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Rialto to induct first group to city Hall of Fame


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10:00 PM PST on Thursday, November 15, 2007

By MARY BENDER
The Press-Enterprise

From the gridiron to the green, from the diamond to the ice rink, four athletes educated in Rialto will be honored Saturday as the first inductees into the city's Hall of Fame.

The 10 a.m. ceremony, open to the public, will salute gold medal-winning Olympic speed skater Derek Parra, Florida Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco, professional golfer Brandie Burton and the late David Lang, who played five NFL seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams.

The event will be in the Carl Johnson Center Gymnasium at the Rialto Community Center, 214 N. Palm Ave.

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AP photo
Olympic gold medalist Derek Parra, who graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1988, is one of four athletes who will be honored Saturday as the first inductees into the Rialto Hall of Fame.

"Rialto has a long history of producing great athletes," said City Councilman Joe Baca Jr., who proposed creating the hall of fame and researched prospective honorees.

Three of the inductees graduated from Eisenhower High School, and Nolasco is a 2001 Rialto High School graduate.

Parra, 37, competed in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and Turin, Italy, respectively. In the 2002 games, he won a gold medal in the 1,500-meter race and a silver medal in the 5,000 meters.

Although San Bernardino was Parra's hometown, he lived within Rialto Unified School District boundaries and graduated from Eisenhower High in 1988.

"I went to school with David Lang, Derek Parra and Brandie Burton," said Baca, who graduated from Eisenhower in 1987. "I've known Derek and his family for close to 30 years, since we were little. My dad and his dad played softball together in San Bernardino."

Nolasco, 24, began his Major League baseball career in April 2006. He was hindered by injuries during the 2007 season, landing on the disabled list twice because of an inflamed right elbow.

The Marlins sent him to their Triple-A farm team, the Albuquerque Isotopes, to finish out the season. To ready his throwing arm for 2008 spring training, Nolasco continued his rehabilitation by pitching for the Peoria Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.

"I had an opportunity to meet (Nolasco ) when I was coaching at Rialto High. He would come by and work out with the high school team in the off-season," Baca said.

Burton, 35, graduated from Eisenhower in 1990. She attended Arizona State University and competed one season as a college golfer before turning pro in 1991.

According to her LPGA biography, Burton's career earnings on the tour are $4.3 million. She lives in La Verne and is affiliated with Arrowhead Country Club in San Bernardino.

Bronze plaques, measuring 16 inches wide by 20 inches high, will be mounted inside the gym, which is used by city-sponsored basketball and volleyball leagues for youths and adults, said Larry Thornburg, the city's director of recreation and community services.

Each inductee will receive a replica plaque, bearing their likeness and career achievements, Thornburg said.

The hall of fame induction will be bittersweet for Lang's family. The retired football player was shot to death on May 21, 2005, in an Atlanta suburb, where he lived. He was 37.

His older brother, Fletcher Lang, will attend the ceremony. He is a security officer for the Rialto school district and coaches varsity football at Wilmer Amina Carter High School.

David Lang entered the National Football League in 1991, playing for the Rams for four seasons before the franchise moved to St. Louis. He played the 1995 season for the Cowboys.

"His whole life was about mentoring young men and getting them focused both mentally and spiritually, so they would be productive in society ... to stay away from the gang-banging and hustling," Fletcher Lang said.

Reach Mary Bender at 909-806-3056 or mbender@PE.com

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