Six to be inducted into 3C2A Hall of Fame in March

3C2A Hall of Fame Class. (Photos courtesy of inductees. Scarnecchia photo courtesy of New England Patriots. Portrait background courtesy of Denamorado, Freepik)

January 25, 2024

SACRAMENTO – Six outstanding individuals who excelled as student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators at California community colleges and beyond have been selected for induction into the 3C2A Hall of Fame and will be honored during the organization’s annual convention in Sacramento on March 27, it was announced on Thursday.

Comprising the 2024 class are former athletic director Susan Dodd (Gavilan College), former National Team water polo goalie Bernice (Orwig) O’Connor (Cypress College), outstanding volleyball player and coach Le Valley Pattison (El Camino College), state champion pole vaulter and track and field coach Dan Ripley (Cerritos College, Long Beach City College), former football player and longtime NFL coach Dante Scarnecchia (Taft College) and legendary baseball coach Jerry White (Oxnard College, Moorpark College).

“The 3C2A Hall of Fame is home to many of the best student-athletes, coaches and administrators our association has produced, and this year’s outstanding class only adds to the prestige that the Hall represents,” said Executive Director Jennifer Cardone. “We’re looking forward to welcoming them into the Hall of Fame in March and showcasing their impressive achievements.”

The Hall of Fame dinner will be hosted at the Grand Sheraton in Sacramento and begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are available here.

SUSAN DODD (Athletic Director, Coach; Gavilan College)
Dodd was a pioneer for Gavilan College during the early years of Title IX when she was hired in 1976 to begin the women’s volleyball, basketball and softball programs. She also served as the teams’ coach for the first two years and coached at least one of those teams for the next 16. Dodd also coached men’s tennis in the 1980s and was briefly the head football coach.

She enjoyed a 37-year tenure at the college, serving as athletic director three times, including once after her 2013 retirement. Dodd was one of just two women in an AD role when she assumed the position for the first time in 1979. She received the President’s Legacy Award for her on-going support of the Kinesiology Department after her retirement and is still an active member of the Gavilan College community, including volunteering at most home athletics events.

BERNICE (ORWIG) O’CONNOR (Water Polo; Cypress College)
While an All-America water polo goalkeeper for the USC women’s water polo in the late 1990’s, Orwig reached the pinnacle of her collegiate career by winning the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation’s top player for the NCAA champion Trojans. But that was just one of the many highlights of a water polo career that was forged in high school playing on the boys’ team and at Cypress College where she started on the men’s.

Orwig was a three-time All-America selection at USC, the National Player of the Year in 1999 and helped lead the United States to a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She later served as a coach with the USC, Michigan, Cal and Golden West water polo programs while also coaching with USA Water Polo.

Le VALLEY PATTISON (Volleyball, El Camino College)
Pattison spent just one season with the El Camino College women’s volleyball program but left a lasting impact after leading the Warriors to an undefeated state championship season in 1983 and earning MVP accolades before transferring to nearby Long Beach State she was a standout defensive player.

She returned to the 3C2A as El Camino’s head coach for 26 years where she added to her state championship as a player with two more as a coach. Pattison led the Warriors to 16 conference banners, was named conference Coach of the Year 14 times and is a member of the 400-win club. She also coached the men’s team for four years. Pattison’s legacy continued when she helped start El Camino’s beach volleyball program, coaching it for six years and a pair of top-five state finishes, including a tie for third in the state in 2018.

DAN RIPLEY (Track and Field; Cypress College, Long Beach City College)
Already a member of four Halls of Fame, including those for Cypress College and Long Beach City College, the California Community College Track and Field Coaches Association, and USA Track and Field Pole Vault, Ripley adds the 3C2A Hall of Fame to the list after a stellar athletic and coaching career.

Ripley won the 1973 pole vault state champion at Cypress College before transferring to San Jose State where he finished second at the NCAA Championships. He was the 1978 and 1982 USA champion and was a member of the 1980 United States Olympic Team as well. Along the way, he set USA indoor and outdoor pole vault records, posting a personal-best of 18 feet, 9 inches while winning the USTAF outdoor national championship in 1982.

Ripley enjoyed a long career as the head women’s track and field coach at Long Beach City between 1987-2002, capturing three state championships, two state runner-up finishes and winning two state Coach of the Year awards. The Vikings finished in the top four each season during the 1990’s.

DANTE SCARNECCHIA (Football; Taft)
Before he was an assistant coach winning five Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, Scarnecchia was an accomplished player at Taft College where he was a member of the Cougars’ 1966 team that upset undefeated and national No. 1 seeded Boise JC to earn a bid to the Wool Bowl where Taft beat Cisco College from Texas, 21-19. Scarnecchia was a center for Taft which averaged 44 points per game.

He embarked on a long coaching career that saw several collegiate stops until landing in the NFL where he spent all but one season with the New England Patriots before retiring in 2020. He coached special teams and tight ends, was a defensive assistant, and was later named New England’s Assistant Head Coach. Scarnecchia was a part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2016 and 2018 as well as 10 conference championships. He is a member of the Patriots’ Hall of Fame.

JERRY WHITE (Coach; Moorpark College, Oxnard College)
White is synonymous with 3C2A baseball, not just for his achievements as a coach where he won more than 500 games between Oxnard College and Moorpark College, but also for his dedication to the student-athlete experience by serving as tournament director for the state championship for more than two decades.

Still called “Coach White” by the countless players he mentored through the years, White joined the Moorpark staff in 1976, securing a 52-20 record before being called home to Oxnard to help the Condors start their baseball program in 1979. He led Oxnard to the Western State Conference title in its first season of competition and followed with four more conference championships over the next decade. White was a three-time WSC Coach of the Year and finished with an overall coaching record of 539-205 (.724).

White also served as athletics director at Oxnard from 1998-2007, helping to build the OC Athletic Sports Complex which serves as home to many of the Condors’ programs. He was a longtime collegiate basketball referee at the NCAA Div. I level, is a member of several Halls of Fame, including for the CCCBCA, and has served as commissioner of the WSC since 2009.