Strausburg honored at Fountain Valley
The night was considered long overdue, but at last, Fountain Valley High took the necessary steps to honor one of its living legends.
Carol Strausburg became the first member of the Barons’ girls’ basketball Hall of Fame at halftime of Tuesday night’s Sunset League game against Marina.
“It was just very special,” Strausburg said. “There were retired administrators and people from the office. Retired teachers, former players and parents. It was very nice. It made my heart swell.”
Strausburg started as a physical education teacher at the school when it opened in 1966, and she coached the girls’ basketball team from 1977 to 2003.
Over a decorated career, Strausburg amassed an impressive 385 wins, nine playoff appearances, and eight Sunset League titles. She was inducted into the CIF and Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Assn. Hall of Fames in 2005.
“She should have been enshrined years ago,” second-year Barons Coach Barry Migliorini said. “There’s no more worthy coach, maybe in the state of California, to be inducted into their school Hall of Fame than Carol Strausburg.”
A portrait of Strausburg has joined the retired jersey of Bill Kristinat in the rafters of the Fountain Valley gym. An inscription at the bottom of the frame commemorates her tenure as the head of the Barons, and it reads, “Head Coach 1977-2003, 385 wins.”
Fountain Valley Principal Morgan Smith also presented Strausburg with a commemorative plaque in front of the packed house at halftime.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, an outpouring of support came from the Fountain Valley community. Migliorini said that a range of former Barons players, administrators and teachers have offered up their compliments in celebration of Strausburg’s career.
The eye-popping win total speaks to the longevity of success that Strausburg had, something that Migliorini magnified when he personalized the achievement.
“If I win every game, including playoffs and CIF championships starting now, I’ll be in my late 70s before I catch her,” he said.
Over her time at the school, Strausburg also headed the drill team from 1966 to 1973. She coached the gymnastics team from 1968 to 1980.
Barons Athletic Director Dennis Piramo believes that Strausburg was an appropriate choice to be the first inductee, as she lives up to the standards that the school aspires to.
“We want to build a tradition of excellence at Fountain Valley in academics and athletics,” Piramo said. “Inducting Coach Strausburg into our Hall of Fame, her already being on a CIF basketball Hall of Fame, I think it’s just a step in the right direction for what we want to be.”
