14th class to be inducted Saturday

July 06--Five new members, one team, a coach and a director will be inducted into the Colusa County Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Saturday night at Colusa Casino Resort.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, the athletes must have been either a participant, coach or contributor and have been born, attended school or performed in Colusa County.

Here's a list of the 14th annual class of inductees.

Ron Dixon

A 1966 graduate of Pierce High, Dixon starred in both basketball and baseball for the Bears all four years while also serving as the captain for both teams over the course of two seasons.

During his time with the Bears, the basketball team won three championships while the baseball team won two.

In basketball, Dixon averaged 20 points per game thanks to his outside shooting despite the 3-point shot not in play at the time, and he also chipped in several assists to his teammates throughout his career. He earned a multitude of accolades as he was named MVP twice and earned all-league honors three times in basketball while adding two all-league honors in baseball.

After finishing up at Pierce, Dixon was offered an appointment to the U.S. Army Academy but opted to attend school at UC Davis, where he continued his basketball career with the Aggies. Dixon played under National Hall of Fame coach Bob Hamilton and continued to display the same shooting abilities he had worked on in Arbuckle.

With his time at UC Davis complete, Dixon joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton outside of San Diego. He continued to play basketball with a team on the base while also serving as a sports editor for the Marine newspaper, which focused on sporting news that had a connection to the Marines.

Dixon continued to live in the San Diego area, where he stayed active in activities and sports. He passed away in November 2011.

Jim Marengo

A 1968 graduate of Williams High, Marengo attended Butte College and earned recognition for his play on the Roadrunners' football team as an inside linebacker. He later graduated from Sonoma State University and got a masters of fine arts and literature from Vermont College.

Marengo later taught and coached football at Pinedale, Mendocino and Pierce.

He began playing rugby in 1972, and in 1974, he founded the Colusa County Farmers Rugby Club. Marengo coached and played for the team, which brought in Colusa County's best athletes. The rugby team became one of the top teams in Division I in the nation.

The 1982 Colusa County Farmers Rugby Team was inducted into the Colusa County Hall of Fame. One of the highlights that year came when they went on the road and defeated Cal, 26-4.

Years later in 1999, Marengo put together a team with athletes 35 and older and helped guide them to two Vegas Invitational victories.

Three decades later, the rugby team is still alive and well as it won a state title last year.

Known as Colusa County's founding father of rugby, Marengo passed away on Feb. 13, 2016.

Brady Myers

From 1973 to 1976, Myers was a three-sport letterman for Colusa High in basketball, football and golf. His top accomplishments came on the golf course, as he finished his high school career as a four-year letterman while also earning all-league honors over the final three years at Colusa.

As a sophomore in 1974, Myers was on the boys golf team that won the Westside League championship and advanced to the CIF State Tournament. During his senior season, Myers and the Redskins won the Northern Section championship, and he was selected as the Westside League's MVP.

Myers also starred on the hardwood as a point guard for Colusa. He was second in scoring, and led the Westside League in assists during his senior season while also taking home all-league honors during his final two seasons. In football, he served as the team's starting quarterback.

He spent one year at Menlo College, where his athletic career continued in basketball and golf. The Menlo basketball team advanced to the Final Four in his one year playing with the team, and in golf he received all-league honors from the Coast Conference.

Myers spent his sophomore year at Yuba College in 1978, where he started focusing on playing only golf. The hard work on the courses helped lead to Myers receiving all-conference and team MVP honors.

After finishing up at Yuba, Myers accepted a golf scholarship at Fresno State, where he competed at the Division I level. During his junior season, he won a national tournament and took home Pacific Coast Conference honors. As a senior, Myers won two major tournaments, including defeating future PGA Tour pros Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldorf on his way to earning second-team All-Pacific Coast Conference and honorable mention Division I All-American honors.

Myers competed as a professional for four years on some regional mini tours and won two tournaments before retiring and opening up his insurance business. He went back into the golf ranks as an amateur in 2004 and picked up a second-place finish in the Northern California Match Play Championships.

He later qualified to compete in the USGA Amateur Championship at Winged Foot Country Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. During match play, Myers went to extra holes before being defeated by J.B. Holmes, who went on to compete on the PGA Tour.

His performances in the tournaments helped Myers qualify to play in the USGA Amateur Championship as well as him being one of only two Americans who participated in both the U.S. and British Amateur Championships.

