Passings

Maurice ‘Maury’ Gerard

The longtime Orange Coast College men’s tennis coach succumbed to

cancer Jan. 8. He was 91.

In 19 seasons at OCC and 10 at Santa Ana College, he compiled a

career coaching record of 410-75. His OCC teams won five conference

titles and one state crown (1971), before he retired in 1976.

Gerard is a member of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame.

Sean Fenton

A former All-Pacific Coast League and All-Newport-Mesa offensive

tackle and league discus and shot put champion at Corona del Mar

High, he died Jan. 17 in an automobile accident. He was 20.

He was a junior computer science major at Yale, where fellow

students remembered him as ambitious and gregarious.

Some 700 mourners attended a memorial service at CdM High and a

scoreboard has been erected in his name on the school’s freshman

football field.

Matt Large

A former two-time Sea View League wrestling champion at Newport

Harbor High, his skeletal remains were identified Feb. 8 in Eureka,

Calif. and he was believed to be murdered after disappearing in

December, 2001. He was 23.

He was league champion as a junior 103-pounder in 1996 and went on to finish fourth at the CIF Southern Section Division II finals. As a

senior, he won the league 112-pound crown and finished third in

Division II at the CIF Southern Section finals.

At the time of his disappearance, he was preparing for an ultimate

fighting bout.

Dick Freeman

A second-team All-CIF Southern Section football tackle as a

Newport Harbor High senior in 1944, he died of heart failure Feb. 21.

He was 76.

He was known for his toughness, but also for his ability to make

friends easily.

He was one of two sophomores on the Sailors’ 1942 Sunset League

championship team, which played in the school’s first CIF (small

schools) title game that fall.

Pat Cox

A four-time women’s club golf champion at Santa Ana Country Club,

the renowned Newport Beach community activist died last spring. She

was 81.

The mother of accomplished amateur golfer Marianne Towersey, Cox

won SACC titles in 1947, ‘52, ’61 and ’62.

Kelvin Kirk

The inaugural Mr. Irrelevant, he died suddenly while playing

pickup basketball July 2. He was 49.

He was drafted as a speedy receiver out of Dayton by the

Pittsburgh Steelers with the 487th and final pick of the 1976 NFL

draft, walking right into the Irrelevant Week spotlight that still

focuses on Newport Beach every summer.

He had a fine career in the Canadian Football League, finishing

with 103 receptions for 2,942 yards.

Charlie ‘Tex’ Bleiker

His nearly 40-year career as a teacher and coach included 28 at

Newport Harbor High, after he moved to California in 1970.

He died Aug. 4 of natural causes. He was 66.

He was best known for his work with the Sailors’ boys and girls

tennis teams, but he also coached football at Newport.

He spent a brief time at Costa Mesa High, before coming to Harbor

and after working at schools in New Mexico and West Texas.

Andrea ‘Andi’ Collins

A member of the Newport Beach-based Orange County Volleyball Club,

she died of cancer Sept. 4. She was 16.

A Mater Dei High student, she made many friendships with

Newport-Mesa athletes with her club volleyball involvement, which

included being the starting setter on the OCVBC national 16-and-under

champions.

Chris Premer

The Toshiba Senior Classic media director was killed in a

twin-engine plane crash in Norco Oct. 1. He was 30.

A talented writer and sports enthusiast, his affiliation with Hoag

Hospital led him into his role as spokesman for the golf tournament

held annually at the Newport Beach Country Club.

He was the event’s media director since 1997.

Kevin Magee

Widely regarded as the greatest player in UC Irvine men’s

basketball history, he was killed in an auto accident in Louisiana

Oct. 23. He was 44.

He was the school’s only two-time, first-team All-American,

averaging 26.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in a two-season career that

spanned 1980-82.

He played professionally overseas and his No. 44 jersey is the

only one retired by UCI.

Glynn Boies

One of Newport Harbor High’s most valuable athletes in the

mid-1940s, he died Oct. 28 of leukemia. He was 75.

He was a standout end on the 1944 varsity football team, played

guard on the varsity basketball team and was a notable pitcher for

two varsity baseball seasons. He also served as student-body

president as a senior in the 1944-45 school year.