As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments and landmark years from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you would like to add to the memories of one of these moments, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moment, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments Featured in this Story
1949: Pete Welsh Becomes First SCIAC Champion at CMC
1958: Bill Arce Oversees Transition to New Athletic Department
1964: LaRock Repeats as SCIAC 100-Yard Champion
1969: Jones, Tempkin Dominate Nationals
1970: CMS Football Wins First SCIAC Title
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Athletic success was a staple of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletics right from the beginning. It took the department only nine years to win its first national title, when men's swimming and diving finish as 1967 NAIA Champions.
With a long track record of winning championships, both in the conference and nationally, it was inevitable that one day the athletic department would choose to honor the best and brightest that came through the various programs. That vision became a reality in 1991, with the induction of the first CMS Hall of Fame Class.
The denotation of the first Hall of Fame class comes with a bit of an asterisk, as Pete Welsh, the first great athlete in CMC history from the Class of 1950 (the first four-year class after the college opened in 1946), was actually bestowed the honor of being the first Hall of Famer in 1989, before the committee even convened to induct the first full class. The solo induction was a tribute to his trailblazing in the early days of Claremont McKenna's founding, when he became the first-ever SCIAC Champion from CMC and set a long jump record that stood for over 50 years.
The first full class was voted on in 1990 with the ceremony held in 1991, and the standards were quite high, given that the committee had to catch up on 30 years worth of winning. Ultimately, only four nominees earned their way into the CMS Hall of Fame on the first ballot, joining Welsh.
As the founding figure in CMS Athletics, Bill Arce was a natural to be part of the first Hall of Fame Class. Arce was hired by the Pomona College athletic department in 1956, and was tasked with overseeing the transition to a separate athletic department in time for the 1958-59 season, when CMC stopped pairing with Pomona College as Pomona-Claremont and began pairing with Harvey Mudd as the Claremont-Mudd Stags. Arce coached the baseball program from 1959-1979, and remained as the athletic director for four more years before retiring in 1983.
Bill LaRock (CMC '64) also earned a spot in the first Hall of Fame Class after a standout track and field career. He won the 100-yard dash at the 1963 SCIAC Track and Field Championships, and then as a senior in 1964, he went out with a second straight SCIAC title in the 100, becoming the first Claremont-Mudd athlete to repeat as a league champion, while graduating with a school-record of 9.7 seconds. LaRock kept his strong senior season going after the SCIAC Championships as as well, earning the Outstanding Performer at the 1964 NAIA Track and Field District 3 Championships after sweeping the 100 and 220 and anchoring a second-place relay.
Steve Endemano (HMC '71) set a record that might never be topped, winning six first-team All-SCIAC awards in a team sport. He was a four-time first-team All-SCIAC selection as a defensive back for the CMS Football team, and also won twice as a running back when he played both offense and defense in 1969 and 1970. As a senior, he led the Stags to their first-ever SCIAC title, scoring three touchdowns of 60 yards or more in the clinching win over Whittier, and was an All-American in both football and track and field, where he competed in the decathlon.
Eric Jones (CMC '71) also set standards that will be very tough to surpass, winning 10 national championships for the CMS swimming and diving team (four individual, six relay). He won at least one national championship every one of his four years, including a sweep of the 50 and 100 free at the 1969 NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships. He helped the Stags to three straight national runner-up finishes from 1968-70, as well as three SCIAC Championships.
The CMS Hall of Fame now stands at 138 members, growing steadily with 4-5 new members inducted every year, although a larger class is expected for the 75th Anniversary class, which will be inducted in January. Meanwhile, the Athenas and Stags keep right on winning (13 of 21 programs are currently defending SCIAC Champions), ensuring that the growth won't be slowing down any time soon.
