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It’s Timmons’ time

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Steve Timmons, one of the greatest volleyball players to come out of the Newport-Mesa area, is one of four inductees who will enter the California Sports Hall of Fame next month.

Timmons, a former Newport Harbor and Orange Coast College standout who led the U.S. national team to gold medals in 1984 and 1988, along with Super Bowl winning coach Dick Vermeil (Rams) NFL Hall of Famer Mike Haynes (Raiders) and play-by-play Kings announcer Bob Miller will be honored during an induction ceremony at the Ontario Convention Center Feb. 27, starting at 5 p.m.

After playing at Newport Harbor and OCC, Timmons starred at USC and later for the U.S. men’s national team. He helped lead Team USA to its first gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The Americans were known for winning the triple crown with Timmons, as they won the Olympics in 1984, the World Cup in 1985 and the World Championships in 1986.

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Timmons was named MVP of the 1984 Olympics by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball. He was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998.

In 1988, Timmons and the U.S. men struck gold again, this time in Seoul, Korea. Timmons was named FIVB’s Best Blocker in the Olympics and was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Male Volleyball Player of the Year.

Back in his heyday, Timmons was known for his stellar back-row hitting. He was considered the pioneer of back-row hitting.

At USC, he earned first-team All-American honors in 1982 and was a second-team selection in 1981. The Trojans reached the final four in each of Timmons’ three seasons on the squad. He was an all-tournament pick when USC won the national title in 1980.

He is also a member of the OCC Alumni Hall of Fame.

For information on the California Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony and event registration visit https://www.californiasportshalloffame.org.

— From staff reports

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