Triton Athletics Hall of Fame

Memorializing a rich history of athletics

The Triton Athletics Hall of Fame honors former University of Guam athletes and coaches from years past who embody the Triton spirit and continue to perpetuate the University’s legacy. An induction and reception event is hosted annually by the Triton Athletics Department.

The Hall of Fame has 37 total members as of November 2021. All awardees are listed on the Wall of Fame in the lobby of the UOG Calvo Field House.

“All of our inductees definitely deserve to be in the Hall of Fame," said Athletics Director Doug Palmer. "The great thing about UOG is that is has a rich history of athletics. You have to have a history. If you don't, you really don’t have anything.”

Palmer established the Triton Athletics Hall of Fame with the first class induction in Fall 2017. He has previously established Halls of Fame at two other universities. The unique aspect of creating a Hall of Fame on Guam, he said, is the diversity of sports to choose from and the overwhelming history and knowledge shared by the community.

The program hopes to add the first Team Hall of Fame award in Spring 2022.

Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Inducted Nov. 6, 2021

	Vic April Vic April came to the University of Guam as part of the “UOG Baseball Palau Connection” in the 1970s and 1980s. He was part of two UOG championships teams in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a fast center fielder, a noted base-stealer, and the team’s leadoff batter. He graduated from the University of Guam in 2001 with a master’s in Micronesian studies and served the government of Guam for 30 years as a state archaeologist and as the consul general in Guam for Palau.
	Robert Borden Robert Borden played for the only scholarship male volleyball team in the history of the University of Guam. Borden also represented Guam on the national men's volleyball team in several international competitions and as the captain of the 2015 team at the Pacific Games. He has represented Guam in volleyball at the national level nine times, to include one junior national team, one South Pacific Games, four Micronesian Games, two Pacific Games, and one East Asian Games. Borden is a 2006 UOG graduate with bachelor’s in biology.
	Vicente “Ben” Diaz Vicente “Ben” Diaz was a defensive back on the Tritons team that won the University’s first football championship in 1975 with a record of 9–1. He was a two-time All-Defensive player for the University while playing in a league made up of military teams.
	Bruce A. Haines Bruce A. Haines had a couple of major firsts for the University of Guam. As the director of physical education when the university was the Territorial College of Guam, he took on the then-unestablished role of athletics director, becoming the first athletics director for the university. He also formed and coached the first sport and first team at the institution – men’s basketball in 1963.
	Gage Johnson Gage Johnson is the earliest men’s basketball player to be placed in the Triton Athletics Hall of Fame. He is the first UOG basketball player to score 40 points in a game for the Tritons and is the first known Triton to average 21 points per game. He helped lead the Tritons to fourth place in the Guam Basketball League in 1968.
	Noriekka Lekka Noriekka Lekka was a highly recruited athlete in recreational and intramural sports during his time as a student at the University of Guam. He played on the Trident Men’s Club Volleyball Team and helped lead two Trident club basketball teams to second-place finishes in the Triton College League against teams like Pacific Islands University, Guam Community College, and Harvest Baptist Bible College. He was also a high-scoring participant in the President’s Cup competition associated with UOG’s Charter Day celebrations. Lekka is a 2018 graduate of the University of Guam with a bachelor’s in social work.
	Uchel Sechewas Uchel Sechewas came to the University of Guam in the late 1970s as part of the “UOG Baseball Palau Connection.” He played for the Tritons baseball team as a right-handed pitcher and first baseman and was part of two championship teams. He played through the early 1980s. An alumnus of the University of Guam, Sechewas now serves as a legislator at-large for his native island nation of Palau.
	Terry L. Stotts The son of former UOG basketball coach and Triton Athletics Hall of Fame member Frank Stotts, Terry L. Stotts played for the Tritons at the young age of 16 during a time when Triton athletes didn’t have to be UOG students. In the one season that he played, he was named MVP of the Guam Basketball League and led the Tritons to an undefeated season. Stotts went on to play and coach at the professional level in the Continental Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association, recently ending a nine-year stint as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Stotts played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma, where he was an Academic All-American selection as a junior and senior and an All-Big Eight selection his senior year. He earned a bachelor’s in zoology and Master of Business Administration.

