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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Fundraising for Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame

The Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has reached out to San Fernando Valley businesspeople to increase the exposure of the hall of fame and provide fundraising support. The hall of fame in the college’s Fireside Room commemorates athletes and others who have supported the school’s athletic program. The first 12 members, who will be inducted during a dinner in June, include two gold medal-winning Olympians and a long-time public relations man for the Dodgers. “You’d be surprised at how many people use [Valley College] as a springboard,” said Paul Sabolic, hall of fame committee chairman and Valley alumnus. Through the college’s foundation, Sabolic was put in touch with Allen Weiss, Floyd Coverston and Terry Miller, Valley College alumni who comprise an advisory committee for outreach into the business community. Although Valley College is in the center of the San Fernando Valley, and has been attended by nearly thousands of students since opening in 1949, the hall of fame in the Fireside Room, accompanied by a collage of photos of past athletes and coaches, has gained little attention. “Getting the word out is just a challenge,” said Sabolic, who during his football-playing days for the Valley College Monarchs was chosen as a Junior College All-American. That sentiment is shared by Coverston and Weiss, teammates on the 1955 championship football team that will be among the inductees in June. The advisory committee has gone to other alumni who have become business owners to get their support. The passage of time, however, since an athlete’s playing days can be a roadblock to generating interest. “As you get further away from an event, it becomes more difficult,” Coverston said. In the years since leaving Valley College, Coverston embarked on a career in insurance, spending the past 20 years with Northridge Insurance selling commercial policies. Weiss later attended California State University at Northridge and divides his career between the food service industry and operating Sounds of Music, an entertainment services company. It’s about time that Valley College has a hall of fame for its athletes, Weiss said. “Just about every college or even high school has one,” Weiss said.

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