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- Previous College:
- Riverside
Bio
Born in 1931 in Bozeman, Montana, Charles “Chuck” Kane grew up in Riverside, where he nurtured his love for and skill in basketball as a student and star player at Riverside Polytechnic High School. Following his graduation from Poly in 1949, Kane attended and played ball for Riverside Community College and Pepperdine University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. After finishing his undergraduate education, Kane served in the Army and completed his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in education administration and counseling at the University of Southern California.
Kane began his career teaching and sharing his love for basketball as a coach at Compton Dominguez High School, and in 1964, he joined Long Beach City College as basketball coach and quickly turned the Vikings into a winning team. It was at LBCC that he also began his work in the field of school administration, serving as dean of students, vice president of student personnel services and executive vice president. After fourteen years at Long Beach, Kane returned “home” to Riverside to join the staff at RCC. He served as superintendent and president of the college for thirteen years, from 1989 until 1992, then took on the task of joining Seattle’s three community colleges and successfully raising more than $20 million in scholarships as chancellor of the institution. Kane retired to Riverside and served as interim superintendent of Rio Hondo College in Whittier until 2002. He was a primary inspiration behind and key founder of The Riverside Sport Hall of Fame.
In recognition of his achievements and contributions to the communities he served, Kane was inducted into the Riverside Community College Hall of Fame in 1992 and posthumously into the Long Beach City College Athletics Hall of Fame. This year, on its tenth anniversary, The Riverside Sport Hall of Fame is proud to induct Dr. Charles “Chuck” Kane as its Contributor.
Kane passed away on February 9, 2004. He is survived by his wife, Marie; a son, Russell; four daughters, Karen Kane, Carol Bracey, Kathy Bonelli and Kristy Mapes; a stepson, Dan Hays; a brother, Clark; 13 grandchildren and 2 step-grandchildren.