Four former Raiders athletes, one team and one business have been inducted into the Central Community College Athletics Hall of Fame. Kate Erickson, Jim McMahon, Chuck Bruenig, Dan Hollatz, the 2011 CCC softball team and Pinnacle Bank made up the class of 2016. Pinnacle Bank's enshrinement marks the first time that a business has been inducted into the CCC Athletics Hall of Fame.
Erickson was the first All-American softball player for the Columbus Campus. She was also a two-time All-Region IX selection, leading the Raiders to back-to-back Region IX championships in 2010 and 2011.
"This is a great honor," said Erickson. "I want to thank my teammates. They were crazy and fun."
Many of Erickson's teammates on the 2011 softball team were in attendance as the team was enshrined. The players included Melissa Bulin, Tanya Snyder Connelly, Shelby Wipf Mason, Monica Knabe Opperman, Molly Paul, Whitney Robinson and Ashley Szelag. Assistant coaches Derek Helgoth and Mistan Moser Marking and manager Alex Drozda joined the players on the stage as head coach Jack Gutierrez introduced them.
"We had something special with this team and I knew that coming in," said Gutierrez. "You could say that they were ornery, but maybe a better word is 'feisty.' They were fun to coach."
McMahon was the track and cross country coach at Platte College from 1973 to 1977. He led the 1974 cross country team to the NJCAA national championships, which were held in Eugene, Ore. McMahon fondly shared stories of the venture to the west coast, which was made in a station wagon with all members of the team packed inside.
"Our trip to Eugene, to this day, remains as one of my best memories," said McMahon.
Even though the team was dropped as a varsity sport, it continued as a club sport and McMahon remained as head coach. He later moved on to Midland University, where he is in his 36th year.
Bruenig is a longtime sports enthusiast and was a staunch supporter of athletics at the Hastings Campus. Prior to his retirement in 2013, he served CCC in different capacities including wellness coordinator and counselor at the Hastings Campus. Bruenig said early on in his remarks that his enshrinement into the CCC Athletics Hall of Fame was totally unexpected.
"I was surprised because I had never been an athlete and I had never coached," said Bruenig, who later revealed that he was on a flag football team with former CCC President LaVerne Franzen.
As an All-Region IX basketball player in 1974, Hollatz was a member of the first Platte College basketball team to qualify for the NJCAA national tournament in 1973. He mentioned a few of the big victories that the team had over other teams in the region, which usually featured much bigger players. Hollatz then had a message for the current CCC athletes.
"Keep your nose to the grindstone," said Hollatz. "When you work that hard, you better do something with it. The memories are just phenomenal."
Pinnacle Bank has been a steadfast supporter of all Raiders athletics and many CCC programs. Their sponsorships include the Pinnacle Bank Basketball Classic, the Spirit of Excellence Student Award and the Raider Booster Club. CCC-Columbus President Dr. Matt Gotschall also praised Pinnacle Bank for its role in welcoming new students to campus each year and providing leadership in introducing new sports and reintroducing other sports. Dann Smith, president of Pinnacle Bank's Columbus branch, thanked CCC for the induction.
"The acknowledgement and recognition is great," said Smith, who also had a word of encouragement for current CCC athletes. "Your foundations start here. You've got some of the greatest people here to guide you."
The enshrinement ceremony took place on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Ramada Columbus River's Edge Convention Center. It was sixth enshrinement ceremony conducted by the CCC Athletics Hall of Fame.