2008 Purple & Gold Hall of Fame Inductions

It's Homecoming Week at Whittier College and with it comes events and festivities all over campus.  Every two years, the Whittier College Athletics Department honors the greatest Poets student-athletes with the Purple & Gold Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  History will be made this year, as the first team will make its way into the Hall along with four individuals.  The event is being held at the Marriott Norwalk on October 16.

This year's induction class is highlighted by the 1946-47 Poets Men's Basketball Team.  The team was one of the most dominant teams in the history of Whittier College and is the first team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Their undefeated conference record gave the program its ninth SCIAC Championship, and a 25-1 regular season record earned them a berth into the National Tournament in Kansas City, MO.  They finished the season with 26 wins, the most in school history.  They advanced to the second round of the tournament where they lost by two points to Kirksville College (MO).  To further illustrate the team's impact on Whittier College Athletics, four members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame individually.

Also being inducted is former baseball star Paul Bryeans '55.  Born in Arkansas, Paul moved to Whittier in 1943 where he graduated from Whittier High School in 1947.  Following his junior year at Whittier College, Paul joined the Navy during the Korean War.  Paul eventually retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander.  He returned to Whittier in 1955 to finish his degree.  Upon graduating from Whittier, Paul embarked on a career in teaching and coaching that spanned some 30 years.  He won a CIF baseball championship at La Puente High School in 1956, and soon thereafter became the first athletic director, baseball and football coach at Los Altos High School.  Paul finished his teaching career in 1986 at Workman High School.  He was a long-time supporter of Purple & Gold, and was the driving force behind the P&G Golf Tournament.  He was an avid golfer and master wood worker.  Paul sadly passed away in May 2008.  He is survived only by his lovely wife, Marilyn, and their five children, David, Tracy, Brad, Andy and Chris.

The founder of Whittier College Men's Lacrosse, Doug Locker, is also one of the 2008 inductees.  Doug Locker spent 23 years at Whittier College serving as Director of Athletic Recruitment and Retention and Head Men's Lacrosse Coach. As the lacrosse coach at Whittier, he compiled a personal coaching record of 293-72 in a 21-year period. In 2002, Doug was named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year after guiding Whittier to its first ever NCAA tournament berth, where they were eventually defeated in the NCAA National Quarterfinals. As members of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League, his teams won 10 League Championships from 1985-1999.

Doug assumes duties as the San Francisco Dragons first General Manager. Prior to his appointment, Doug served for three years as the Director of Athletics at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. While at NDNU he oversaw the Universities transition from the NAIA to the NCAA, and was responsible for growing the athletic department from six to eleven varsity sports.

He served as a member of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Committee, was President of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League and was also a member of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Executive Board. In 2004, he was inducted into the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was also named as Team Manager for Team USA in the Heritage Cup played at the Pepsi Center in Denver.  Doug also currently serves as Assistant General Manager for the San Jose Stealth of the National Lacrosse League.

Another Men's Basketball player, Dave Weida '87 will also be honored.  One of the most prolific scorer's in Poets Basketball history, David Weida holds 19 Whittier College records and was the SCIAC's leading scorer for three straight seasons.  As a two-time All-American, two-time All-West Region, three-time All-SCIAC and SCIAC Player of the Year honoree, he is also one of the most decorated athletes in Whittier College history.  Upon graduating from Whittier, David took his talents overseas, where he played professionally in Luxemburg and Portugal.  He currently resides in Santa Monica, where he is a National Account Manager/Strategic Accounts for UPS.

Rounding out this year's class is Helen Copeland (Garcia) '95.  Born in California, Helen graduated from Whittier Christian High School in 1991.  She lettered in cross country and track, receiving Whittier Christian's 1990 Most Valuable Player Award for cross country.  Upon graduating from Whittier College in 1995 she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach kindergarten and first grade at Holy Ghost Catholic School. She married her Whittier College sweetheart Myles Copeland in 1999.  She received her elementary teaching credential from the University of New Mexico in 1998. She received the 2008 Catholic Award for Teachers and is currently in her 11th year teaching at Holy Ghost Catholic School.  She has served as an accompianist for Albuquerque's Immanual Presbyterian Church Youth Choir since 2004.

Each inductee will be presented with a Hall of Fame plaque, with a duplicate hung in the Graham Athletics Center.