Hall of Fame Class of 2020

Inducted Nov. 6, 2021

(From left) Richard Martinez, Cecile Olandez, Ryan Arriola (grandson of Antonio Yamashita), Swingly Dismas, and Rick Manibusan

	Rob Call Rob Call was the head football coach at the University of Guam during two championships seasons: 1975 (9-1) and 1977 (10-0). The 1975 championship was the first championship for UOG football, playing mainly against military teams from the Air Force and Navy. The team’s performance fell notably when Coach Call took a break from coaching after the 1975 island championship, but upon his return to coaching in 1977, the team returned to championship form. The undefeated team from 1977 has been considered the best of many good UOG football teams from the late 1960s to the 1990s. Coach Call would write personal letters to the top players in the high schools to recruit them for UOG — a practice that paid off. He produced several UOG Hall of Famers, including John Borden, Ronald Camacho, Art Rabon, Lawrence Johnson, Chris Mesa, Mark Wessling, Art Merlan, and Vicente Diaz.
	Swingly Dismas Swingly Dismas has been a leader of recreational sports on the UOG campus since 2003, keeping the spirit of sports alive and a campus focus on health and fitness particularly when the university was without varsity sports. As the recreation supervisor for Triton Athletics and the Field House, Dismas manages the Triton Fitness Center and runs the intramural sports program as well as the Trident club teams. The Trident club teams have included women’s volleyball, men’s volleyball, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball, which have played in Triton Athletics leagues as well in their own Trident Leagues. Dismas has coached several of the club teams. He also orchestrates the sports activities for the popular President’s Cup competition aligned with UOG’s Charter Day.
	Rick Manibusan Rick Manibusan was a pitcher as well as a first and third baseman and an outfielder for the Tritons from 1973–1978. Manibusan also played football for the University of Guam from 1973–1974. He played for Triton Athletics Hall of Famer Patrick Wolff, who coached the team in a Philippines tour. As one of the two main pitchers for the Tritons, he was selected for the Guam Major League All-Star Team. On the team, he pitched three innings of hitless ball against a Japanese team. He also played for the MVP Aces in the Guam Major League and on the All-Star Masters Basketball Team, where he competed for Guam in the All-Star games and won against the best team in Saipan, which was three years undefeated.
	Richard Martinez Richard “Son of Slam” Martinez was the best power hitter on the island back in the 1980s. He was a catcher for the University of Guam baseball team and anchored several other teams in the Guam Major League. Martinez is most known in UOG’s athletics history for playing in the Guam Major League finals his senior year against the AK Islanders. The teams were tied 3–3 in the series, and in the seventh and final game of the championship, with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, UOG trailed 2–1 and was down to their final out. The Son of Slam earned his nickname that night as he hit a grand slam homerun in front of a standing room–only crowd at Paseo Stadium that led the Tritons to the championship.
	Art Merlan Art Merlan, a top athlete for the George Washington High School Gecko Warriors in the early 1970s, received a personal letter from Coach Rob Call to play for UOG. Merlan became the quarterback that brought the University of Guam its first championship in 1975 with a record of 9–1. As the only local team playing in the Guam Football League, they were up against more mature athletes, largely from Air Force and Navy teams. Merlan was also a noted boxer before he played football, having started the sport as a young boy in the Philippines and then competing for the George Washington High School team. He represented the island in the South Pacific Games in 1975 then moved to the U.S. mainland and competed undefeated in Golden Gloves amateur competitions. He returned to Guam in 1980, where he played another year of football for UOG and contributed to another championship for the team. He also served as athletics director for UOG for a time.
	Cecile C. Olandez Cecile C. Olandez has been the Triton Women’s Basketball coach at UOG since 2019 and led the team to the championship game during her first season as coach. She also previously played for the UOG women’s basketball team in 1989 and 1991. Olandez has more than 30 years of playing basketball in Guam — for national teams, women’s masters teams, and various league teams. She played in two Micronesia Games on the Guam national women’s basketball team, winning gold in 1994 and bronze in 2002. On the Guam Women’s Masters Basketball team, she competed internationally both as a player and a coach, winning gold in the 2017 World Masters Games in New Zealand and gold in the 2013 Great Barrier Reef Masters Games in Australia. She is a 2013 UOG graduate, magna cum laude, earning a bachelor’s in fine arts with a specialization in art. She also has a diploma in tourism from the International Business College of Guam. She graduated from Simon Sanchez High School.
	Antonio C. Yamashita, Ed.D. Antonio Carbullido Yamashita was called upon by Gov. Manuel Guerrero to become the president of Territorial College of Guam. He led the institution from 1964 through its transition to the University of Guam in 1968 and on to 1970, then returning as president again in 1974. He initiated the launch of varsity sports at the college in 1963. This would eventually lead to a full-fledged program including football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and other sports during the ‘60s and ‘70s. He earned his bachelor’s in biology-chemistry from Carroll College in Helena, Mont., in 1955, his master’s in biology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1962, and his Doctor of Education in science education from UNC in 1963. Athletics at UOG was just one of his many accomplishments for the island, and we celebrate the foundation he built for the program we have today.

Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Inducted May 28, 2020

Christobal M. Mesa, Running Back, Football
Mark Wessling, Defensive Tackle, Football
Patrick M. Wolff, Head Coach and Player, Baseball
Rhoda Santos Bamba, Player, Women’s Soccer
Tosca Lindberg, Player, Women’s Volleyball
Harold “Hank” Parker, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball
The Late Frank Stotts, Head Coach, Men’s Basketball

Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Inducted Oct. 28, 2018

David Nelson

Baseball, 1979

Accomplishments

1976: Most Valuable Player, Whitworth College
1979: Most Valuable Player, UOG Baseball Team
1979: Assistant coach and player
1993-2014: Guam Masters League All Stars
1978-1989: Guam Major League Baseball player
1979-1989: Guam Major League Baseball All-Stars
1983-1984: Athletics Director, Guam Community College
Assistant Coach, Guam Community College Major League Team
1986-1989, Guam All-Star International Baseball Team player
Ancient Order of the Chamorro Award
1996-1998: Instructor, Guam Parent-Child Baseball Program
1983-1989: Guam Chapter Director, National Youth Sports Coaching Association
Player/Coach, Pioneer COMNAVMAR Guam Major League Team
Member, Guam Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Susy Rechebong

Women's Basketball
1994 Bachelor's of Education in Physical Education, UOG

Accomplishments

1991: Played women's basketball for UOG in the World Student Games in Sheffield, England
1991: South Pacific Games - Papua New Guinea
1995: South Pacific Games - Tahiti
1999: Oceanic Games - Tahiti
Middle school coach for girls basketball, track and field, boys basketball, girls volleyball, co-ed soccer, co-ed futsal, and badminton
LVSSA SSUSA World Masters Championship in women's softball - Silver Medal, Women's 40 Team, SOTTA
2008: Big Sur Half Marathon
2009: Napa, Calif. Marathon
1997-2009: Various recreation teams - softball, volleyball, soccer

Joe Taitano

Men's Basketball
Starting Point Guard

Accomplishments

Coached the UOG Men's Varsity Basketball International Friendship Tournament
Coached the Guam National Women's Basketball Team to a bronze medal at the Oceania Games, bronze medal at the Micronesian Games, and two championships at the March Madness Basketball Tournament on Andersen Air Force Base
Coached the Guam National Track and Field Team for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
Coached at the World Track and Field Championships in Moscow in 2017 and Berlin in 2015
Coached John F. Kennedy High School to 69 combined championships in basketball, cross country, and track
Coached George Washington High School to 5 combined championships in cross country and track and field
Coached Guam High School to 9 combined championships in cross country and track and field
Delegate for Guam Track & Field at seven World Track & Field Championships
Played basketball at Adams State University as starting point guard
Played basketball for the Guam National Team at five Pacific Games - 1971 (fourth), 1975 (gold), 1979 (gold), 1983 (silver), and 1987 (bronze)
Former National Record Holder for Guam Marathon
Played basketball at John F. Kennedy High School

Art Rabon

Football
Fullback and Defensive Lineman

Accomplishments

Voted Toughest Football Player of All Time on Guam
2010: Voted the 3rd Best Football Player of All Time in Guam
2012: Named to the Sports Legends of Micronesia
Played 6-7 seasons for the UOG Triton Football Team
Played on UOG Championship Teams in 1975 (9-1) and 1977 (10-0)
Named as All-Island Selections on offense and defense as fullback and defensive lineman
1976: Led the Varsity Football League in scoring with 70 points
1977: Tied Lawrence Johnson for scoring lead in the Varsity Football League with 84 points

