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PCC celebrates inductees into the college’s inaugural Hall of Fame
Photos and story by Abe Proctor
Players and coaches from the 2013-14 NWAC champion Panthers men’s basketball team. They were inducted into PCC’s brand new Hall of Fame.
Portland Community College entered a new era this past fall with the creation of the PCC Athletics Hall of Fame.
The momentous occasion was marked in November with the first-ever Hall of Fame Banquet at the Cascade Campus, where the athletics program is based. The Hall of Fame was created to recognize outstanding student-athletes, teams, and individuals.
“We wanted to honor our players, coaches, and community members for their hard work and sacrifice over the years,” said PCC Assistant Athletic Director Tyrone White, “and we also wanted to lay the foundation for future athletic success here, something that will endure.”
The inaugural group of PCC Athletics Hall of Fame inductees included:
- John Lee, in the “Coach” category, for his many years as coach of both the men and women’s basketball teams, a tenure that dates back to the early 1970s.
New Hall of Fame inductees John Lee (left) and Levi Query.
- Levi Query, in the “Outstanding Service” category, for her decades as a member of the faculty in PCC’s Physical Education Program.
- The late Harold Williams Sr., in the “Outstanding Contributor” category, who – in his longtime capacity as a member of the PCC Board of Directors – was a champion for both the basketball program and for extending educational opportunities to students from underserved backgrounds. The basketball court at Cascade bears his name.
- ?The players and coaches of the 2013-14 Men’s Basketball Team, who brought home the first conference championship in the history of PCC.
- Carl Appleton, as the recipient of the first-ever “Carl Appleton Award for Outstanding Perseverance.”
Appleton was an All-American for Central Catholic High School in Portland. He won a full-ride scholarship to Oregon State University to play football. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious injury that led to a downward spiral in his life. He turned to drug use, became homeless, and eventually did time in prison. He got himself clean and, after his release, had a chance encounter with a PCC staff member and came to the college to play basketball.
Appleton was the starting power forward and key leader for the conference-champion 2013-14 men’s hoops team, and went on to earn a scholarship to Lewis & Clark College, where he played both basketball and football. After earning his bachelor and master’s degrees from Lewis & Clark, he is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at George Mason University, where he is pursuing criminology.
“We wanted to honor Carl for his incredible perseverance and dedication,” White said. “We also realized that this is the kind of kid who goes to community college. We wanted to hold him up as an example of what people can accomplish when they set their minds to it.”