BC announces star-studded second Hall of Fame class
Jun. 17—When you have as rich an athletic history as Bakersfield College and you wait a century to begin picking out hall of famers, you can be assured of a pretty exceptional first few classes.
After enshrining a group of 12 that featured longtime luminaries like Gil Bishop and Frank Gifford last fall, the school has announced a new set of six inductees for the Renegade Athletics Hall of Fame: Dr. Romain Clerou, Duane Damron, Stan Greene, Brandon Kurtz, Octavio Martinez, Jeremy Staat and Sandi Taylor.
The cigar-smoking Clerou was a legendarily selfless physician in the Bakersfield community who practiced medicine well into his 90s before passing away in 2012. Before that, though, he played football for the Renegades in the 1930s, went to medical school almost by accident after intending to become a physical education teacher, and served in the Navy. After completing his service, he set up his practice in Bakersfield and served as the Renegades' team doctor for decades. Clerou was inducted into the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.
Damron, also a Bob Elias Hall of Famer, was a 35-year offensive line coach for the Renegade football program who remained a fixture under several different legendary coaches. His legacy in BC football also extends to his son Brent, an assistant under Jeff Chudy in the 2000s, and grandson Seth, a Renegade tight end around the same time who now serves as the head coach at Allan Hancock College.
Before Greene started overseeing Kern High School District athletics as the district's director of school support services, he played sports in Bakersfield himself as the quarterback of BC's undefeated 1988 national championship football team. Greene hit tight end Lionel Sykes on a crucial fourth-and-1 conversion that later became known as "The Play" as the Renegades beat Fullerton for the title. The Visalia native spent some time teaching and coaching around Bakersfield before entering KHSD administration in 2001.
Kurtz was a rare all-state selection for the BC men's basketball team who helped lead the Renegades to the state championship in 1998. The Centennial graduate averaged a double-double for BC during his sophomore campaign and racked up D-I scholarship offers, ultimately spending two seasons at Tulsa and embarking on a 12-year pro career that took him around the world.
Part of a venerable Bakersfield baseball family, Martinez parlayed a successful BC career into 14 seasons as a catcher in minor and independent-league baseball. A chance connection with the Washington Nationals' then-assistant general manager Bryan Minniti earned him a spot as the MLB team's bullpen catcher and Spanish interpreter, in which capacity he won a World Series in 2019.
Staat's big year continues, as he was inducted into the Bob Elias Hall of Fame in February. Currently a welding instructor at BC, Staat credits his time on the hill, where he was all-conference in football and set school records in track, for the career that followed: "If it weren't for BC, there would have been no Arizona State, no Rose Bowl, no Sun Bowl, no draft into the NFL, no Pittsburgh Steelers," he wrote in an opinion piece in The Californian in 2016. Staat is perhaps best known for choosing to serve in Iraq after being inspired by the death of his friend and ASU teammate Pat Tillman.
Taylor spent three decades as BC's softball coach, bringing the Renegades to the postseason in half her seasons, and more than five years as the school's seventh athletic director. The beach volleyball and men's soccer programs launched during her tenure, which officially concluded in June 2020. She was previously honored in April with a spot in the California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
The induction dinner is scheduled for Oct. 20.
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
