdine has played in the regional championship game in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1988.

Santa Clara, which went to the regionals last year, was snubbed this season despite a second straight 40-win season. Santa Clara is the only WCAC team other than Loyola and Pepperdine to get a regional berth. Technically, however, there is another WCAC team in the playoffs this year--Portland, which competes in the WCAC in all other sports but is in the Pac-10 North for baseball. The Pilots are in the Western Regional at Fresno State, along with Pepperdine. Loyola is playing at the University of Arizona at Tucson.

Toro Awards: Senior basketball player Kathy Goggin was a double winner in Cal State Dominguez Hills athletic awards announced this week. Goggin, a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and two-time District 8 Academic All-American, was named the school’s female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won the Richard Butwell Athletic Council senior award as well. Goggin graduates with a 3.87 grade-point average and is majoring in psychology.

Junior Mark Lincir, a soccer player, was named male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He carries a 3.3 average.

Basketball star Anthony Blackmon--the school’s career rebounding and blocked shot leader and No. 2 all-time scorer who was the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. Player of the Year--was named Toro male Athlete of the Year for the second time. Softball pitcher Denise Biller, who finished with five school records and led the Lady Toros to their best season, was named female Athlete of the Year.

College Notes

In the final regular season baseball polls, Pepperdine is 17th and Loyola 18th in Baseball America, 17th and 24th in Collegiate Baseball . . . Pepperdine’s regional games will be broadcast live on KWNK-AM (670), starting with today’s 3:30 opener at Fresno against No. 23 Michigan . . . Counting two berths in the Division II regionals while at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Pepperdine Coach Andy Lopez is making his third postseason appearance in four years . . . Tennis player Kris Anderson was named female Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Loyola. Baseball player Travis Tarchione was the male honoree.