Six honorees were selected as inductees for the Pioneers Hall of Fame in October. The 2022 class includes Dr. Malachi Andrews, John Benedick, Will Biggs, Kim Johnson, John Rico and Marty Valdez.
The Cal State East Bay Athletics Hall of Fame was founded in 1985 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the University's athletic program. Members are inducted by the Hall of Fame Committee for their outstanding athletic, academic, and/or postgraduate achievements, as well as their contributions to the University and the East Bay community. The six members to be inducted are in addition to the more than 100 individuals and three teams in the Hall.
Below are some accomplishments and history for the 2022 inductees.
Dr. Malachi Andrews – Head Coach for Track & Field and Assistant Coach for Gymnastics
After his time as an outstanding long jumper at the University of Arizona, Dr. Andrews led student-athletes, serving as a track & field and gymnastics coach for the Pioneers. Here are some of the very notable achievements for Dr. Andrews while with the Pioneers.
- Andrews was the first African-American track & field coach to be hired in the CSU system.
- Coached 16 Track & Field All-Americans, including Pioneers Hall of Fame Members Kenny Bayless (Pioneers Hall of Fame 2019), Kermit Bayless (Pioneers Hall of Fame 1986), Edward Ray Clark (Pioneers Hall of Fame 1986), Willie Eashman (Pioneers Hall of Fame 1988), Marilyn King (Pioneers Hall of Fame 1986) and Collette Winlock (Pioneers Hall of Fame 1996)
- Team finished 1st in the Far Western Conference Championships ('71)
- Team finished 2nd in the Far Western Conference Championships ('69, '70, '72)
- Team finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Division II Championships in 1970, 1971 and 1972
- In 1971, Andrews coached Andy Weber to an individual National Championship in Javelin
- Amateur Athletic Union National Coach - Women's Long Jump Coach for the All Army Track and Field Team
- Served as the Meet Director for the Armed Forces Track Meet held at CSUH in 1987
- Assistant Women's Gymnastics Coach from 1984 to 1986
- Professor of Kinesiology at Cal State Hayward
- Author of six publications, notably African Origins of Sports and Psychoblackology
- Also inducted into the University of Arizona Athletics Hall of Fame as a former student-athlete in Tack & Field and Gymnastics
John Benedick, BA 1973 Physical Education –Men's Swimming and Water Polo
- Four-time All-American Team Captain
- All-America honoree in five events in total
- Swam on national runner-up 400 Freestyle Relay team
- Runner-up in the NCAA National Collegiate Championships in the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard breaststroke
- Far West Conference champion in 50 Freestyle
- Inducted into Collegiate Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2012
- 2019 CSCAA Ben Franklin Award Winner
- Coached men's water polo and men's and women's swimming for 22 years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Two-time New England Intercollegiate Swimming Association Coach of the Year
- Spent 22 years as an athletic administrator at MIT, retiring in 2019 as Senior Associate AD
Will Biggs, MS 1988 Physical Education – Head Coach for Men's Basketball
Biggs had a career 233 wins as head coach, the most in Pioneer History. While Biggs was a leader for the men's basketball program, some of the records achieved include leaders in total points, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, steals and others. Will's teams hold the record for conference victories, all the points records and include a number of incredible players, particularly Mike Wood (Pioneers Hall of Fame, 2016) and Michael Dean (Pioneers Hall of Fame, 2006).
- He took two Pioneer teams to the NAIA nationals, setting the standards for all of men's basketball to follow
- His 1998-99 team had the highest winning percentage in program history - .785 (22-6)
- Mike Wood received almost every academic award that the conference and NAIA offered during Biggs' tenure
Kim Johnson, BA 2008 Anthropology, Socio Cultural Anthropology; BFA 2008 Art, Traditional Arts – Women's Water Polo
- All-American Second Team in 2005 and 2006, and All-American Honorable Mention in 2004
- Holds school record for career saves (1,427) three highest single-season save totals in school history
- Made three appearances in net for the Collegiate III National Championship tournament appearances
- A second team selection for the Collegiate III National Championship All-Tournament Team in 2005
- Four-time Academic All-American
- After Johnson graduated, she worked for the US Peace Corps in Africa for three years assisting youth who contracted HIV
John Rico, BS 1984 Business Administration – Football
- First Team All NCAC Honoree
- Second Team NCAA Division II All-American in 1982
- Matched program record of three touchdowns in single game
- Was second all-time in program history in receiving yds (1,480), third in receptions (88) and scoring (98 pts) at the end of his career
- Played for two Pioneers Hall of Fame coaches – Tim Tierney (Pioneers Hall of Fame 2012) and Don Sawyer (Pioneers Hall of Fame 2012) and was teammates with Pioneers Hall of Famers Bill Myatt (Pioneers Hall of Fame 2002) and Mitch Bigger (Pioneers Hall of Fame 1996)
- Appeared in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals
- Has coached football at multiple levels from youth to college football
Marty Valdez, BA 1983 Mass Communication – Sports Information Director
Starting at Cal State Hayward as a student assistant, his role evolved into what would become the sports information component of the athletic department.
- Received the CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement award in 2015
- CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award
- Also served as conference SID for NCAC
- Managed student event and ticketing staff while covering all sponsored sports
- Very knowledgeable about the history of Cal State East Bay Athletics
On Saturday, October 22, the six members of the 2022 Pioneers Hall of Fame induction class will be honored during a special ceremony taking place on the campus of Cal State East Bay. Tickets are available for $75 and can be purchased
here.
