10:40am | On Tuesday, February 7, 2012 the Long Beach Century Club will conduct its 56th Annual Sports Banquet and will induct 3 individuals into their Hall of Fame. The Class of ’11 will consist of:
David Chapman
David Chapman became a national champion so many times before he graduated from Wilson High School the rest of his career appeared to be redundant. At Wilson High he was a 4 year Letterman in Tennis attaining All Moore League twice. He was the Junior Hand Ball National Champion 10 times! He has won the National Hand Ball Championship 10 times and the National Doubles Championship 10 times. In addition, he was the World’s Champion 2 times, was the first non-Irish player to be invited into the Irish National tournament and after winning the tournament became the Irish National Champion at age 18.
He “retired” in 2004 and returned 4 years later achieving Runner-up status twice and last June, one day before his 36th birthday, he won his 10th singles title.
He has won 60 Pro Championship matches and was ranked as the number one player in the world for 11 years. In 1991, the Long Beach Century Club honored David with the prestigious Hank Hollingworth Award.
Marlene Hagge
Marlene Hagge Vossler was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002 and recalled at the induction ceremony that in 1950 she dropped out of high school and joined the LPGA Tour. She became one of the organization’s 13 founding members and won 26 events, including the 1956 LPGA Championship.
Born in South Dakota, Hagge and her family moved to Long Beach when she was 9. She loved golf but in the 1940’s there was no place for girls to play. “There were no junior programs at the time for us, and many times we’d be kicked off the courses,” Hagge recalled. She was, however, able to enter the Long Beach City Boys Open at Recreation Park, an event she won at age 10. She mainly played against adults, such as the Los Angeles Women’s Championship in 1948, which she won at the age of 13. Two years later, Hagge won the inaugural U.S. Girls Junior and the Western Girls Junior, leading the Associated Press to name her Female Athlete of the Year.
After receiving the support of her principal and parents to leave high school, Hagge earned an education on the road during the formative days of the LPGA Tour. In 1952 Hagge became the youngest player to win an LPGA event – the Sarasota Open – a distinction that lasted 59 years until this past summer. A pioneer and champion from an early age, Marlene continues to love the game of golf.
Greg Barton
Barton was a two-year starting quarterback for the L.B.C.C. Vikings in 1964-65 and led his team to an undefeated National Championship season in 1964. He twice earned All-Metropolitan Conference, All-State and All-American honors. Barton also led the Vikings to victories in the 1964 Jr. Rose Bowl and the 1965 Prune Bowl. He closed his LBCC career passing for 2,905 yards and 27 touchdowns. Barton transferred to the University of Tulsa (1966-67) and was named all-conference as a junior (1966). Following his collegiate career, Barton played three seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions (1968-70) before playing in the Canadian Football League (1971-73) and the World Football League (1974-75). Greg is considered one of Long Beach’s finest quarterbacks.