Induction Year: 2015

Born: May 27, 1960 in Columbus, Ohio

Buena High School 1978
UC Santa Barbara
1982 – BA (Business Economics major; minor in Coaching)

Woody Woodburn joined The Ventura County Star- then The Star-Free Press – as a sports writer and columnist in September 1987 after beginning his journalistic career at The Desert Trail in Twentynine Palms (1982-83) followed by stints at The Daily News in Paso Robles (1983-84) and The Santa Maria Times (1985-87). His sophomore year at UC Santa Barbara, Woody joined the sports staff at The Daily Nexus after an injury sidelined him from the Gauchos’ tennis team.

National recognition for Woody’s writing includes E.W. Scripps Newspapers “Columnist of the Year”; Copley News Service’s “Columnist of the Year”; and the James S. Copley “Ring of Truth” award. Woody was also inducted into the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation Journalists Hall of Fame in 2003, an especially meaningful occasion because Murray was his writing idol who kindly befriended Woody as a rookie sports writer nearly three decades ago.

Woody briefly left The Star in 2000 to take his keyboard to The Daily Breeze in Torrance where he was a sports columnist for three years until, late at night after covering the Super Bowl in San Diego, he was rear-ended at a red light by a drunk driver going 65 mph. Permanent nerve damage in his neck, left arm and hand forced Woody to leave the deadline grind in press boxes so he turned his focus to freelance writing; rejoined The Star as a general interest columnist; and in 2013 authored an acclaimed memoir titled WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.”

Previously, Woody wrote two other books – The Pirate Collection: A Decade of Dominance (1996) about the Ventura College men’s basketball program under VC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Coach Phil Mathews; and Raising Your Child To Be A Champion In Athletics, Ads and Academics (2002) which he co-authored with tennis legend Wayne Bryan, father of last year’s VC Sports Hall of Fame inductees Mike and Bob Bryan. Woody’s writing has also appeared in The Best American Sports Writing anthology, The Spotting News, and more than a dozen Chicken Soup For The Soul editions including Baseball Fan’s Soul, Runner’s Soul, and Golfer’s Soul.

Further journalistic awards for Woody include First Place and Second Place for Column Writing by the Associated Press News Executive Council; Column Writing honors twice by the Associated Press News Executive Council; Column Writing honors twice by the Associated Press Sports Editors and once for Feature Writing; First Place Column Writing/Commentary by the California Newspaper Publishers Association; Best of the West First Place for Special Topic Column Writing; Southern California Sports Journalism Awards First Place for Columns; The California-Nevada Associated Press Second Place for Column Writing; and First Place for Column Writing three years in a row by the Ventura County Press Club.

Woodburn’s community involvement includes his annual “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive” that in the past 12 years has collected more than $80,000 worth of new sports balls for underprivileged youth in Ventura and the South Bay.

Woody has run more than a dozen marathons, including a PR of 2 hours, 58 minutes, and is also a “Streaker” who has run a minimum of 3.1 miles every single day since July 7, 2003 – that being the first day his neurosurgeon cleared him to run again following neck surgery – and has averaged 9.2 miles per run during that nearly 12-year span. Woody currently ranks No. 141 overall on the United States Running Streak Association’s active list.

Woody and his wife, Lisa, have been married 32 years and have two adult children. Dallas earned her BA at USC and an MFA in Fiction Writing at Purdue before becoming a John Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University; she is currently a novelist living in the Bay Area. Their son Greg was a four-year walk-on and senior captain on the USC Track Team, and Rhodes Scholar Finalist, before recently earning his MBA at USC’s Marshall School of Business. Greg now works for the Clinton Initiative in New York.

Born: February 28, 1965 in Ventura, CA

Camarillo High School 1983
UCLA – 1988 – Bachelor of Arts, Economics

Eric ran track and cross country for Camarillo High School from 1979-1983 and for UCLA from 1983-1988. In high school he set many local cross country course and track records, some of which still stand today.

In 1980 while Eric was a sophomore at Camarillo High School he was the Ventura County Cross Country Champion and the Ventura County runner of the Year. He led the Scorpions to the unofficial title of Best Cross Country Team in California that year as there was no State Meet at that time.

In 1981, during Eric’s sophomore track season, he qualified for the State Meet in the 3200 meters where he finished 9th in a school record time of 9:00. He was also named to the All County Track and Field team.

During Eric’s Junior Year Cross Country (1981) season he was the Marmonte League Champion, Ventura County Champion and Ventura Runner of the Year. He was ill at CIF finals and finished 4th. He went on to finish 6th at the Kinney/Foot Locker Western Regionals in Fresno and 3rd overall at the Kinney/Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships in Orlando, Florida.

