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LancersHall of fame

Jackie Robinson Baseball, Basketball, Football, Track and Field
Jackie Robinson was a 4-sport superstar for PJC, leading his teams to conference and or state titles in each sport. In football, he holds a PJC record that can never be broken for longest run from scrimmage, 99 yards, and he held records that were not broken until 2001 for most touchdowns and most points in a season. In track and field, he broke his own older brother Mack Robinson's national community college record for the longest broad jump at 25 feet, 6-1/2 inches. After attending UCLA, he broke Major League Baseball's modern day color barrier in 1947 as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson went on to a Hall of Fame career and is the only player in the game's history to have his number 42 retired by all teams in MLB. He is revered as the greatest athlete in community college sports history and many have hailed him as one of the most important figures of the 20th Century. He is a member of PCC's Court of Champions bust garden. PCC's football stadium is named after him and his brother Mack--Robinson Stadium--and the Lancers baseball team plays at off-campus Jackie Robinson Memorial Field, located at Brookside Park next to the Rose Bowl. UCLA's baseball field is named Jackie Robinson Stadium. Besides being a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1962) and selected to the first PCC Sports HOF class (in 1961), Robinson was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame, and UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.
Mack Robinson Track and Field
Matthew "Mack" Robinson is known for being the brother of his more heralded and younger sibling--fellow PJC alumnus Jackie Robinson. But it was Mack Robinson who achieved his own fame as a star athlete in track and field. Qualifying as a student from Pasadena Junior College, Mack won the silver medal, finishing just behind the great Jesse Owens in the 200 meters at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He returned to PJC to set then national junior college records in the 100 sprint (9.6 seconds), 220 (20.9) and broad jump (25 feet, 5.5 inches, a record broken the next year by Jackie). Robinson went on to the University of Oregon where he was the NCAA champion in the 220 and the AAU champ in the 200. Robinson is a member of the CCCAA State Hall of Fame and U. Oregon Hall of Fame. Mack helped carry the Olympic flag at the opening ceremonies for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In 2000, PCC named the football field--Robinson Stadium--after both Mack and Jackie. Mack was part of PCC's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1961 and a bronze bust of his image immortalized him in the Dick Ratliff Court of Champions in 2000.
Darrell Evans Baseball, Basketball
Darrell Evans is the ultimate in Pasadena City College legends. His PCC story by itself puts him as one of the greatest athletes in California Community College history. Evans is the only junior college athlete to captain state championship teams in two different sports in the same school year. He accomplished the feat in 1966-1967 as he played on legendary head coach Jerry Tarkanian's Lancers state champion basketball team as a starting guard. He was an All-Western State Conference third baseman on PCC's '67 state champion baseball team. Signed by the Atlanta Braves in 1969, he went on to play a splendid 21-year career in Major League Baseball for three teams. A two-time All-Star, Evans became the first player to ever hit 40 home runs in a season in both the National and American Leagues for Atlanta and then Detroit. He was the oldest player to hit 40 homers in a season and he led the AL in dingers when he was age 38 for Detroit in 1985. In 1984, he helped the Tigers win the World Series title. Evans hit 414 home runs in his career. He is No. 12 on the all-time walks list with 1,605. In 1974, he was part of one MLB's most iconic moments as he was on base when Henry Aaron hit his famous 715th home run to break Babe Ruth's record for most career home runs. Evans was inducted into the state's CCCAA Hall of Fame in 1988. A bronze bust in his image is located on campus in the Dick Ratliff Court of Champions.
Michael Cooper Basketball
Certainly the most heralded basketball player in PCC sports history, Michael Cooper was an All-Metropolitan Conference selection for the Lancers before he became famous in the NBA with the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s. Cooper played two seasons at PCC and finished as No. 7 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,070 points (20.2 points scoring average). Cooper led the University of New Mexico as an All-American guard to a Western Athletic Conference title in his senior season. He was chosen by the Lakers as the 60th overall pick in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft. He embarked on a highly successful 12-year pro career as he played on five Lakers World Championship teams. Eight times Cooper made the NBA's All-Defensive Team and he was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird called Cooper the toughest player he ever faced. Cooper became a head coach in the WNBA directing the LA Sparks to two league championships. He also was an interim head coach for the NBA's Denver Nuggets and he spent four seasons as head coach at the collegiate level with USC.
