Sept. 29, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State Department of Athletics will welcome a new class this winter of five individuals into its Aztec Hall of Fame, presented by the Wise Foundation.
The newest Aztecs to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame include a pair of former football wide receivers in Neal Petties (1961-63) and Craig Scoggins (1965-66), former men's basketball star Kim Goetz (1978-79), five-time All-America tennis player Cynthia MacGregor (1983-86) and local sports pioneer Bob Breitbard, who played (1938-40) and coached football (1945) at San Diego State.
The new class will be enshrined on Hall of Fame Weekend, slated for Dec. 1-2. The official induction ceremony will take place Friday evening, while the new class will be recognized at halftime of the Aztecs' final home football game of 2006 versus Colorado State.
The Aztec Hall of Fame, presented by the Wise Foundation, inducted its first members in 1988 and has welcomed a new group of legends every year through 1999. Inductions were put on hold for two years while work was completed on the Aztec Athletics Center, which is the first permanent home of the Hall of Fame.
The following is a quick look at the newest Aztec Hall of Fame members:
A pioneer in the San Diego sports community, Bob Breitbard, was a three-year letterwinner and all-conference center on the Aztec football squad from 1938-40. The San Diego native returned to The Mesa as SDSU's volunteer head coach in 1945, re-establishing the football program after a two-year break for World War II.
While his stint as head coach lasted just one season and saw him compile a 2-5 record, Breitbard remains a prominent figure in San Diego area sports. He founded the Breitbard Athletic Foundation in 1946, which later evolved into the San Diego Hall of Champions, honoring local athletes - both past and present - on all levels. He was a key figure on the board of the Greater San Diego Sports Association, helping to turn San Diego into a major sports town with the Chargers and the Padres. The Hoover High School alum was also a driving force behind the building of the San Diego Sports Arena and was the owner of the Gulls hockey team and later, the Rockets of the NBA.
Kim Goetz, who starred for the Aztecs from 1978-79, is one of the greatest shooters in San Diego State men's basketball history. Known during his playing days as "The Lone Ranger," Goetz led the team in scoring in both of his two seasons in the Scarlet and Black. He was an all-Western Athletic Conference selection in 1979, averaging over 20 points a contest and logging a school-record 90.2 free-throw percentage. Goetz tallied three of the top 10 scoring games in school history, including a 44-point effort against Utah in 1979, and finished his two-year career with 1,005 points.
Goetz remains prominent in the SDSU career record books, ranking first in free-throw percentage (85.4), second in scoring average (18.6) and eighth in field-goal attempts (852). A second round draft pick of the New York Knicks, he is currently a teacher at San Pasqual High School in Escondido, Calif.
One of the most decorated athletes in San Diego State history, Cynthia (Cinny) MacGregor earned five All-America honors during her storied Aztec tennis career from 1983-86. She was a three-time doubles All-American and a two-time singles honoree, playing her entire career at either No. 1 or No. 2 singles. MacGregor compiled a 98-38 singles record during her first three seasons on The Mesa, helping SDSU to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a fourth-place finish in 1984. The Aztecs were 84-35 (70.6 percent) during her four seasons and finished in the ITA top 10 each year. In 1984, she and partner Linda Howell advanced to the NCAA doubles semifinals, winning their first three matches, while in 1985, the Palos Verdes, Calif., native advanced to the third round of the NCAA singles championship.
One of two former wide receivers in this year's Aztec Hall of Fame class, Neal Petties played at SDSU from 1961-63. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards all three seasons, finishing his career with a then school-record 63 catches for 1,274 yards (20.2 per catch average) and 13 touchdowns. He was a three-time all-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) pick and as a senior in 1963, was a third-team Associated Press All-American. Petties helped the Aztecs to a 22-6-1 overall record and two CCAA titles in head coach Don Coryell's first three seasons on Montezuma Mesa. Petties was also a defensive standout, recording seven career interceptions.
Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 14th round of the 1964 NFL Draft, Petties attended San Diego High School and San Diego City College, where he earned All-America honors, before coming to SDSU. He spent three seasons in the NFL and currently resides in San Diego.
A member of San Diego State's undefeated 1966 national college division championship squad, Craig Scoggins earned three varsity letters during his two-year stint with the Aztecs, including two in football and one in baseball. In his first season on the football field, Scoggins teamed with another future Hall of Famer Garry Garrison to form one of the top receiving duos in the college ranks, combining for 118 catches.In 1966, the La Mirada, Calif., native made a name for himself by logging 81 receptions for an NCAA season-leading 1,212 yards to earn first team all-conference honors. Both figures still rank in the SDSU single-season top 10, while his 129 career receptions are 11th in school history. Scoggins' finest individual performance came in his last regular season game, as he caught a then school-record 15 passes for a career best 239 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-12 victory over Cal State Los Angeles. The Aztecs would go on to claim a 28-7 win over Montana State in the Camellia Bowl, capping a perfect 11-0 season.
A transfer from Cerritos College, Scoggins was picked in the 15th round of the NFL Draft by the Chargers. He later coached baseball and softball at Torrey Pines High School and currently lives in Prescott, Ariz.