For information on how to purchase tickets please visit Renegade Athletics Hall of Fame - Bakersfield College (gogades.com)
The Bakersfield College Renegades Athletics Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) https://www.scoi.com, unveils its inaugural class of inductees.
A combination of twelve former athletes, coaches, and administrators from the nearly 100-years history of BC's athletics were selected for enshrinement by an 11-person committee of community members.
The list of inductees includes Gil Bishop, Carl Bowser, Bruce Burnett, Gerry Collis, Bob Covey, Billy Cowan, George Culver, Frank Gifford, Dean Jones, Colby Lewis, Aisha Harrison-Maston, and Hank Pfister Jr.
Gil Bishop, for whom BC's current gymnasium is name in honor of, served at the school's Athletics Director from 1954-1968. He was responsible for hiring many of the coaches that turned BC into one of the preeminent community college athletics programs in the state. He is also credited with being the force behind the plans for Memorial Stadium.
Carl Bowser posted an 83-31-3 record as BC's football coach from 1984-1994. He guided the Renegades to the 1988 National Title with a Potato Bowl victory over Fullerton College. BC won six Western State Conference titles and appeared in seven Potato Bowls during Bowser's 11 years of the at the helm of the Renegades football program.
Bruce Burnett won state wrestling titles at BC in 1969 & 1970. He compiled a 55-3 career record and was named the state's outstanding wrestler his sophomore year. He went on to have an highly successful coaching career at the United States Naval Academy and for the U.S. National Team. Burnett was the USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Coach in 2014-2016 and 1993-2000. Under his guidance, the United States had 5 Olympic gold medalists and 11 World Champions.
Gerry Collis coached both baseball (1958-1967) and football (1967-1983) at BC. Collis led the Renegades football team to five league championships, three Potato Bowls and the 1976 Junior Rose Bowl. His 121 career victories as BC Head Football Coach ranks No. 1 in school history.
Bob Covey coached track & field at BC for 42 years, retiring in 2005. His teams won 24 league track & field titles, 10 league cross country titles, six Southern California Regional Track & Field team titles, one Southern California Regional Cross Country title and two California State team titles. Covey coached 32 state (individual) champions. He was selected California Coach of the Year five times.
Billy Cowan was a two-sport (baseball & basketball) standout at BC. Het set several school records in basketball, including a BC single-game high of 39 points (since surpassed). Cowan's sophomore year he was selected Metropolitan Conference Basketball Player of the Year. After leading the University of Utah's basketball team to the NCAA Final Four in 1961, he became a professional baseball player and played eight years in the Major Leagues.
George Culver was an All-Metropolitan Conference performer on BC's baseball team for two years (1962-1963). Culver went on to pitch nine seasons in Major League Baseball (1966-1974), posting a record of 48 wins and 49 losses, 23 saves and a career ERA of 3.62. The strong-armed right-hander hurled a no-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 29, 1968. Culver, a longtime supporter of BC Athletics, has raised an immense amount of money through BC Hot Stove Dinners to upgrade the school's baseball facilities.
Frank Gifford played football for BC in 1949, making the Junior College All-American team. After moving on a playing two years at USC, Gifford was drafted in the First Round (11th overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. We went on lead the Giants to victory in 1956 NFL Championship game. That same year he was selected the league's MVP. Gifford, the longtime play-by-play voice for ABC's Monday Night Football, was enshrined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
Dean Jones was the starting point guard for BC's 1977-78 state championship team, which finished with a record of 33-2. Jones averaged 15.7 points and 9 assists per game that season was named State Player of the Year and All-Metro First Team. He went on to play basketball at USC before returning to BC to coach the men's basketball team from 1985-1993.
Colby Lewis was standout pitcher for BC in 1998 and 1999. Following a First Team All-Western State Conference season his sophomore year (4-5, 2.86 ERA, 108 strikeouts), Lewis was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 1st round (38th overall) of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound right-handed pitcher went on to have an 11-year MLB career, mostly with the Rangers. In 233 MLB games, he posted a 77-72 won-lost record with a 4.70 earned run average. He helped the Rangers reach the World Series in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, he won two games in the ALCS vs. the Yankees and added Texas' only World Series win when he beat the Giants in Game 3.
Aisha Harrison-Maston was the driving force behind BC's 1997 women's track and field state championship. Harrison-Maston accounted for 40 of the Renegades 82 team points by winning individual titles in the long jump, triple jump, and the 100-meter hurdles, while finishing runner-up in the 200. Harrison-Maston was named MVP and Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments. She holds four Bakersfield College stadium records and continues to hold the CCCAA state championship record for most individual points. Harrison-Maston earned a scholarship to the University of Nebraska but injuries forced her to end her career after just one season with the Huskers.
Hank Pfister Jr., led BC to men's tennis championships in conference, Ojai, sectionals, and was a State Finalist in singles. The Renegades team captain went on to play at San Jose State, where he was an All-American. Pfister spent 11 years on the ATP Tour, winning two singles titles, and 11 doubles titles. He attained a career-high world singles ranking of No.19 in 1983. During his pro career, Pfister posted victories over Jimmy Connors, Roscoe Tanner, Guillermo Vilas, Arthur Ashe, Ilie Nastase and Stan Smith.
The Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on October 14th beginning at 5:30 PM. Tickets, which include dinner, are $125 per person and will be available on August 16th. For tickets contact Keith Ford the BC Athletic Office (661) 395-4299.
For more information regarding the Hall Fame sponsorships or BC Athletics visit gogades.com
