Lemaster Leads Group Headed for Induction

Former major-league pitcher Denny Lemaster leads a list of five men who will be inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame on May 28.

Joining Lemaster are Jack Smith, Sr., Jim Hibbs, Al Young and the late Lincoln Hall, Sr., who comprise the sixth group of five athletes to gain entrance to the hall since it was established in 1983.

Lemaster was a three-time All-CIF pitcher at Oxnard High. In 1958, at the conclusion of his high school career, he signed with the Atlanta Braves for $90,000. In 11 years as a major leaguer he had a 90-105 record and a 3.58 earned-run average for the Braves, Houston and Montreal.

Smith was a football and track coach at Ventura High for 29 years. His most famous protege was Mike Larrabee, who won Gold Medals in the 400-meter dash and the 1,600-meter relay at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Hibbs was a three-sport star at Ventura High who earned a scholarship to Stanford where he became an All-Coast catcher. In 1966, he signed with the Dodgers. He had a seven-year career in the minor leagues with the Dodgers, Angels, Cincinnati and Chicago.

Young, another multiple-sport standout, excelled at football. After four years at Oxnard High, he was an all-conference player at Ventura College. Also at Ventura, he was most valuable player of the basketball team. He returned to Oxnard High to coach football, basketball and baseball. He also coached semiprofessional football in Oxnard and managed basketball and softball teams for several years.

Hall, who died in 1985, broke CIF records for the long jump and pole vault in 1916 while competing for Santa Paula High. He won his first state championship in 1915 with an effort of 11-6 in the pole vault. A year late, he won again with a record mark of 11-9. The same year, he long jumped 21-5.

The induction dinner and ceremony will be at the Radisson Suite Hotel in Oxnard. Tickets, which can be obtained by calling 647-6817 after May 1, are $22 and include dinner.