CCCAA announces 2021 Hall of Fame Class

SACRAMENTO – Three outstanding former student-athletes and two legendary coaches comprise the 2021 California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame Class which was officially announced on Monday.

Alfonso Boone (football, Mt. San Antonio), Tyrent Lackey (water polo, Grossmont) and Broderick Perkins (baseball, Diablo Valley) will be inducted for their achievements as student-athletes while Zack Papachristos (wrestling and golf coach, Chabot) and Sandi Taylor (softball coach, Bakersfield) are being honored for service to California community college athletics.

The CCCAA Sports Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed in California community college athletics. It honors those who have made the most of their experiences as California community college student-athletes, coaches and administrators while maximizing their own potential to better themselves along with those with whom they come in contact. 

“Once again, we’re thrilled to welcome an incredible class of inductees into the CCCAA Hall of Fame,” said Interim Executive Director Jennifer Cardone. “They’re not just the best of the best with their achievements, but they represent the kind of excellence we strive for across our membership. This is truly an amazing group of individuals.”

The class was scheduled to be inducted in person during this year’s CCCAA Convention in Ontario but the pandemic forced the convention to be held virtually. The 2021 Hall of Fame Class will join the 2020 inductees and the 2022 honorees at ceremonies during next year’s CCCAA Convention, also slated for Ontario.

ALFONSO BOONE (Mt. San Antonio College, Football, 1998-99)
Boone played 10 seasons as a defensive tackle in the NFL, taking a unique path to a pro career that began by playing ice hockey at Central State University in Ohio and concluded with two dominating years on the gridiron at Mt. SAC. He played for the Mounties from 1998-99, garnering all-conference and J.C. Gridiron All-America honors.

Because he did not compete athletically for two years between his time at Central State and Mt. SAC, his NCAA clock expired after the 1999 season but that didn’t matter because Boone became one of the few players to be drafted into the NFL directly from the community college ranks. He was selected in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions and the later joined the Chicago Bears, helping them to Super Bowl XLI. Boone retired in 2010 after also playing for Kansas City and San Diego.

TYRENT LACKEY (Grossmont College, Men’s Water Polo, 2003-04)
Lackey enjoyed an illustrious water polo career at Grossmont and then later at nearby UC San Diego, achieving All-America honors at both stops. He played for the Griffins beginning in 2003 and was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year, All-SoCal first team and All-America first team while also serving as team captain. In fact, his prowess was so strong that longtime coach Brian Harvey coached subsequent players one of Lackey’s offensive position maneuvers, calling it the “Ty Lackey.”

He moved over to UCSD where he continued his extraordinary water polo career from 2005-06. His senior season was one of the most accomplished ever for a Triton, according to 40-year head coach Denny Harper. Lackey earned both NCAA Div. I and Div. II All-America accolades and was a nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Cutino Award. Only three men’s water polo players are selected each year and Lackey is the only Triton ever nominated.

Lackey earned two master’s degrees and a teaching credential and is currently the head coach at Grossmont.

BRODERICK PERKINS (Diablo Valley College, Baseball, 1974-75)
The most common phrase among the nominating materials for Perkins is “community college success story.” Perkins’ high school baseball career consisted of a single at-bat but he dreamt of playing the sport collegiately. With diligence and a relentless work ethic that dream came true. In fact, he surpassed that dream by earning All-Golden Gate Conference honors in 1974 and was voted his team’s most valuable player.

Perkins excelled in the classroom as well, earning a scholarship to play at nearby Saint Mary’s College before being drafted by the San Diego Padres. He played five Major League seasons with San Diego and two with the Cleveland Indians, finishing with a .271 batting average. After retiring from baseball in 1984, he embarked on a long career as a firefighter before retiring as a captain in the San Diego Fire Department in 2014.

ZACK PAPACHRISTOS (Chabot College, Wrestling Coach and Men’s Golf Coach, 1969-2018)
Coaching success was the hallmark for Papachristos, regardless of where he coached or the sport that he led. A highly successful leader for both the wrestling and tennis teams over four years at Canyon High School in Northern California, Papachristos took over the wrestling program at Chabot in 1969. Over the next 14 seasons, he turned the Gladiators into a powerhouse, winning six state championships, 12 Northern California titles and 12 Golden Gate Conference championships. His team dropped just one conference dual meet and was 152-6-2 overall during his tenure.

But he wasn’t done yet. With the prospect of the men’s golf program at Chabot being discontinued, Papachristos cut short his sabbatical and led that team for 26 years. The Gladiators won 10 regional and 20 conference titles along the way before reaching the pinnacle with a coveted state championship in 2011. Papachristos received many coaching honors during his long career and is a member of the California Wrestling (2002), Castro Valley Sport (2010), Greek (1997) and Chabot (2011) Hall of Fames.

SANDI TAYLOR (Bakersfield College, Softball Coach, 1990-2020)
Taylor has been synonymous with Bakersfield College athletics for more than 30 years, beginning a 23-year tenure as head softball coach in which she lifted the Renegades to prominence in the Southern California Region. She led them to the postseason 15 times while amassing 500 career wins. Besides their team success, Taylor’s players earned numerous individual distinctions as well, garnering seven All-State first-team, 61 All-Western State Conference first-team and 39 all-conference second-team awards to go with 48 honorable mentions.

She was selected as the Southern California Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1997 while joining her assistant coaches in receiving the NFCA Staff of the Year Award in 2005. As strong as her legacy is as coach on the field, she also enjoys a prominent legacy with the Dean Adah Gay Sports Complex which she helped transform from a softball setting with no outfield fence to one that has twice been named NFCA JC Field of the Year (2010, 2019). Additionally, it’s hosted nine of the last 10 CCCAA Softball State Championships.

Taylor complemented her tremendous coaching career with roles as associate athletics director and later athletics director at Bakersfield before retiring in 2020.