Schools

COM's Hall Of Fame Expands By Five

NFL coach Pete Carroll, former MLB player Jerry Goff, Pete Limm, Justin Nichols and John "The Greek" Panagakis are welcomed into the College of Marin Athletic Hall of Fame.

Just about anyone who wandered into College of Marin's gymnasium or watched a baseball or football game from the bleachers in the past 40 years has probably seen at least a glimpse of Pete Limm.

Limm, 81, has coached many years in different sports at College of Marin and served as athletic director.

“The important thing is to make sure these kids have every opportunity they can to go on and do as well as they can,” said Limm, who continues to teach golf part-time at the college. “You teach the kids who are good and the kids who are not so good. You teach them everything you know so they can do well.”

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Limm joined Pete Carroll, Jerry Goff, Justin Nichols and John “The Greek” Panagakis as the newest inductees in College of Marin's Athletic Hall of Fame during Saturday night's ceremony in San Rafael.

“These honorees have made significant contributions to their sports and have served as role models for many students,” said David Wain Coon, Ed.D., COM Superintendent/President. “This event will allow us to show our great appreciation for the work that they have done and their many accomplishments.”

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“This group is not just a great class of athletes involved with College of Marin; they are men who have had a huge impact on the communities in which they live,” said Matt Markovich, director of P.E. & Athletics. “It’s another great group of college alumni that have touched a lot of student athletes’ lives over the years.”

In addition to recognizing their contributions, the life stories of these men inspire our young college athletes, Markovich said.

• Former Major League Baseball Player Goff, 48, played baseball and also punted for College of Marin’s football team. He transferred to and played baseball ball at Cal, and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut in 1990 with the Montreal Expos and he continued to play in the major leagues until 1996. He is now a firefighter for the City of Millbrae.

“I was lucky enough to play there one year and move on to Cal,” Goff said. “That was a stepping stone to the rest of my career.”

• Before Carroll became head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and even before he made his name as head coach of the national champion USC Trojans, Carroll was learning the game on the gridiron at Redwood High School and at College of Marin. Carroll, 60, played football for two years at College of Marin (1969-1970) after graduating from Redwood.

• Nicholas, 42, currently a swim and water polo coach in the Dallas, Texas area, was a national champion swimmer and water polo player. He held the junior college record for 200-yard breaststroke for 23 years, and remembers invaluable coaching and inspiration at the college.

• Panagakis, 75, initially hired on in 1966 as a College of Marin basketball coach, also coached football, tennis, track and soccer, as well as women’s basketball, before going on to work for the Florida Marlins and then returning to the Marin area to organize and coach Special Olympics for nearly four decades.

“I always say, ‘You may have won a lot of games but in four years, but I’ve never lost a game,” Panagakis said. “It’s really what athletics is all about; they just enjoy playing without a lot of pressure.”

The Class of 2011 inductees were: David Cotton (Springboard Diving, 1974-1975); Irwin "Red" Diamond (Basketball, 1947-1984); Mario Ghilotti (Football, 1948-1949); Richard Nave (Football, 1948-1949) and Ray Snyder (Basketball, 1947-1948).

For additional coverage of the induction ceeremonies, check out the Marin Independent Journal.


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