Fullerton College Player Goff Dies at 19

Mike Goff, 19, a sophomore basketball player at Fullerton College and a Times’ All-County player at Magnolia High School in 1988, died of unknown causes at his home in Anaheim Saturday morning.

According to Fullerton Sports Information Director Ken Hill, Goff was eating breakfast with his parents when he complained that he wasn’t feeling very well.

“He got up from breakfast table and collapsed in the living room,” Hill said.

Goff was taken to Humana Hospital in Anaheim and was pronounced dead.

An autopsy is scheduled today, according to the Orange County coroner.

Fullerton Coach Roger See did not find out about Goff’s death until he returned Saturday from Riverside, where the team played in a community college basketball tournament. Fullerton guard Roy Joseph had phoned the Goffs and then left a message on See’s machine.

“I knew it had to be serious because he (Goff) would have called (if he couldn’t make it to the game),” See said. “We waited an extra 10 minutes but we had to go. We thought he might meet us there.”

See said he had informed 10 of the team’s 13 players about the death. “They’re all in shock,” he said. “A lot of them couldn’t believe it. There’s a lot of tears.”

Goff played Friday night and scored 11 points in a victory over Santa Barbara in the consolation semifinals. On Wednesday, Goff scored his season high, 25 points, against Cypress.

“I talked to our trainer, Bill Chambers, and he said (Goff) didn’t have a history of heart problems,” Hill said. “Chambers said Goff was not on any medication.”

Goff was selected Fullerton’s most valuable player last season when he averaged 15 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He also was an All-Orange Empire Conference selection. This season he is averaging eight points per game.

Goff, a 1988 high school graduate, set six school basketball records at Magnolia in Anaheim. He holds records for scoring in one, two and three seasons, and for single-game scoring, 53 points, which he set in his senior year.

“He was the best basketball player our school ever had,” Magnolia Coach Al Walin said. Goff, a Times All-County selection in 1988, led the county in scoring (28.2 points per game) and rebounding (16.7) that season.

“He was a good kid and well liked,” Hill said. “He’ll be more missed as a person than a player.”

“We’re all devasted and in shock,” See said. “It always happens to somebody else, in some other town--and then it happens to you and you have to deal with it.”

In addition to his parents, Michael and Michelle, Goff is survived by an older sister, Stacey.