SACRAMENTO – Six exceptional California Community College student-athletes, coaches and administrators will enrich the 3C2A Hall of Fame with their induction during the 3C2A's annual convention at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento on March, it was announced on Monday.
The 2025 class will be comprised of men's soccer standout Marcelo Balboa (Cerritos College), softball coach Brad Pickler (Cypress College), baseball coach Scott Pickler (Cypress College), track and field coach, and athletic director Willie "Skip" Robinson (Pasadena City College), soccer coach and athletic director Kulwant Singh (De Anza College), and former 3C2A (COA) Associate Commissioner Stu Van Horn.
"We're honored to have a distinguished and deserving class join our 3C2A Hall of Fame," said Executive Director Jennifer Cardone. "The impact and contributions they've made to their schools, sports and/or their administrative positions will add to the rich legacy of our Hall of Fame and we congratulate each of them. We're looking forward to honoring them during our convention."
The Hall of Fame dinner will be hosted at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento on March 26 and begins at 6 p.m. Cocktail hour begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are available here.
MARCELO BALBOA (Soccer, Cerritos College)
Balboa, who was a two-time all-conference honoree and two-year starter for Cerritos College in the 1980s before becoming a two-time All-America at San Diego State, is one of the top players in the history of the United States Men's National Team.
Balboa played in three World Cups (1990, '94, '98) and is the first men's national team player to reach 100 caps (games played), finishing with 128. He played every minute on the backline during the 1994 World Cup, helping host U.S. advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1930. His fame was furthered by a near-goal on a bicycle kick against Columbia in the 1994 World Cup.
He was later named a four-time All-Star during an exceptional professional career in Major League Soccer. Balboa, who also played in the top Mexican League, was a two-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, became a World Cup television commentator, and finished his international career with 13 goals.
BRAD PICKLER (Softball Coach, Cypress College)
Pickler has defined success during his incredible tenure as the Cypress College softball coach. Since starting in 1987, he's won more than 1,500 games on his way to 10 state championships, including during a historic season in 2017 when the Chargers posted the only undefeated record in state history with a perfect 48-0 record. His teams have won three consecutive state titles on two different occasions, most recently from 2010-12, and he has won titles on both ends of a 32-year span (1991, 2023).
Pickler's teams have finished as state runner-up three times, and have five third-place and five fourth-place showings during 31 postseason appearances. He's been named Orange Empire Conference Coach of the Year 17 times while leading Cypress to 25 league titles.
Hall of Fame inductions for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Cypress College and Savanna High School have helped highlight Pickler's career which has seen hundreds of his student-athletes transfer to four-year schools and many come back to begin coaching careers with him.
SCOTT PICKLER (Baseball Coach, Cypress College)
Scott Pickler joins his brother Brad with induction into the 3C2A Hall of Fame, and like Brad has been synonymous with coaching excellence at Cypress College. Pickler championed the Chargers as head coach of the baseball program from 1985-2020, amassing an amazing record of 981-493 (.666), and establishing himself as one of the most successful coaches in state history.
Pickler's teams captured 3C2A Championships in 1991, '94, '97, '03 and '13, while finishing as state runner-up four other times. Nearly 30 of his former players have seen action in the Major Leagues.
He also enjoyed a successful career in the famed Cape Cod League during the summers, tying for the most Cape Cod titles in league history, earning four Manager of the Year awards and coaching more than 100 MLB players. Pickler has been inducted into five Halls of Fame, including those at Cypress College, Savannah High School the Cape Cod League, and with the American Baseball Coaches Association and the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association.
WILLIE "SKIP" ROBINSON (Track and Field Coach/Athletic Director, Pasadena City College)
Robinson's career with Pasadena City College began in 1966 when he was an All-America defensive back for his hometown Lancers, earning him a scholarship to USC. He returned to PCC in 1969 as an assistant football coach and from 1974-1994 as head men's track and field coach where he captured a pair of state championships in 1978 and 1984.
Robinson also led the Lancers to a pair of runner-up state finishes while mentoring 25 individual state champions. His state champion men's team as well as seven student-athletes are enshrined in the PCC Hall of Fame. He himself was inducted in 2002.
Robinson, who was honored as state Coach of the Year, also made lasting contributions to the athletics program as Dean/Athletic Director from 1995-2006. He championed diversity efforts in the athletics program and the building of a new physical education complex that included a new football stadium, aquatics center and other improvements. The Skip Robinson Classic men's basketball tournament is held in his honor at PCC each year.
KULWANT SINGH (Soccer Coach, Athletics Director, De Anza College)
Singh brought De Anza College soccer to the pinnacle of success on four occasions, capturing a women's title in 1993 and a men's banner in 1997. But it was what he accomplished in 1994 that cements his legacy in 3C2A soccer history. While serving as head coach of both the men's and women's teams, Singh led them both to state championships – on the same day.
That level of achievement helped define his 17-year coaching career – seven of them while simultaneously coaching both programs – that saw him win nearly 80 percent of his games with a 375-70-73 record. Fourteen of his players went on to earn All-America honors, more than 100 transferred with athletics scholarships to four-year schools, and two of his teams earned Scholar Team honors from the 3C2A.
Among his many accolades, Singh was twice named National Community College Coach of the Year. He continued to serve De Anza as athletic director beginning in 2004 and has been a member of many statewide and national committees.
STUART VAN HORN, (Associate Commissioner, 3C2A [COA])
The 3C2A, formerly known as the Commission on Athletics (COA), currently measures 112 member institutions and approximately 24,000 student-athletes. The seeds for that growth can be directly attributed to Van Horn, whose efforts as associate commissioner provided improvements in many areas of the association.
Van Horn started as public information officer for the California Association of Community Colleges (parent organization of the COA and now the Community College League of California) in 1984 while simultaneously working with the COA until 1987. He later returned as COA Associate Commissioner in 1996. In his new role, Van Horn helped secure major corporate sponsorships, established the COA Sports Festival, utilized state marketing initiatives to increase member colleges, and helped improve the overall student-athlete experience during the postseason.
Van Horn, whose tenure also included positions at Folsom Lake College, Coalinga College and as Chancellor of the West Hills Community College District, has made countless contributions throughout the California Community College system and has been recognized with many honors including induction into CCC Athletic Directors Association (2006), CCC Men's Basketball Coaches Association (2006) and Folsom Lake College Athletic (2023) Halls of Fame.
Press release courtesy 3C2A