Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

A brief look at the careers of the athletes who will be inducted tonight in Ventura:

DAVE ABDALLA

A starter for the Newbury Park High baseball team from 1968-71, Abdalla, 41, was the first player in Ventura County to earn a varsity letter four times. Only Rio Mesa’s Dmitri Young has equaled the accomplishment.

In 1976, a newspaper selected him as the “best athlete” ever from the Conejo Valley.

Abdalla attended University of the Pacific on a baseball scholarship and made second-team all-conference in 1973 and ’74.

He briefly played professional baseball for the Portland Mavericks, an independent franchise in what was then the Class-A Pacific Coast League.

NORI PARVIN

Parvin, 46, has coached several sports during her 22 years at Newbury Park High, but basketball is clearly where she has left her mark.

In 1995, Parvin led the Panther girls’ basketball team to the Division III-AA Southern Section title.

She also received coach-of-the-year honors from the Southern Section in Division III-AA and the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Assn.

One of Parvin’s most treasured memories is the CIF Academic Championship award her 1994 team earned. Newbury Park’s 3.76 grade-point average was best among 484 schools.

STEVE SNYDER

Snyder, 47, has been in charge of the Royal High swimming and water polo programs for 17 successful years.

He took over a water polo team that was 2-34 in its two previous seasons. Since then, the Highlanders have won 15 consecutive Marmonte League titles, posted a league record of 115-5, and produced 14 All-Americans.

In swimming, Snyder’s program has produced 26 CIF Division I finalists and nine All-American swimmers and divers.

The boys’ swim team has finished in the top three in league competition every season. The girls have done the same with the exception of the 1993 season.

In 1995, Snyder was selected the Southern Section’s Division IV water polo coach of the year. He’s been Marmonte League coach of the year 15 consecutive seasons.

JERRY WHITE

White, 58, lettered in football, baseball and basketball while at Oxnard High. He graduated in 1955.

He went on to star in baseball at Fresno State, helping the Bulldogs finish third in the 1959 College World Series.

Coaching lured White back to Ventura County. He became baseball coach at Hueneme High in 1963 and his teams won seven Channel League titles and made playoff appearances in 11 of 12 seasons.

White also coached at Oxnard College for nine years, guiding the Condors to five Western State Conference titles.

White has been a basketball official for 27 years and is serving his 17th term as chairman of the Pacific-10 Conference Officials Assn.

CHUCK WILLIAMS

Williams, 49, who attended Ventura High, twice earned All-Western State Conference honors in football at Ventura College and received an athletic scholarship to Stanford.

Williams lettered in football, baseball and rugby at Stanford.

Because of a knee injury Williams suffered against Washington, the senior quarterback was questionable for a game against archrival Cal in 1967.

“They did a serious tape job from my toes to my butt and implemented the shotgun offense so I could play,” Williams said.

Cal defeated Stanford 26-3, but as Williams put it, “I got to play in The Big Game.”

After graduating from Stanford, Williams played on a rugby team that toured the world.