The newest additions to the Cerritos College Hall of Fame have all made major contributions in their respective fields and will be honored as the newest members of an expanding class. Last year, the college welcomed a trio of former athletes and coaches into their inaugural class and will be adding three more at the 2013 Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Norwalk on the evening of Thursday, March 7. For ticket information to the dinner and awards ceremony, please contact either Cheryl Thury (thury@cerritos.edu) or Janice Cole (jcole@cerritos.edu).

Selected into this year's class are Gene Martin (Distinguished Coach/Administrator), Marcelo Balboa (Men's Athlete) and Traci Dahl (Female Athlete). Martin was a member of the first football team's coach staff and went on to serve as the college's Athletic Director, along with coaching men's and women's track and field and cross country. As for Balboa, he was a member of the men's soccer team and went on to play in three World Cups, while Dahl played on the volleyball team and led the college to their only state title.

Gene Martin – Gene Martin was the first athletic director at Cerritos College and served on the college’s first football team as an assistant coach. In addition to serving as a football coach, Martin, who worked at Cerritos College from 1956-89, also spent time as a track coach, volleyball coach and was a counselor to the athletes. Martin spent 40 years serving as a coach, instructor and administrator, as well as 20 years as a college football official. An All-American football player (and four-sport athlete) at Stanford University, Martin eventually aided in the design of the college’s gymnasium, football field and baseball stadium during its construction.

Marcelo Balboa – One of only three people to play on three US World Cup teams, Marcelo Balboa was a two-time all-conference selection (1986-87) on the Cerritos College men’s soccer team. Considered one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the US Soccer program, Balboa was a member of the US National Team from 1988-2000 and was a part of Major League Soccer from its inception. He was a first-ballot inductee into the MLS Hall of Fame in 2005 and has served as an ESPN and ABC Sports broadcaster. During his time on the national team, Balboa collected 128 caps, as well as a Major League Soccer career that included 24 goals in 152 games as a defender and was known for his bicycle kicks. Balboa was also named the US Soccer Athlete of the Year twice and currently works in the front office of the Colorado Rapids of the MLS.

Traci Dahl – A two-time All-American selection while playing volleyball at Cerritos College, Traci Dahl was instrumental in leading the school to their only state championship in 1992 after they lost in the championship match the previous season. Dahl, who is second in school history with 782 kills and holds the school record for single-season blocks (174) and career blocks (343), was a two-time conference Player of the Year, while she was named the state’s Player of the Year as a sophomore. She was an All-American middle blocker on Cal State Long Beach’s 1993 National Championship team and followed that up by being named as an All-American her senior campaign. Dahl began her coaching career with Cerritos from 1995-97 and has served as the head coach at Downey High, as well as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton and Hofstra University. She is now in her fourth season as the head coach at Indiana State University.