Jerry Tarkanian Head Men's Basketball Coach
A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Jerry "Tark the Shark" Tarkanian first attended PCC and was a student-athlete on the basketball team in 1950-51. He coached just two seasons for the Lancers in 1966-1967 and 1967-1968, but the accomplishments were remarkable--compiling a 67-4 overall record, directing the '67 state champions and '68 state runner-up teams. His coaching at the NCAA Division I level is one for the record books as his .794 winning percentage is seventh best in NCAA history. He guided his teams at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Long Beach State and Fresno State to four Final Four apperances, 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, 778 university wins, and a national title at UNLV in 1990. In 1999, Tarkanian was named as part of PCC's Distinguished Alumni during the college's 75th anniversary celebration. He was a head coach for 38 years, recording 988 total victories at the collegiate level. He is considered the greatest coach in California Community College basketball history with four consecutive state titles between Riverside City College and PCC (1964-67).
1977 PCC Football Team
Arguably the most talented Lancers football team ever assembled, the 1977 Lancers proved their worth in finishing 11-1, winning the Metropolitan Conference crown, the state championship, and the JC National championship. In front of more than 15,000 fans (see photo), PCC routed Jones, Mississippi, 38-9, to win the Junior Rose Bowl under head coach Al Luginbill. The team featured All-Americans and future veteran NFL players in PCC Hall of Fame defensive lineman Jim Wilks (New Orleans Saints) and kicker Mike Lansford (LA Rams) as well as other pros in Mike Dennis and Danny Pittman (both NY Giants). Lansford, who holds several PCC kicking records, made the game-winning FG to beat Sequoias, 24-21, in the Potato Bowl. Quarterback Sheldon Paris went on to be a first round draft pick in the Canadian Football League. Alonzo Brooks, an All-American the following season, set a PCC record for sacks in a game with 4.5 v. El Camino. A group of 25 Lancers earned 4-year university scholarships from this special unit. 
John Siman Water Polo
An All-State and All-Metropolitan Conference selection at forward, John Siman scored 178 goals, then a school record, for the 1971 PCC team as it finished in fifth place at the Southern California Championships. Siman went on to become a NCAA All-American at Cal State Fullerton, then made the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, which was forced to boycott the Moscow Games. He got another chance, playing on the 1984 Olympic team and helping USA to the silver medal at the Los Angeles Games. A local Pasadena Muir High graduate before attending PCC, Siman was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1989. PCC long-time water polo head coach Nick Martin called Siman his greatest athlete.
Elise King
A prolific batter, Elise King still holds PCC softball records for most hits in a career (114), and the two highest on-base percentage marks, including her school record .593 as a freshman. The first baseman batted .468 in 1982, a batting average that stood as a school record for 22 years before it was broken by PCC Hall of Famer Sarah Sherman in 2004. In 1981, the All-SoCal selection helped the Lancers win the conference title. As a sophomore in 1982, King was named Southern California Player of the Year, Metropolitan Conference MVP, and PCC Women's Athlete of the Year for all sports. At the 4-year level, she earned All-American honors and was a member of the 1983 College World Series All-Tournament team when she led Cal State Fullerton to a national runner-up finish. King played under legendary PCC Hall of Fame head coach Sandi Iverson. 
Chris Zboril Softball, Basketball
Arguably the greatest multi-sport athlete in PCC women's athletics history, Chris Zboril was the 1994 South Coast Conference MVP in softball when she batted .454 and led the team in seven offensive categories. She was also a brilliant defensive player, recording 111 assists that year from her shortstop position. In basketball, she continues to hold the school record for most steals in a season (126) and career (216). She led the team in scoring as a sophomore and is 15th on the school's all-time scoring list. The fiery Zboril went on be a NCAA All-American softball player at Cal State Fullerton, leading the Big West Conference in home runs with 11. At PCC, she was voted Top Female Athlete of the Decade for the 1990s. She played for more than 10 seasons as a veteran quarterback in women's professional football.
Mike Lansford Football
The greatest placekicker in PCC football history, Mike Lansford put on a kicking show in helping the 1977 Lancers win the Junior Rose Bowl, the state, and national championships. Lansford set school single-season records for most points by a kicker (85) and most field goals (15 in just 20 atempts). He was 40-for-41 on extra point attempts. Named JC All-American honorable mention, Lansford kicked a clutch late field goal that gave PCC a 24-21 win over College of the Sequoias in the Potato Bowl state title game. The Lancers went 11-1 and finished off the year by routing Jones County (Mississippi), 38-9, in the JRB. At the next level, Lansford set a Pac-10 Conference record by making all 71 of his extra points attempts in two seasons at the University of Washington. After being selected by the New York Giants in the 12th Round of the 1980 NFL Draft, Lansford didn't catch on with a team until reinventing himself by becoming a barefoot kicker. He joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1982 and went on to a successful 9-year pro career. Lansford made 15 game-winning FGs and was named to the NFL All-Pro Team in 1989. He finished as the then Rams all-time leading scorer with 789 points.