During the spring of Eric’s junior track season (1982), he was the Ventura County champion, the CIF Champion and Masters Champion at 3200 meters. He finished 2nd in the 3200m by less than 1 second at the State Meet in Sacramento. He was named to the All CIF Southern Section Team, he was the Ventura County Track Athlete of the Year and named to the Adidas All American High School Boys Track and Field Team.

During the summer of 1982 Eric was part of a Junior National team that represented the United States in an international track meet in Soule, South Korea.
Eric was undefeated during his senior cross country season in 1982. He was the Ventura County Champion (First ever 3 time VC individual champion), the Mount SAC. Sweepstakes winner, the Marmonte League Champion and the CIF Southern Section Champion.

He went on to win the Kinney/Footlocker Western Region Championship at Fresno in a then course record time of 14:39. This time is still tied for fastest in County history and the Southern Section record. Eric then went on to win the Kinney/Footlocker National Championships in Orlando, Florida. He set a course record and won this National Championship race by 14 seconds.

Upon graduation, Eric owned the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fastest time on Mt. SAC cross country course. After his senior cross country season, Eric was named Ventura County Runner of the Year, 1982 Runners Magazine High School Athlete of the Year and had his “face in the crowd” of Sports Illustrated.

During Eric’s senior track season in 1983 he was the 3200m Ventura County Champion, the CIF Southern Section Champion, the Masters Champion and the State 3200m champion. Eric is the first and only Ventura County male runner to qualify for the State Meet 3200m three years in a row. After the season, Eric won the prestigious, senior only, Golden West meet while setting a meet record for 3000m.

Post 1983 season honors included Ventura County Hall of Fame Male Athlete of the Year, Ventura County High School Male Runner of the Year, 1983 Southern California Track and Field Athlete of the Year and 1983 Southern Adidas’s All American High Track and Field Team.

Eric’s 1983 high school bests of 8:44 for two miles, 8:41 for 3200m and 8:09 for 3000m still stand as Ventura County Records in 2015.

Eric received an athletic scholarship to UCLA. Although he battled injuries at UCLA he was a multiple time letterman in both track and cross country. He participated in the 1985 NCAA Division Cross Country Championships in Wisconsin, he was the 1987 Cross Country Team Captain and a participant at the 1988 Pac 10 Championships (5,000m).

After graduating from UCLA he worked in the real estate and loan industry for 6 years. For the last 21 years Eric has worked in the insurance, claims and risk management industry, Eric currently works for the Ventura Unified School District.

While at UCLA Eric met fellow runner, Ms. Nancy Brown. Nancy was the Jr National 3,000 meter champion in Canada in 1984. She also qualified for the NCAA Championships her senior year at UCLA in the 3,000m. They have been married for 25 years, love living in Ventura, and have two children, Garrett, 17 and Peyton, 15. Nancy has been a teacher at Ventura Unified School for 18 years.

Eric has stayed busy in the community with coaching youth sports including baseball, basketball, and track. In 2014 Eric was an Inductee to the Ventura County High School Cross Country Hail of Fame. Eric still enjoys running as well as hiking, golfing and traveling with friends and family.

Born: March 18, 1975 in Tarzana, CA

Jack Kocur was a prep standout at Royal High School in Simi Valley, California. During his senior year he was selected as the 1992 Ventura County Player of the Year and the Marmonte League’s Most Valuable Player for Water Polo. A three-time All-Marmonte League first team selection and two-time All-American, Kocur registered 372 career goals at Royal High, where he also lettered in baseball and swimming. In 1993, in his senior year of baseball, he was selected to the All-Ventiura County Baseball Team. Royal High School recognized his senior athletic achievements by awarding him the school’s Athlete of the Year in 1992-93.

Also during his high school career, Kocur was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team from 1989-93, and helped the American squad win the gold medal at the 1989 Junior Pan American Games in Mexico and claim first place at the 1993 Canadian Open.

During his collegiate career at Pepperdine University, Kocur tallied 138 goals and set the school record with 28 two-point goals. He was an All-American third team selection as a sophomore in 1994 and an honorable mention choice during his junior campaign in 1995. A co-captain of his senior year in 1997, he achieved All-American first team as the Waves rolled to a 25-3 record and won the National Championship. Pepperdine defeated local rival USC by a final score of 8-7 in overtime in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA water polo title. Kocur received his B.S. in Sports Administration, skills he continues to use in his coaching career.

Following his collegiate playing career, Kocur went on to compete for over 6 years for the USA Men’s National Team, and helped them win numerous tournaments. He then enjoyed the chance of a lifetime playing professionally in Spain and Greece.

