Since opening in 1949, Harbor College has produced hundreds of great athletes and has been home to dozens of great coaches.
Jim O’Brien.
One of the greatest Hall of Fame baseball coaches, Jim O’Brien, who won three state championships, recently died at age 86 in Fallbrook. When the Harbor College Athletic Hall of Fame committee inducts its 2025 class on May 2 at the Dalmatian-American Club in San Pedro, four more coaches will join O’Brien in the hall, along with six other individuals.
The coaches are Chris Ferragamo, Geoff Skarr, Roger Waialae, and Jacinto “Jesse” Espinoza. Inducted for individual achievement are Rossana Rivera-Caballero, Brenda Rosales Coria, Bryan King, Jasmine McNeal, David Olsen, and Ben Rowen.
Ferragamo, who played football at Harbor in 1958-59, is already a legend after leading his high school alma mater, Banning, to six consecutive City football championships and eight overall from 1976 to 1987. He coached the Seahawks for two seasons, then returned to the Pilots in 2006, finishing with a record of 157-57-4 in 22 seasons.
Skarr was named Harbor’s women’s cross country coach in 2016 and won three straight conference titles in 2017-19. When the state held its first women’s cross country championship in 2018, the Seahawks took the title.
Waialae, a Narbonne grad, played football, baseball, and golf at Harbor in 1984-86, then starred at quarterback for Dubuque in Iowa before beginning his coaching career. He has been the head football coach at Division II West Liberty University in West Virginia for the past 21 years.
Espinoza, another Banning graduate, started the Harbor College softball program in 2010 and remained coach through 2014. He’s also the school’s event assistant and game announcer. Before and after Harbor, he coached league championship teams at Mary Star and Port of Los Angeles high schools.
Rivera-Caballero (Morningside) was a two-time first-team all-conference goalie for the Seahawks in 2003-04 and played for Mexico’s junior national teams.
Coria (Long Beach Poly) was the main reason for Skarr’s early success in cross country, winning the state title in 2018 after finishing second as a freshman. In track, she was back-to-back state champion in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races, adding the 800 title as a sophomore.
Chris Ferragamo.
King (North Torrance) was a two-time first-team All-Metropolitan Conference shortstop, but his first season was at El Camino before he transferred to Harbor. With the Seahawks, he batted .304 and was conference MVP. He was drafted and played five seasons in the minor leagues.
McNeal (Venice High) was an All-American in softball as a freshman (2010), set the school’s career home run record, and led the NCAA Division II in hitting as a senior at Lane College in Tennessee in 2015.
Olsen followed up his HOF career at San Pedro High (W’61) by making first-team all-conference back-to-back at third base in 1961 and 1962. He was also a basketball starting guard and was named Harbor’s Athlete of the Year as a sophomore.
Rowen (Palos Verdes High), famous for his submarine delivery, was Harbor’s closer, and as a sophomore in 2008, was first-team all-conference. Drafted after two seasons at Virginia Tech, he played 11 years of pro ball, making 20 appearances in the majors.
Tickets ($85 adults/$45 for those under 13) remain on sale for the 15th annual banquet at lahc.edu/about/foundation/hall-of-fame. The ceremony also will include a silent auction of NFL gear and memorabilia. Doors open at 5 p.m. spt
