Les O'Gara was the first great basketball player in Pasadena Junior College history. At 6-foot-5 in height, O'Gara twice made it to the Modesto All-State Tournament team and helped the Bulldogs win the 1939 state title. A prolific scorer, O'Gara went on to be named AAU All-American in three consecutive seasons from 1947-1950. He helped the Oakland Bittners win the 1949 national championship. O'Gara was an alternate for the 1948 U.S. Olympic team when his Oakland teammate and future Naismith Hall of Famer Don Barksdale became the first African-American to play basketball in the Olympics that year.