Group photo of former SBVC athletes

From left to right: Steve Benke (representing Craig Newsome), Dennis Goodloe, Ruth Lang, Weston Lauder Jr., Myrtle Lang (family members of David Lang), Dino Ebel, and Stan Sanchez (representing Rich Dauer).

Several former San Bernardino Valley College athletes claimed their permanent place in SBVC history with the unveiling of the Wall of Professional Champions on January 22. The display, located in the second floor foyer of the Athletics Complex, honors notable athletes who got their start at SBVC and then earned championship status during their careers within American-based major league sports teams.

SBVC Hall of Famer Michael Sola served as the master of ceremonies for the event, and led the unveiling of the display that had brought together the friends and families of the honorees. The five athletes initiated into the Wall of Professional Champions are Rich Dauer of the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros, Dino Ebel of the Los Angeles Dodgers, David Lang of the Dallas Cowboys, and Craig Newsome of the Green Bay Packers.

Dino Ebel, the only honoree directly in attendance, spoke passionately and pointedly to the SBVC baseball players at the event. Ebel shared the personal desire and work ethic that he credits for getting him to where he is within the Dodgers’ organization today. As the current third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ebel was a member of the coaching staff that led the Los Angeles team to victory when they secured the World Series title in 2020. Now that he has attained his goal of winning a World Series ring, Ebel is chasing his next dream to become a Major League manager. “For a guy like me, I said I’m never going to take this uniform off until they take it from me,” he said.

Dauer was represented at the event by childhood friends Stan Sanchez, a fellow SBVC Hall of Famer, and Ray Carver. The two friends relayed stories of Dauer’s success on and off the field over the years, which included being voted the best player in the history of the University of Southern California baseball program. Dauer won a World Series championship as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 1983, before moving on to coach the Houston Astros towards their own World Series title win in 2017.

Retired SBVC track and field coach Mike Powell recounted stories of the late David Lang, who ran track at SBVC before making it to the NFL. Powell talked about the work Lang did in the San Bernardino community to help the next generation of athletes, as well as at-risk youths who were wards of the court.

“He was happy to do that,” Powell said. “This was after he had a Super Bowl ring. He would literally go into the units and take that ring off and let the kids hold this – I think the rings then were like $30,000, pretty expensive – but he didn’t have a problem with letting those kids touch that ring or hold that ring. I mean, it was the biggest thrill. He was just a very kind and gentle giant.”

Craig Newsome, now a high school football coach in Wisconsin, sent in a statement that Sola read: “I want to thank SBVC for making this possible, but most of all I want to thank my teammates and my coaches for giving me the opportunity to live my dream and doing what I love. I wouldn’t be where I am today without having a good loving family so I want to say I appreciate you and love you guys.”