ROHNERT PARK  --  The Sonoma State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is pleased to announce Sam Tharpe as the recipient of the first Dr. G. Edward Rudloff Distinguished Student-Athlete Alumni Award.  Tharpe will be honored at this year's SSU Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony on October 24th alongside six Hall of Fame inductees and the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1990 national champion women's soccer team.

Sam Tharpe:  Making A Difference

The Distinguished Student-Athlete Alumni Award is named for SSU Hall of Famer Dr. G. Edward Rudloff, a pioneer coach and educator who first established the principles upon which intercollegiate athletics at Sonoma State University was founded.  Dr. Rudloff will be present at the ceremony to present the inaugural award.

A native of Sarasota, Florida, Sam Tharpe originally came to Sonoma State to work as a groundskeeper before enrolling in classes in 1968.  In the summer of 1969, he went out for Sonoma State's first-ever football team, all the while attending class full-time and working the night shift as a custodian.  As a testament to his dedication, Tharpe was named the team's Most Inspirational Player all three years and after earning his teaching credential, he went on to become the first African-American teacher and coach in the Petaluma school district.  In a long and distinguished career that ranged from junior high to junior college, Sam taught and coached wrestling and football, touching thousands of lives along the way.

In the 1970s, Tharpe became a minister and began his quest to help troubled youth in the community he called home.  He opened T's Academy in Rohnert Park to support struggling middle and high school students and was the inspiration for many of them to earn their high school and college degrees.  In 1994, he started the New Life Group Home, offering housing for troubled boys that were cast into foster homes and the juvenile judicial system and his annual Thanksgiving dinnners, which he ran for more than 20 years, fed over 1,200 people every year.  "The Rev", as he is known, was also well known for delivering dinners at Christmas time to those in need.  

A true pillar in the community, Tharpe has bettered the lives of thousands of people and his message of love and redemption to all people is a model from which all can be inspired by.

Said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Bill Fusco, "I could not imagine a more deserving recipient of the inaugural Dr. G. Edward Rudloff Distinguished Student-Athlete Alumni Award than the Reverend Sam Tharpe.  His outreach to the community is legendary and we are so proud that he has represented Sonoma State University as a wonderful ambassador, serving so many here in Sonoma County."


Stand Up For The Champions!

Already inducted into the Hall of Fame as a team (in 2001), the 1990 women's soccer team holds the distinction of winning the first national championship in the history of Sonoma State University.  The Cossacks entered the NCAA championship tournament with a 12-4 mark in 1990, advancing past Barry University in a penalty shootout before meeting Keene State of New Hampshire in the final.  Thanks to a first half Shannon Maddock goal and an insurance tally from Stacy Ball in the second, the team cruised to a 2-0 victory.  

Individuals on the 1990 team that have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame as players include Kim Abbott, Tami Bradley, and Julie Cochran, however their title run was truly a team effort.  Said Cochran, " The team was a great group of people.  We had chemistry, we loved to be together, we had faith in each other's ability, we worked beyond belief, and we loved each other!  That time in my life and that group of people was truly a magical experience!".  Peter Reynaud, head coach and architect of the championship squad, will be on hand to celebrate the silver anniversary.

"The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is proud to honor the student-athletes and coaching staff of the 1990 women's soccer team that brought the first national championship to our campus 25 years ago," said Fusco.  "We will never forget the individual and collective efforts of a team that will always have a place in the history and tradition of our intercollegiate athletics program."
 

Tharpe and the 1990 Women's Soccer Team will be honored alongside this year's Hall of Fame inductees:  Andrew Bailey, Chelsea Hennan, Kevin Wong, Kristy Sather, Benjamin Ziemer, and Marlene Bles.  To learn more about this year's induction class, click here. 

The ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 24th at the Student Center on the Sonoma State University campus.  A no-host reception will start at 5:30 pm with dinner to follow at 6:30 and the program at approximately 7:30.