Former Palos Verdes
star
Kirsten O'Hara inducted
into Cal Hall of Fame!!
July, 2006
SS star great career at Berkeley
Annual Hall of Fame Inductees
California Athletics Adds Six Members to Hall of Fame
O'Hara, Butt, Gill, Hanifan, Cutino, Jr., and Holmertz are the 2006 inductees
June 26, 2006
BERKELEY - The University of California will induct six new members
into its Athletic Hall of Fame in November, including representatives
from five different sports.
Cal's newest honorees include Kirsten O'Hara from women's cross country
and track and field, Charlie Butt from men's track and field, Ralston "Rusty" Gill
and Jim Hanifan from football, former men's water polo player Pete Cutino,
Jr., and former men's swimmer Pelle Holmertz.
The new class of Hall of Famers will be inducted on Nov. 3, the night
before the California football squad hosts UCLA. The class will also
be honored during the Bears-Bruins game. The California Hall of Fame
now includes 213 individuals and five teams.
One of the most decorated distance runners in Cal history, O'Hara garnered
five All-America accolades as a member of the Golden Bears' cross country
and track and field teams from 1984-89 and is a member of Cal's Pac-10
All-Decade team (1986-96). O'Hara is the only three-time All-American
in Cal cross country history, placing 11th at the 1987 NCAA Championships
for the highest-ever finish by a Cal runner. She received her other cross
country All-America accolades by finishing 20th nationally in 1985 and
37th in 1988, adding to her credentials as Cal's Athlete of the Decade
in cross country from 1986-96.
O'Hara earned track and field All-America recognition for her sixth-place
showing in the 5000m at the 1985 NCAA Championships, clocking the current
school record of 15:46.8. She wrapped up her Cal career with a third-place
All-America performance in the 10,000m (32:52.86) at the 1988 NCAA Championships.
O'Hara's 10,000m school record (32:40.76) also has endured for 21 years.
Butt established school records in both the shot put (53-8.75) and discus
(161-7.75) in 1954, breaking marks that had stood since 1941. Since 1954,
he was the only Cal athlete to hold both the shot put and discus records
at the same time until Dave Porath set both marks in 1981. Butt placed
third in the shot put (53-6.5) at the 1954 NCAA meet, helping Cal to
a third-place team finish. In 1956, Butt set another Cal mark and Edwards
Stadium record in the discus with a heave of 174-6 in a dual meet vs.
Washington. He clinched the Pacific Coast shot put title with a throw
of 57-8.75 in 1956. After graduation, Butt became only the fifth person
in history to surpass the 60-foot barrier in the shot put with a mark
of 60-2 to place second at the 1959 Modesto Relays. He established a
lifetime best of 60-9.5 in the shot put at the SPAAU meet on June 12,
1959, and placed first in meets in Finland and in Sweden in July 1959.
A versatile three-year letterman, Gill played both fullback and halfback
for Cal's football team. He was a dependable back who gained his greatest
fame in his senior year, leading Cal to an 8-2 record and second place
in the PCC in 1931. Gill was tabbed with an assortment of All-America
honors, including first team by both the New York Journal and the American
Football Players, second team by United Press and honorable mention by
the Associated Press. A first-team All-Coast selection, Gill came from
a very athletic family, as brothers Frank, Harry, Sam and Carol all played
football at Cal.
Hanifan started three years at defensive end for the Bears, and in 1953
and 1954, he also started at tight end. The Bears 1954 team captain led
the nation that year in receiving with 44 receptions for 569 yards and
seven touchdowns. He received the Andy Smith Trophy for most conference
minutes, was a unanimous first-team All-Coast honoree and was chosen
to the Catholic All-America team. After participating in the East-West
Shrine Bowl, the Hula Bowl and the College All-Star game, Hanifan was
drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League and later
starred for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. In
1973, he entered the coaching ranks and has been a long-time NFL assistant
and is a former head coach.
Cutino, Jr., the son of legendary Cal water polo coach Pete Cutino,
is one of the most accomplished student-athletes to ever play water polo
for the Bears. A two-time All-American (1982-83) who was named 1983 Pac-10
Conference Player of the Year, Cutino, Jr., helped the Bears to the 1983
NCAA title with a 29-3-2 record, earning Co-NCAA Tournament MVP and Co-National
Collegiate Player of the Year accolades with teammate Alan Gresham. Cutino,
Jr., also excelled on the international stage, as he propelled the U.S.
national team to a gold medal at the 1982 National Sports Festival and
to a silver medal at the 1983 World University Games.
While a member of the Cal swimming team, Holmertz won a silver medal
in the 100-meter freestyle for Sweden at the 1980 Olympics. A four-time
All-American, Holmertz led Cal to its first NCAA team championship in
1979 and contributed to another Cal team title in 1980. He was part of
two NCAA record-setting relay teams - the 400-yard medley relay (1979,
3:15:22) and the 800-yard free relay team (1982, 6:28:94). In 1982, Holmertz
won the 200-free title in 1:36.46 at the NCAA Championships and won the
Pac-10 100-free title in 43.73. His career-best time of 43.62 in the
100 free ranks 11th in the Cal record book. Additionally, he stands in
a tie for 12th place in school history in the 50 free (19.78).
The 2006 California Hall of Fame Inductees:
Name Sports(s) Years
Kirsten O'Hara Women's Cross Country/Track & Field 1984-89
Charlie Butt Men's Track and Field 1954-56
Ralston "Rusty" Gill Football 1929-31
Jim Hanifan Football 1951-55
Pete Cutino, Jr. Men's Water Polo 1979-83
Pelle Holmertz Men's Swimming 1979-82
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