2013 Cerritos College Hall of Fame Inductees

Distinguished Coach - Gene Martin was one of the original hires by Cerritos College in 1956. During his time with the college, Martin served as an assistant coach on the first football team, as well as a coach on the volleyball and track and field teams. He was originally a carpenter and was instrumental in helping convert a dairy barn into the football locker room. During his tenure with the college, Martin was also the school’s first athletic director and was the Director of Counseling until his retirement in 1989. Martin also spent 20 years as a college football official. An All-American football player at Stanford University, Martin eventually aided in the design of the college’s gymnasium, football field and baseball stadium during its construction.









Distinguished Male Athlete - Marcelo Balboa (Soccer) – One of only three people to play on three US World Cup teams, Marcello Balboa was a two-time all-conference selection (1986-87) on the Cerritos College men’s soccer team. He transferred to San Diego State University, where he was a two-time All-American selection. 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 named the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1994 and in 1995, because the first U.S. player to break the 100-cap barrier. Balboa played in the MLS from 1987-2002 and was a first-ballot inductee into the MLS Hall of Fame in 2005. In that same year, Balboa was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, as well as the Colorado Hall of Fame. Since his retirement, Balboa has served as an ESPN and ABC Sports broadcaster and is currently the executive director for Trebol Soccer Club, along with coaching the Monarch High School boys’ soccer team. He also is employed by Altitude Sports.






Distinguished Female Athlete - Traci Dahl (Volleyball) – 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 spent eight seasons as the head coach at Indiana State University and is now the Associate Head Coach at Cal Poly Pomona.