SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco State Department of Athletics inducted seven new members into the Gator Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at a reception and dinner ceremony in the Towers Conference Center on campus. The 2009 class includes a pair of former men's basketball stars Joe Callaghan (1969) and Girard Chapman (1969), wrestling standouts Alex Koehler (1988) and Carlos Sumulong (1997), four-time All-Conference women's soccer player Cristina Quintero (2004), long-time women's volleyball head coach and athletic department administrator Kathy Argo and former men's soccer head coach Luis Sagastume.
The following is a quick look at the newest Gator Sports Hall of Fame members:
Joe Callaghan (1969) arrived at SF State from Saint Mary's College in 1968 as a workhorse whose unselfishness quickly became a trademark of the Gator squad. He was a leader by example and his humble, business-like approach brought out the best in every member of the team.
During the 1968-69 campaign, Callaghan was instrumental in helping SF State capture the Far Western Conference and Region VIII titles, along with a berth in the Elite Eight of the NCAA College Division Championships. That year, he led the team with 635 points and 269 rebounds, which currently rank second and fifth, respectively, among the school's single-season records. For his efforts, Callaghan received All-America accolades was a first-team All-FWC selection, sharing the league's Co-Player of the Year Award with teammate Girard Chatman. One of the most talented players to don a Gator uniform, Callaghan was chosen by the San Francisco Warrriors in the 1969 NBA Draft.
Girard Chatman (1969) arrived at SF State in 1967 from City College of San Francisco and immediately established himself as a quiet, hard-working competitor. By the end of his Gator career in 1969, he was considered one of the most respected Division II players on the West Coast.
A two-time All-Far Western Conference honoree, Chatman was a vital member of the 1968-69 Gator squad that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA College Division Championships after capturing the FWC and Region VIII titles. Following the season, he garnered All-America accolades and was named the FWC's Co-Player of the Year, along with teammate Joe Callaghan.
Chatman holds the SF State single-season record with 414 rebounds and 230 free throws attempted and also ranks among the school's top-10 season leaders in field goals made, field goals attempted, rebounding and scoring. He is currently second on the Gators' career list in two categories with 326 free throws made and 786 rebounds, while his 741 field goals attempted and 1,032 points rank eighth and ninth, respectively. Chatman was selected by the San Francisco Warriors in the 1969 NBA Draft.
Alex Koehler (1988) was a four-year member of the SF State wrestling team from 1983-88 in the heavyweight class. A North Bay native, Koehler captured All-America honors during the 1986 season and was also a Northern California Athletic Conference champion in his weight class. In 1988, he served as team captain and finished third at both the NCAC Tournament and the NCAA Division II West Regionals. Koehler was twice voted Most Inspirational Wrestler during his Gator career. He also finished third in the National Espoir Freestyle in the 220-pound weight class.
After graduating from SF State, Koehler worked for five years as a mental health worker assisting adolescents. He currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Community Banking at Wells Fargo in Novato, Calif., and is also a board member at Marin Family Action, a non-profit organization established in 1988 to assist low income families.
Carlos Sumulong (1997) was an outstanding wrestler for the Gators from 1992-97 for SF State Hall of Famer and current head coach Lars Jensen. During his collegiate career, Sumulong wrestled in the 118 and 126-pound weight classes and was a member of the Gators' 1997 NCAA Division II national championship team. Sumulong was also a two-time Northern California Athletic Conference champion and captured All-America honors in 1996. In addition, Sumulong served as team captain and earned the squad's Arete Award for demonstrating excellence in the classroom and in the sport of wrestling.
Sumulong and his wife Heather, a fellow SF State graduate in Kinesiology, have two children, Logan and Paige. He is the the owner of VQ Fitness, an in-home personal training company. Sumulong was the winner of the East Bay's “Best Personal Trainer” Award in 2006-07. He is the founder and director of Walnut Creek Wrestling Club and is a club coach at the Community Youth Center.
Sumulong has also spent time coaching at Northgate High School and Foothill Middle School for the past 10 years.
Cristina Quintero (2004) enjoyed an illustrious career for the Gators from 1998-2001, earning a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Far West team in four consecutive years. She holds the SF State record with 54 career goals and is also the Gators' single-gameleader with four goals scored against UC Santa Cruz in 1999.
Quintero made an immediate impact as a freshman at SF State, receiving second-team All-Conference honors after notching 27 points on 12 goals and three assists. During her sophomore campaign in 1999, she established a new Gator single-season mark with 37 points and 17 goals and then equaled that record as a junior in 2000. Quintero continued to play at a high level as a senior, recording 21 points on eight goals and five assists to garner first-team All-Conference accolades for the third straight year.
Kathy Argo is the all-time winningest women's volleyball coach in SF State history with 273 victories. She was a three-time Northern California Athletic Conference Coach of the Year while guiding the Gators to three straight league championships from 1986 to 1988. Her 1987 SF State squad finished with a 21-8 record, earning a bid to the NCAA Division II West Regionals. During her career, she coached 54 All-Conference players, 11 All-Region Players and three All-NCAC Players to go along with seven SF State Hall of Fame members.
In addition to her coaching responsibilities with the Gators, Argo was an administrator in the SF State Athletic Department, serving as the Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance. In all, she worked at SF State for 24 years and still is an avid Gator supporter.
Luis Sagastume was the Gators men's soccer head coach from 1978-79, when he guided SF State to a 22-8 overall record and an 11-2 mark in the Far Western Conference. In 1978, the Gators captured the FWC championship and advanced to the finals of the NCAA Division II West Regional. Following his tenure at SF State, Sagastune became the head coach at the Air Force Academy, where he compiled a 303-196-43 record in 28 years.
During the 2006 season, Sagastume became the 25th coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the 300-win plateau. His Falcon teams posted 14 of the 16 double-digit win seasons in Academy history, captured nine of the school's 23 conference soccer championships and four of the program's 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
A native of Guatemala, Sagastume holds a United States Soccer Federation “A” license and became the first American to obtain an English “FA” coaching license. He resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Linda. Sagastume is the father of five children, Marcel, Ryan, Marcus, Laura, and Luke. He coached his sons Ryan and Marcus, who both played collegiately at the Air Force Academy.