Monarch Athletics Through the Ages

Located on the premises of what is now Van Nuys High School, it opened with no athletic department. Now, 60 years later, it serves 12 competitive sports teams, an Olympic-size pool, track and field, and premiere football field; this place is Valley College.

“The school facilities are a source of pride, the state-of-the-art stadium, the north and the south gym,” said former Athletic Director Chuck Ferrero. “But the Hall of Fame is a great source of pride.”

Throughout the years Valley has had many athletes in its teams, some were college athletes who went pro, others just wanted a scholarship, while a few just loved to play sports.

Although there is almost 60 years of history in sports, Valley kept little record of its athletic history until recently, when Sports Information Director Dale Beck and Chuck Ferrero dedicated themselves to digging up old records while keeping track of the current ones. With a limited amount of manpower, they strive to bring back the Valley athletic history and will soon have all the stats and records online.

“A pencil and typewriter are the main reasons there are no online stats,” Beck explained. “The computer age is a huge transition and we’re still working on getting everything online.”

The athletic department has changed much in the last half century; however, one thing that has never changed is the original field house. Originally built in 1949 the field house serves as the home base for all athletic equipment. The field house has been there for every game.

English Chair Dr. Alfred Zucker himself has been a staple at homecoming games.

“In the ’50s everyone used to go to Monarch games, football and homecoming games in particular,” Zucker said with a smile. “The stadiums were full and it was a social rally, I have never missed a Homecoming since 1958.”

The athletic department has come a long way from the one room it started with, and it doesn’t plan on stopping, especially with Diedra Stark spearheading the department. She’s proud of what Valley has accomplished with its student-athletes, but still strives for more students to receive scholarships and move on to be successful in whatever endeavors they choose.

“It’s our goal that they leave here and continue competing or transfer and get an education elsewhere,” Stark said. “Education is so important for the rest of their lives.”