by Blake Fabre// Photography Editor
On Saturday, November 16th the Carson Colt Alumni Association (CCAA) held the inaugural Carson Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony. In the first class of this new event, they inducted six Carson High alumni: Wally Rank, Wesley Walker, George Markulis, Mike Wilson, Dr. Ralph Mann and Coach Gene Vollnogle.
The ceremony was streamed on Facebook Live and hosted by Beto Duran, a working columnist for ESPN, and former Carson Colt. The inductees were all honored for their achievements at and in their career after Carson High. Coach Gene Vollnogle, who the football stadium is named after, was the first football Coach in the school’s history. Vollnogle began at Banning High School, but once Carson High was built in 1963 he decided to coach there. Gene Vollnogle passed in September of 2012 and was represented by his daughter Terry at the event. He was the only inductee not in attendance.
Wally Rank, a former highschool basketball star went on to play for the, at the time, San Gabriel Clippers.
Rank expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the event by stating, “It’s nice. It just shows how your peers recognize the things you did in the past.”
Dr. Ralph Mann ran track at Carson High for three years. He was a Marine League, city and state champion. After his high school career ended, he went on to run at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Mann received the silver medal in the 400 meter hurdles event.
George Markulis, was honored for his versatility within the athletic department at Carson High. Markulis played basketball, baseball, football and ran for the track team. It’s astounding just how much he did in his packed four years.
“I’ve had so much support and so many people in this community. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the tremendous coaches, the faculty, the school that gave me the foundation to do extraordinary things in my life.” exclaimed Markulis.
Wesley Walker was honored for his football career in high school which extended to him becoming a wide receiver for the New York Jets from 1977-1989. During his speech, he thanked Coach Vollnogle for his leadership and bragged how under Coach Gene, he never lost a game throughout his four years, making Carson High, a football juggernaut.
The final inductee that was honored was Mike Wilson, a former Carson football player who went on to play as a wide receiver for the 49ers between 1981 and 1990. During his time with the 49ers, Wilson was apart of winning four Super Bowl titles. Mike Wilson has made four appearances at Carson High’s Varsity football games along with talks with team. Currently, he is the wide receiving coach for the LA Wildcats, a new, local XFL football team that has partnered with the Colts.
The ceremony was extremely well-received by all in attendance and especially the inductees. The Hall of Fame Committee of the Carson Colts Alumni Association spoke about how the process for this event to happen was long and trying, but they believe it came out perfect. There had been talking about starting a Carson Athletic Hall of Fame since 2007, but this year it finally came to fruition. CCAA showed off a large plaque featuring the inductees names, that they plan to permanently display on one of the pillars between the C and G buildings, underneath the raised walkway. They also sold pins at the event so the attendees would forever remember the historic event.
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