Hall of Fame
Southern California College wrestling started in the 1972-1973 school year and over the next three seasonsn, the team would toss its foes about in a way that left a legacy in the area. The old gym's nickname, "The Pit", came because Coach Jack Robinson moved the bleachers close to the floor and dimmed the light, bringing the fans close to the action. At the completion of a match with California State University Los Angeles, the coach echoed these words, “I will never return to this pit,” cementing a legacy that only gave way when it was demolished in the summer of 2022. The program lost only one dual in three campaigns rook the NAIA District Three Championship each season. But in 1974-75, in what turned out to be the final year of the original edition of the program, SCC would outdo itself.
The team went 20-0 in dual matches and won all five tournaments they entered (Biola Invitational, UCSD Takedown Tournament, SCC Invitational, and Cal Tech Invitational). With the perfect season, Southern California College had tallied 35 consecutive match victories in duals, unheard of in most of college wrestling. The team qualified six members to the NAIA National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, including Mario La Casse (126 pounds), Jerry Ternes (142 pounds), Hall of Fame member Paul La Blanc (150 pounds), Willie Williams (158 pounds), and Don Hill (167 pounds). La Blanc, achieved the highest finish at the NAIA Championships until 2023 for SCC/Vu, as La Blanc finished fourth in the 150-pound weight class and concluded the year with a 30-2 record.
The 1974-75 team was inducted as the second team in the Hall of Fame and will be remembered for run of dominance that few teams at SCC/VU have since matched.
The team members included: Willie Albright, Guy Blevins, Ron Brown, Doug Byrd, Robert Hernandez, Don Hill, Chuck Kehler, Mario La Casse, Randy Powell, Taylor Puryear, Chuck Rains, Russ Rice, Jerry Ternes, Willie Williams, Lloyd Zeigler, Pat Zeigler, and Coach Robinson.