Paul Sengo

A star for Maxwell High in the late '50s, Sengo lettered in baseball, basketball, football and track. One of his biggest achievements for the Panthers came in 1956, when Sengo, a halfback and return specialist, scored 27 touchdowns.

Sengo also showed his talent on the track, as he won many 100- and 220-yard dashes throughout his high school career.

Upon graduation from Maxwell, Sengo attended Chico State, where after taking a physical education wrestling class, he was convinced by then wrestling coach Hal (Doc) Peterson to attend a tryout for the varsity squad.

While having no prior experience in competing in the sport, Sengo made the team where he quickly earned the title of captain. Over the course of three years, Sengo never lost a Far West Conference match on his way to three consecutive conference wrestling titles. In 1961, he advanced to the NCAA Finals but lost in his first match by one point to his opponent who ultimately went on to win the national championship in his weight class.

Sengo's athletic achievements in Chico led to him receiving a place in the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Sengo dedicated himself to helping out youth and served as the principal of the Livermore Del Valle Continuation High School for 27 years. His near three decades of work there saw him receive many accolades and awards.

After retiring, Sengo moved back to Chico and still keeps active in competitive sports including softball. Even at the age of 77, Sengo is expected to play in more than 115 games.

Mike Smith

Smith competed in several sports for Williams High, including baseball, basketball and football. During his junior and senior seasons, Smith earned all-league honors on both offense and defense as the Yellowjackets claimed the North Valley League title in 1963.

In addition to athletic talents, Smith was also the student body president during his senior year.

He later attended Chico State, where he played on the Wildcats' football team on both offense and defense.

Smith graduated from Chico State in 1972.

Chung Sun softball team

The Chung Sun softball team was a collection of players who came together and dominated the local league, winning almost every championship over two decades.

In addition to top finishes in local tournaments, the team traveled out of the area often to play tournaments in different places, such as Gridley, Lake Tahoe, Lodi, Susanville, Ukiah and Willows.

Notable members of the team over the years included John Cheney, Doug Correa, Frank Ferraiuolo, Jim Lemos, Ed Martinez, Alan Maxey, Dino Nicholau, Tom Vedo, Vern Vierra, Jim Vossler, Chuck Wells, Ed Wells and John Wells.

The Chung Sun softball team's sponsor, Jim Lee, always made sure the team had the equipment needed and was one of the best dressed teams around.

Coach's Award

Charles Frederick Grimmer

Grimmer had a huge impact on Pierce High, especially during the period between 1936-1956. Not only did he coach baseball, basketball and football, Grimmer also acted as the school's vice principal and was a teacher in biology, geometry, mechanical drawing, physics and shop.

During World War II, Pierce and several other schools had to move from 11-man football to 6-man with several local leagues being formed. With rationing being a necessity for everyone during the war, parents would often have to drive the kids to different games to support Pierce's sports teams and coach Grimmer.

Following the end of the war, Grimmer started a sponsored basketball program to keep those returning from the war busy and basketball teams quickly began popping up around the county.

Born in 1904, Grimmer attended San Jose State Teacher College as well as completing graduate work at Stanford University. Before moving to Colusa County, Grimmer taught in a few different places, including Quincy, Visalia and Woodlake Union high schools.

He and his wife, Nell, had three children, Jack, Gail and Frederick.

Grimmer passed away in 1956, leaving the Arbuckle community shocked and saddened.

Director's Award

Michael P. West

A South Dakota native, West arrived in Colusa County in 1986 as the owner of Jackpot Food Mart and later owned and operated Colusa Martial Arts Academy in the early 1990s.

With a background in education, West resumed his teaching career in 1991 by teaching opportunity class at Egling Middle School, general studies at Colusa Alternative, and P.E. and science at Colusa High. His love for athletics led him to coaching baseball and football, and eventually to becoming the Director of Athletics and Activities.

In addition to that, West also served as the assistant principal of Colusa High and Colusa Alternative High, principal of Summer School and later successfully being elected as the superintendent of schools for Colusa County.

West played a crucial role in helping youth to pursue excellence in learning and athleticism as well as bringing together the coaches and the community together to help make improvements in the needs of the courts, fields and grounds at Colusa High.

West and his wife of 38 years, Janis, have three children, Amber, Austin and Adler.

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(c)2016 the Colusa County Sun-Herald (Colusa, Calif.)

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