David Zimms

Baseball, 1980-1987
1975 Master of Education, UOG

Accomplishments

1974: Played for UOG in first Guam Major League Season
1980: Won championship against the MVP Aces playing for UOG
1982-1987: Won two championships with UOG over AK Islanders and Exxon Tigers
May 12, 1987: UOG Tritons and Pepsi Giants game set attendance record of 4,397
1987: Set series record of 17,270 for UOG Tritons and Pepsi Giants in Major League Championship
Played for the Guam National Baseball Team and defeated China, Australia, and India
1987: All-Tournament Team in Japan
1989: All-Tournament Team in South Korea
Travelled to the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Hawaii, Australia, and Hong Kong as a member of the Guam National Team and UOG Tritons
Coached Guam Greyhounds, Moylan ODC, and IT&E Braves
Team manager for Guam National Team for 2010 Micronesian Games
Played for Continental Golden Jets Team in Guam Major League
1988-2001: Baseball Federation of Asia Far East Tournaments

Susie Borden

Women's Basketball, 1988-early 1990s

Accomplishments

1977: John F. Kennedy High School Scholar-Athlete
1977: AAU Junior Olympics Volleyball Championship - Hawaii
1977-1981: University of Santo Tomas (Manila) Scholarship Student. Played basketball, volleyball, and softball. Most Valuable Player for softball in 1981.
1981: Guam All-Island Co-Ed Softball All-Star Team
1987: Played women's basketball at South Pacific Games (New Caledonia)
1990: Played women's basketball in the Friendship Games (Philippines)
1997-2012: Played Guam Women's Master's Basketball, going to the Annual World Basketball Masters Competition in Australia and the Pan Pacific Games in Australia
1989: Oceanic Games - Tahiti, officer, Guam Basketball Confederation and head delegate
1993: Assistant softball coach at John F. Kennedy High School
1997-2012: Vice president of Guam Women's Master's Basketball Organization
2012: Sports Legends of Micronesia
2012: Guam Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Award
Women's Masters Basketball - Outstanding Masters Project

Tony Thompson

Basketball Coach

Accomplishments

1991: Became recreation supervisor at the UOG Field House
Coached the UOG Women's Basketball Team
Assisted with the UOG Men's Basketball Team
Helped restart UOG Men's Basketball in Spring 2016
Co-creator of the UOG Adventure Sports Camp
President of Guam Basketball Confederation
Coached the Father Duenas Memorial School basketball teams for many years
Appointed as vice principal of Father Duenas Memorial School
Appointed principal at Father Duenas Memorial School
Coached Guam Men's National Basketball Team at the South Pacific Games, Mini-Micronesian Gmaes
Served on the Board of the Guam National Olympic Committee
Coached Guam Youth National Basketball at 5th Annual Oceanic Youth Championship, earning a bronze medal
Coached Guam National Men's Basketball Team at three consecutive South Pacific Games, earning three silver medals
Coached U18 Boys National Team in Inaugural 3x3 World Championships in Rimini, Itlay
Coached Academy of Our Lady Girls Basketball Team

Lawrence Johnson

Football, 1974-1978
Running Back

Accomplishments

Member of the 1975 (9-1) and 1977 (10-0) Guam Varsity League Championship Teams at UOG
1977: Offensive Player of the Year with 172 carries for 1,162 yards and 14 touchdowns. One of the first players on island to rush for 1,000 yards.
UOG's all-time leading rusher
Two-time First Team All-Star, Guam Varsity League
Played one year for the Andersen Bombers

James Whippy

Men's Soccer Coach, 1990-1993

Accomplishments

1990-1993: Coached the UOG Men's Soccer Team to four consecutive Guam Football Association Championships
Men's soccer commissioner on Guam for many years
Manager for the Guam National Men's Soccer Team
Coached the George Washington High School Boys Soccer Team for many years
Has a scholarship in his honor through the UOG Endowment Foundation, set up by his wife, Helen Whippy, who was the former senior vice president at UOG

Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Inducted October 2017

John Borden

Football, 1974-1978
BAE, Secondary Education

Accomplishments

1975-78: Four Time All-Island Wide Receiver
1975-79: All-Time Leader in Catches, Yardage and Touchdowns
1975 & 1978: Two Time Football League Champions
1980: University of Guam Retired His Jersey #83
1990: Featured on the Cover of HAFA (local magazine)
2011: Voted #7 of Top Football Players of All-Time on Guam
2012: Sports Legends of Micronesia

Susan Rechebong Lupola

Women’s Basketball, 1988-1994

Accomplishments

Member of the UOG Women’s Basketball Team- Early 1990s
1991:World Student Games-Sheffield, England
Guam National Team
1991: South Pacific Games, Papua New Guinea
1994: Micronesian Games-Guam
1995: South Pacific Games-Tahiti
1999: Oceania Games-Tahiti
2003: South Pacific Games-Fiji
Guam World Masters Games
2009: Women’s Soccer, Australia
2011: Women’s Basketball
2015-17: Women’s Softball
Basketball Official- Mariana’s Sport Official Association, Guam Basketball Confederation of Officials, IIAABO Certified Official, FIBA Certified Official, 1998, Micronesian Games
Basketball Coach-2005, Mini South Pacific Games, Guam, Youth Basketball Association, FIBA Certified Coach, Yigo Jokers Club

Tommy Morrison

Baseball, 1994-1998
B.S. in Political Science

Accomplishments

1993: Far East Games, Gold Medal Basketball Player, Center
Guam National Basketball Team
South Pacific Games-Gold Medal
Oceania Games-Silver Medal
Micronesian Games
Mini-South Pacific Games-Gold Medal
Guam Major League Baseball
Continental Jets-Pitcher
UOG Triton Baseball-Pitcher
Pepsi Giants-Pitcher
Guam Miller Football League
Pepsi Giants-Quarterback

Hauhouot Diambra-Odi

Men’s Soccer Coach, 1995-1998

Accomplishments

Played for UOG in Early 1990s
Coached/Played for UOG Men’s Soccer Team 1995-98
Coached Best Goalkeeper in League
Coached Top Scorer in League
2000-2003: Coached Youth Soccer-Dededo Soccer Club
2001: Coached St. John’s Middle School
2002: World Masters Games Player-Melbourne, Australia
2005: World Masters Games, Player-Edmonton, Canada
Picked Up Asian Football Confederation B&C License
Coached No Ka Oi Soccer Club
Played for club teams: ITE, Mobil Guam and No Ka Oi

Ronald Camacho

Football, 1974-1979
Middle Guard (Defense), Offensive Guard, Offensive Tackle

Accomplishments

1976: League MVP for Defense-Middle Guard
1976: MVP, UOG Tritons-Middle Guard
1976: All-Island First Team-Middle Guard
1977: All-Island First Team-Middle Guard
1978: All-Island Second Team-Offensive Guard
1978: All-Island Second Team-Offensive Tackle
1979: All-Island First Team-Offensive Guard

Theresa P. Sison

Women’s Basketball, 1988, 2001-2004

Accomplishments

1982: Far East Championships-Okinawa Sportsmanship Team and All-Star Team
1983: Far East Championships-Gold Medal, All-Star Team, Best Offensive Player
1983: Softball/Basketball Award-Double Sport-G.A.B.U.
1984: Far East Championships-Kadena Air Base-All-Star
1989: Oceanic Games-Basketball-Tahiti
1990: Micronesian Games-Track and Field-3 Gold Medals, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze
1991: Mini South Pacific Games-Basketball-American Samoa
1998: Micronesian Games-Basketball-Silver Medal
2000: Masters of the Millennia-Governor of Guam/Legislature
2001: University Games, Basketball-Taiwan
South Pacific Games-Basketball-1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003-Bronze Medal in 1999
Other International Competition: Basketball-2004, Micronesia All-Around Tournament, Site Guam; Basketball-2009, Women’s Masters Basketball Tournament-Site: Guam; Basketball-2010, Pan Pacific Games-Site: Gold Coast, Australia
Also a coach, referee, administrator for various associations to include FIBA, Guam Basketball Association, Special Olympics, Military leagues, High School, Relay for Life, Summer Basketball Leagues, etc.

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