Two area graduates to receive alumni honors
Durham’s Kimmelshue and Hamilton’s Sanchez have been successful professionally
BUTTE VALLEY >> A community college might be just a place, for many students, just to extend their education past the high school level, then either move to a four-year institution or to enter the workforce.
However, for Butte County District 4 Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue, Butte College provided more than an education opportunity — it gave him a place to establish personal relationships, many of which he maintains and values to this day.
And for NFL punter Rigoberto “Rigo” Sanchez, Butte offered a place to sharpen his football skills, which sent him on his way to becoming a six-year player in football’s highest league.
Kimmelshue, a 1979 Butte graduate (A.A., Agriculture) and Sanchez, who played football at Butte until transferring to the University of Hawaii in 2015, are the 2023 Distinguished Alumni. They’ll be the honored guests at the Butte College Foundation’s Spring Gala Saturday, March 11, at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Big Room, 1075 E. 20th St. in Chico.
The event is the school’s largest fundraiser of the year and benefits scholarships, foundation services, industrial technology programs, and the Ag Leadership Club. Tickets to this year’s gala have sold out, but community members can still support the event by donating at www.butte.edu/give.
Sanchez, who attended Hamilton High School in Hamilton City, is now a punter with the Indianapolis Colts following a successful span at Butte and Hawaii. He joined the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Kimmelshue — elected in 2021 — oversees a geographically large district, generally serving the area south and west of Highway 32, then all the area south of Highway 149 and west of Highway 70. It includes the communities of Biggs, Gridley and his hometown of Durham as well as small portions of Oroville and Chico.
What attracted Kimmelshue to Butte College?
“I grew up on family farm in Durham, and was very interested in agriculture and studied agriculture,” he explained. “I wasn’t quite ready to head off to four-year school. So, it was a natural transition to go to Butte and take ag there and also get generaleducation requirements.”
Earning his associate’s degree made it easy to transfer to a California State University system school — in this case, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.
“Back in those days, the state university system gave community college transfers priority over incoming freshmen,” he said. “It was easy to apply and almost automatic to get in. I picked up where I left off at Cal Poly and all but one of my courses I took at Butte transferred.
“It was more economical to get two years in at a community college,” he said.
For the 1977 Durham High School graduate, however, getting to know the people in the ag community at Butte and then at Cal Poly proved to be valuable to Kimmelshue, both personally and professionally.
Kimmelshue worked for “a couple of years” in agriculture finance in the Bay Area, then embarked on a 35-year career for Farm Credit, an agriculture lending institution.
“I went to Cal Poly with a lot of farm kids, and when I went to the Bay Area, I knew those people already. They became clients and friends,” he said. Then, in his work at Farm Credit, “a lot of the families I got to know at Butte. We have some fantastic relationships and a lot of them came from this area. I already know what their needs are going to be.”
Sanchez, who graduated from Hamilton High in 2012, was named to the MaxPreps California Division IV All-State first team as a high school senior and earned First Team All-Northern Section honors. He also lettered twice in soccer and earned allleague honors.
At Butte, Sanchez earned a First Team All-California Region I selection and set a school record for career field goals — 22 — and the longest successful field goal at 54 yards. He was second in the California Community College Athletic Association in scoring in the 2013 season with 109 points, putting up school records of 76for-77 on extra points and 11 field goals.
Sanchez successfully kicked 43 points-aftertouchdowns in 44 tries, as well as 11 field goals, in 2012.
Sanchez served as Hawaii’s punter, kicker and kickoff specialist. He had 21 successful field goals in 24 tries, with a 55-yarder as his longest made kick. Sanchez compiled 144 punts for 6,457 yards, an average of 44.8 yards, with 49 punts inside the 20-yard line and 45 punts of 50 or more yards. He recorded 39 touchbacks on 93 kickoffs.
He set Hawaii’s career punting average record of 44.8 yards.
Sanchez hosts a free youth camp each summer in partnership with the Indianapolis Colts and Hamilton High School.