In between years of playing overseas, Kocur began his coaching career at Harvard-Westlake High School in 1998, and then moved to Oaks Christian High School in 2002. In the fall of 2002 he returned to coach at Pepperdine as an assistant coach, and later became the Head Coach for Pepperdine in the fall of 2006. During the 2007 season Kocur posted a record of 27-10, the most wins by a Pepperdine team in more than 25 years. In 2008, Kocur was named MPSF Co-Coach of the Year as the Waves went 21-7, earning a No. 2 national ranking. During his time at Pepperdine he was part of the 2 winningest seasons in Pepperdine’s history (NCAA Champs 1997 and No. 2 national ranking in 2008).

In 2012 Kocur became an assistant coach for the USC Men’s Water Polo Team and helped the Trojans to their fifth straight NCAA Championship. Kocur also spent time on the staff of the University of the Pacific in 2013, a year that ended with a run to the NCAA Championship match vs. USC.

Kocur joined the Men’s Senior National Team as a video scout coach for the 2012 Olympic Games and was part of the interim staff at the 2013 UANA World Aquatic Championship Qualification Tournament. He joined the full-time USA men’s staff under new Head Coach Dejan Udovicic in the Spring of 2013 and continues to hold this position. Recently, Kocur also accepted the head coaching position at Oak’s Christian High School.

Born: June 27, 1948 in Plymouth, Indiana

Pierce Community College
1968 – AA

San Fernando Valley State College
1970 – BA (English, Humanities, Anthropology, Physical Education)

California State University, Northridge
1972 – Secondary Teaching Credential
1976 – MA (Reading Specialist)

Coach Evans was hired by the Simi Valley Unified School District as a Reading Specialist at Simi Valley High School in 1977 after having taught five years for the L.A. Unified School District. After losing the funding for the Learning Skills Lab in 1982, Coach Evans taught English at Simi Valley High School until his retirement from teaching in 2008.

From 1984 – 1989 he coached his daughter Allison, and her teams for the Simi Valley Vikings Track Club. During the 1990 track and field season he began his coaching career at Simi Valley High School, where he continues as the Head Girls’ Cross-Country and Track coach.

Through a coaching philosophy that is coach driven but athlete centered, Evans has built a program focused on hard work, attention to detail, dedication, teamwork, high standards for achievement and ethics, and most important, sportsmanship. In the ultra – competitive Marmonte League the girls’ have compiled a 116-37 record in cross-county and 121-46 record in track. The Pioneers ended their stay in the Marmonte League with 42 consecutive victories in cross-country and 21 in track.

Cross – Country
– Marmonte League Championships: 5 (2009 – 2013)
– Marmonte League Individual Championships: 10 (Anna Sperry 2004-2006, Liberty Miller 2007-2009, Sarah Baxter 2010-2013)
– Coastal Canyon League Championships: 2014 – Inaugural year
– 7 Ventura County Championships: (2008, 2009 – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
– 9 Ventura County Individuals Championships: (Anna Sperry 2004-2006, Liberty Miller 2007,2009, Sarah Baxter 2010-2013)
– 2 CIF-SS Championships: (2011 , 2013)
– 1 State Championships: (2013)
– 5 State Meet Top 5 Finishes: (2010-2014)
– Nike Team Cross-Country Nationals: 9th (2013), 11th (2011 )
– 2 Nike Team Cross-Country Individual Champions: (Sarah Baxter, 2011-2012)
– California Gatorade Cross-Country Runner-of-the-year: Sarah Baxter (2010,2011 ,2013)
– National Gatorade Athlete-of-the-Year: Sarah Baxter 2012

Track & Field Highlights
– Marmonte League Championships: 3 (2012, 2013, 2014)
– Ventura County Championships Meet Records: 1600M (Anna Sperry), 3200M (Sarah Baxter)
– Ventura County Records: Distance Medley (11:47.74), 4 x 800M (9:28.46), 4x 1600M (20:26.16)
– CIF-SS Championships: 2012
– Individual Masters Meet Champions: 5 times
– Individual CIF-SS Champions: 4 times
– Individual State Champions: 3 times

Coaching Achievements
– CIF-SS Honored Coach: 1998
– Marmonte League Coach-of-the-year: 8 times
– Ventura County Coach-of-the-year: 7 times
– Daily News Prep Sports Coach-of-the-year: 2012
– California Coaches Association Girls Track and Field Coach-of-the-year: 2014-2015

Coach Evans and his wife, Andrea, have lived in Simi Valley since 1975. Their daughter, Allison, lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband, Ian, and their three children: Isabella, Sean, and Declan.

