Porterville College Hall of Fame inducts Haynes, Gurrola
Dreams and perseverance seemed to be the themes of the night as Robert Haynes and Virginia Gurrola were inducted to the Porterville College Hall of Fame Saturday night at River Island Country Club.
Fresno State’s athletic director Jim Bartko was the speaker of the ninth annual banquet and spoke to the younger member of the audience about following their dreams.
“Nobody can stop you but yourself, Bartko said. “Don’t hold yourself short. Be the best that you can be and have your integrity high.” The former athletic director of the University of Oregon and Central Valley native also spoke about how important it was to him to be in the area again.
“It’s more important to have our kids grow up in a community that cares and they can graduate and have success,” Bartko said.
New York-native Haynes was this year’s Athletic Hall of Fame inductee and followed Bartko. He spoke passionately about using basketball to get out of the bad neighborhood he grew up in.
“During times in the projects,” said Haynes, “at nighttime, 10:30, 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock when gunshots were ringing off, I was in the park shooting [hoops]. I’d duck sometimes and after they’d stop shooting, I got back up and I kept shooting because I wanted to get out.”
Haynes, came to California in 2001 to play for San Francisco City College, but an injury in preseason sidelined him and he returned home.
“One of the worst things that ever happened to me, because I was back in the projects. I got out, but then I went back,” said Haynes. He fought hard to get back out again and in 2003, he joined the PC basketball team.
On the team from 2003-2005, Haynes flourished.
In his freshman year Haynes was named captain and averaged 13 points and eight rebounds while leading all Central Valley Conference freshmen in scoring and finishing ranked fourth in rebounds in the CVC.
For the 2003-2004 season, Haynes was named to the All-conference Team, All-defensive Team, All-freshman Team and was co-freshman of the Year.
“There’s no excuse not to be successful,” said Haynes.
In his sophomore year he was once again named to the All-defensive Team and in conference
play, he led the conference in rebounding. Haynes was also named one of the top 100 players in California’s Junior College Basketball.
He signed with Colorado State University and accepted to a full scholarship to play at the university.
“I put in the work to get to this place,” Haynes said, but again, I’ve been blessed to have a lot of good people on my side to make sure that I didn’t go the wrong way.
Instead of going back to New York Haynes returned because “Porterville had given [him] so much.”
Haynes is now the head coach of PC’S men’s basketball team, where he has had 13 players
receive scholarships and move on.
PC’S Distinguished Alumni inductee was Gurrola, who held many high level positions within the college over a 37-year span that began in 1976 and ended in 2013.
Gurrola was director of the financial aid department, as well as the admissions and records office. As the director of EOPS - Extended Opportunity Program and Services - she began one of the most successful grassroots recruitment project to increase Hispanic enrollment.
“It’s really humbling and I’m very blessed,” said Gurrola.
In her speech, Gurrola spoke about how hard it was for her to even attend
PC after leaving on the first day of school in 1975 without even opening the door.
“I was terrified,” Gurrola said. “I remember thinking college is for smart people. Not people like me.”
Previously told that she would never amount to anything more than a secretary or beautician, Gurrola was encouraged to return to PC in 1976 and she said she’s never looked back.
“I only looked forward and tried to find things that would make this community, our college and this world better. Because helping someone is what life is all about, helping someone achieve their dreams when they thought it was impossible.