Cal women’s head swim coach Teri McKeever and 8-time Cal men’s NCAA swimming champion Duje Draganja are 2 of 10 individuals who will be inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2018. This is the 33rd induction class, and they will be formally enshrined later this fall at the Greek Orthodox Church Conference Center in Oakland.
McKeever has been the head women’s swimming & diving coach since 1992 and has led the team to 4 NCAA team championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014) and are currently on a streak of 10 consecutive top-3 NCAA Championship finishes. McKeever was also the head U.S. Olympic Women’s team coach at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
McKeever is also a 7-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, has coached 8 National Swimmers of the Year, and has coached 26 Olympians that have won 36 medals. The Golden Bears have won 61 event national titles in McKeever’s 26 seasons.
Draganja, meanwhile, swam at Cal from 2001-2005, where he won 8 NCAA titles:
- 2002 (freshman) – 400 free relay (2:50.01)
- 2003 (sophomore) – 100 free (42.02)
- 2003 (sophomore) – 400 free relay (2:48.99)
- 2005 (senior) – 100 free (41.49)
- 2005 (senior) – 100 fly (45.39)
- 2005 (senior) – 200 free relay (1:15.78)
- 2005 (senior) – 400 free relay (1:15.78)
- 2005 (senior) – 200 medley relay (1:25.30)
His 41.49 in the 100 free was at the time an NCAA Record, and still ranks 2nd on Cal’s all-time lists behind only 2012 Olympic 100 free champion Nathan Adrian.
Draganja has Olympic credentials of his own: he’s represented his native Croatia at the Games 3 times, and won a silver medal in the 50 free in Athens in 2004.
The new honorees will also be honored on the field during Cal’s October 27th football game vs. Washington. The new class brings the total number of inductees to 307 individuals and 6 rowing teams.
The full list of inductees:
- Duje Draganja (men’s swimming, 2002-05) – three-time Olympian and eight-time NCAA champion who won a silver medal in the 50-meter free for Croatia in 2004
- Ramon Jimenez-Gaona (men’s track & field, 1990-93) – three-time Olympian and school-record holder in the discus (210-11) who was a three-time NCAA runner-up in the event
- Geoff McArthur (football, 2000-04) – set five school receiving records and two Big Game marks and earned All-America honors as a junior in 2003
- Valerie McClain (men’s and women’s rowing, 1978-82) – two-time Olympian and a pioneering coxswain who earned letters for both the men’s and women’s rowing programs
- Teri McKeever (women’s swimming & diving head coach, 1992-present) – the 2012 U.S. Olympic head coach has guided Cal to four NCAA team championships and 10 consecutive top-3 national finishes
- Alysia Montaño (women’s track & field, 2004-08) – 2012 Olympian in the 800 meters won NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the event and is a seven-time USA champion
- Leon Powe (men’s basketball, 2004-06) – the 2004 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year was a two-time first-team all-conference pick and a second-team All-American in 2006
- Kristina Thorson (softball, 2003-06) – the first Golden Bear softball player named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and a three-time second-team All-American
- Elsie Windes (women’s water polo, 2004-07) – three-time All-American helped the United States to two Olympic medals, including gold in 2012
- Joe Starkey (voice of Cal football, 1975-present) – the longtime radio voice of Cal football who enters his 44th year behind the microphone this fall
Why do people dislike her?
Because it is a misogynistic culture in the swim coaching world. The Good Old Boys Club never existed more strongly than in division 1 head swim coaching. Even some women swimmers are brainwashed to think that they will not swim as well for a woman coach.
Congratulations to Teri, but why in the world did it take so long for her to be inducted?
Cal used to have a 5-year waiting period after coaches left the university before they could be inducted. Now, that is a 3-year waiting period, but is waived after a coach has completed 20 years on staff at Cal.
Mike Bottom should be next and congrats Duje!!!
Mike is a Trojan
Mike can’t get in for coaching at Cal?
Congrats, Coach! Thanks for all you do and your dedication to our sport.
So well deserved Teri! There will be other swim Bears knocking on the door to the Hall of Fame with people like Ryan Murphy, Kathleen Baker, Abbey Weitzell, Andrew Seliskar, Missy Franklin, Josh Prenot, Jacob Pebley, and many others.
Well deserved! Congrats Coach!
Hmmmm….
Four national championships, any university in the country would would induct anyone with that on their resume. So why the hmmm?