GJHS creates Athletic Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held Saturday, Jan. 25

Serenity Schmidt, Co-Managing Editor • January 27, 2025

GJHS teacher Steven Woytek speaks with hall of fame inductee John Mazza during the ceremony held Saturday, Jan. 25, in the school commons. There were 12 inductees recognized for their athletic achievements in the launch of the GJHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Grand Junction High School launched an Athletic Hall of Fame with a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 25.

GJHS has made an effort to begin a hall of fame over the last two years. This year was the official induction ceremony that recognized accomplished athletes dating back to the 1930s.

“The weekend [was] composed of the inductees being introduced during the halftime of the boys basketball game [last] Friday night. The next morning at 10:30 a.m. we [had] a brunch in the school commons followed by an awards ceremony in the library,” said GJHS teacher Steven Woytek, who has been working on the Hall of Fame since he served as athletic director.

There were 12 GJHS alumni inducted and represented for their athletic accomplishments.

“This took two-plus years to build and involved over 14 staff members and 32 alumni. We had eight different committees that went through a process to research, nominate and select these 12 inductees,” said Woytek.

The 12 inductees included were: Joe Biggs (1936), John Mazza (1949), Jerry McClurg (1960), Harold “Joe” Newman (1961), Ray Coca (1962), Boots Bagby (1963), Jim Haggerty (1976), Jane Quimby (1977), Sandra Elliot (1981), Jennifer Buford (1994), Marlena Diaz (2007), and Sean Rebalcaba (2012).

It is hoped that this hall of fame ceremony will become an annual event.

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About the Contributor

Serenity Schmidt, Co-Managing Editor

Serenity is a senior and a co-managing editor for the GJHS Orange & Black. She has been on the O&B since her sophomore year. She is passionate about music and reading, and she also enjoys being outdoors. This year she hopes to help improve the O&B overall.