Born: July 7, 1947 in Long Beach, California

St. Francis High School 1965
Glendale College 1965 – 1966
University of Washington – 1969 -BA
UCLA – 1971 – MS

At St. Francis HS in La Canada Flintridge, California, George lettered in football and played on two C.I.F.-S.S. “AAA” championship football teams that went a combined 25-1 during the 1963 and 1964 seasons while also winning consecutive Santa Fe League championships. He was named to the 1964 First Team All-C.I.F. “AAA-AA” team for his play as a Center. In the year 2000, in celebration of the Millennium, the Pasadena Star-News named him as the Center on their 1960’s All-Decade All-San Gabriel Valley team.

After attending and playing football at Glendale College, he finally fulfilled a long-time dream by accepting a football scholarship from the University of Washington in Seattle.
After graduating from the University of Washington, George returned to Southern Califomia in January of 1970 and accepted his first teaching position as a long-term substitute teacher at Washington H.S. in Los Angeles. At the same time he started working on a Masters degree at UCLA, which he would attain in 1971.

In September of 1970, he accepted a full-time teaching position at Thousand Oaks H.S. and began his coaching career as an assistant football coach for the legendary Joe Howell and as a baseball coach as well. During George’s eight years with the Lancers football program, he helped coach five league championship squads. He coached lower level baseball at T.O.H.S. for four seasons winning two league crowns.

In September of 1978, George became the first Head Football Coach in Westlake H.S. history During his 11 years leading the football team, the Warriors won three league championships. He also coached two seasons of lower level baseball and one year of track for the Warriors, producing one Girls Track title.

In the Fall of 1989. George began teaching and coaching at Rio Mesa H.S. in order to coach his two sons, Andrew and Michael. He worked as an assistant for Hall-of-Fame coach John Reardon in football for five seasons and for Hall-of-Fame coach Brian FitzGerald in track for 13 years where the Spartans won seven Boys and several Girls league championships. The 1990 and 1991 Rio Mesa H.S. Girls Track teams also won C.I.F. championships.

In 1993 he became the Spartans Head Football Coach, a position he held through the 2000 season when he thought that he had retired from coaching football.

In 2001, a late night call from Hall-of-Fame coach and good friend Rick Scott landed him a position as Defensive Coordinator at Buena H.S. The Bulldogs would go to the C.I. F. playoffs in each of the next three season.

The 2004 season saw George back as an assistant football and track coach at Rio Mesa H.S. During this last tour of duty with the Spartans, Rio Mesa won three football league championships and made a trip to the CIF. semi-finals in 2005.

In 2013, he joined the Newbury Park H.S. football program as a walk-on J.V. coach where the 2014 team won the inaugural Camino League title.

In the Spring of 2008, after retiring as a teacher, George fulfilled a promise that he had made to Rick Scott and found a new way to fuel his passion for both American football and traveling as he tried to help the game grow in Europe during six more coaching campaigns. He spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Italy’s Catania Elephants. In 2010, he coached Sweden’s Hasslehold Hurricanes while in 2012 he guided Switzerland’s Thunn Tigers. The 2012-13 season with the France’s Bron-Villeurbane Falcons saw the club go a perfect 12-0 in winning the French Division Ill national championship. In 2015, he coached Spain’s Murcia Cobras.
Among the awards that have been bestowed on George are: Ventura County Football Staff-of-the-year 1979, 1980, 2003, 2004 and 2014
Southern California Football Coaches Association, Board Member 1980-1988, President 1985

Ventura County Football Coaches Association, President 1981-2007
C.I.F. Football Advisory Committee, 1984-1986
C.I.F.-S.S. inaugural Champion of Character Award, 2004
Oxnard Union High School District Superintendent’s Inspirational Service Award, 1999
Rio Mesa High School Teacher of the Year, 1991
St. Francis High School Athletic Hall of Fame, 2003
Westlake High School Football Hall of Fame, 2004
To sum up, his Ventura County high school coaching career, George has coached 44 seasons of football, 14 seasons of Boys and Girls track and six seasons of baseball. In Europe he has coached American football for six seasons. He has helped coach a total of 32 league championship squads and two C.I.F. championship teams.

George is happy that during his 64 sports seasons of coaching in Ventura County, 45 of those seasons were as an assistant coach where he has been able to focus his love of the sport with the opportunity to work with literally thousands of hard working, dedicated athletes.

He is proud to be inducted to the Ventura County Sports Hall-of-Fame as a representative of the many, many assistant coaches in all sports who labor coaching a sport that they love, out for the limelight, and for the purest of reasons.

Finally, a large part of this induction honor must be shared with his wife Laurie and sons Andre w and Michael who have always been supportive of George’s efforts.

Laurie, it must be said, has been the consummate coach’s wife throughout his career.