From West Hills College
West Hills Coalinga honors former athletes at 21st annual Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 28

West Hills College Coalinga will induct several of its former athletes into its Hall of Fame during the 21st annual Athletic Hall of Fame dinner on Oct. 28, 2017, at the Harris Ranch Garden Ballroom.

This year’s Hall of Fame will honor Joe Bourdeau, basketball; Kriss Heisinger, football, and baseball; Mike Wood, football, and golf; Dwayne Wright, football; and the championship 2006-2007 men’s basketball team.

The inductees will be honored during halftime at a Falcons football game on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. and during the induction dinner. The event will begin at 6 p.m. and will feature George Takata, NBC KSEE 24 Sunrise Anchor, as the master of ceremonies. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Gina Jason at (559) 934-2452.

“This year’s Hall of Fame Class continues the tradition of honoring outstanding individuals who have been successful in athletics, academics, citizenship and a variety of corporate fields,” said Eric Mendoza, WHCC associate dean of athletics. “We are proud not only of their accomplishments at West Hills College Coalinga but also at the four-year university level, the professional ranks and in their respective communities. The four inductees and the members of the 2006-07 basketball team have left permanent legacies on our campus. We look forward to a special event, where we can share their stories and relive great Falcon memories.”   

West Hills Coalinga honors former athletes at 21st annual Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 28

Joe Bourdeau attended West Hills College Coalinga from the Fall of 1971 to the Spring of 1973, serving as a guard on the West Hills College Falcons basketball team. During his time on the team, he earned a spot on the Central California Junior College All-Star Team and was honored as the Most Inspirational Player. After West Hills, he attended Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Chico State, earning his bachelor’s of science in finance from Chico State. Following college, he went on to a 35-year career in banking. He retired in 2010 as the EVP and President of Nevada Security Bank in Incline Village, Nevada. In his time in banking, he founded two banks and held positions from Branch Sales Manager to President. Bourdeau has also been extremely active in his community in Lake Tahoe and Incline Village. He founded the North Lake Tahoe Boys and Girls Club and the Lake Tahoe Community Trust. He also served on ten non-profit boards and as President on six of them. In recognition of his community service, then Nevada Governor Bob Miller declared May 16, 1993, the Joe Bourdeau Day for community works. Bourdeau has one child and lives with his wife Sandy in Nevada. 

Kriss Heisinger excelled in both football and baseball at West Hills College Coalinga, attending between Fall 1979 and Fall 1980. On the football team, he served as the quarterback and punter. He also played baseball for a year as a left fielder. Heisenger earned several honors in both sports. He was a two-time football Most Valuable Player and was also named Most Valuable Player on the baseball team. He was an All-Conference Quarterback and Punter and an All-State Punter.  After West Hills, he went on to attend the University of California, Berkeley from 1981 to 1984. He pursued a career in the lumber industry and is now a Branch Manager for Diamond Pacific, a lumber and building products supplier. He has been in the business for 32 years. He lives with his wife Karen in Cayucos and has two children.

Mike Wood attended West Hills College Coalinga from Fall 1974 to Spring 1976 and played both football and golf. He served the football team as an offensive lineman and placekicker from 1974 to 1975 and played golf from 1975 to 1976. During his time on the football team, he was honored as All-Conference Placekicker and All-State Placekicker in 1975.  He was named to the 1975 All-California Community and Junior College Association Football team and the All-State team. He also set a school record, kicking a 53-yard field goal in October 1975. He also tied a then-school record with a 42 yarder in that same game. Upon graduation, he set out on his now 41-year long occupation as a farmer. He has also been active in the Dos Palos community as a board member for Dos Palos Youth Baseball, a Trustee on the Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees and as the Director of the San Luis Water District Board. Mike and his wife Jan live in Dos Palos. He has two children.

Dwayne Wright attended West Hills College Coalinga from Fall 2001 to Spring 2003, playing football as a running back and kick returner. During his time on the team, he racked up accolades: First Team All-Valley, First Team All-State, First Team Junior College All American, and team Most Valuable Player and Offensive Back of the Year. He was also the team captain in 2002. After West Hills, he attended Fresno State from 2003 to 2006, where he was team captain, First Team ALL WAC and set several school records. He became only the 12th player in the program’s history to gain more than 1,000 rushing yards. In 2006, he broke a 54-year-old single-season rushing record of 295 yards and one touchdown.

He was a 2007 NFL Draft Pick, a fourth-round selection for the Buffalo Bills. He played in the NFL from 2007 to 2010 as a member of the Buffalo Bills for six years and the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played in the Canadian Football League and United Football League as a member of the Toronto Argonauts and Hartford Colonials, respectively. Following his retirement from the NFL, he became a coach, serving as running backs and special teams coach at several San Diego area high schools. Then, in 2015, he returned to West Hills College Coalinga as a Running Backs Coach and Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. He now serves as an instructor and coach at Fresno City College. He is also a fifth-grade teacher at Deborah Williams Elementary in Fresno. He is also active in the community. He is the Director of the Dwayne Wright High School Combine, an organization that prepares student-athletes to meet SAT and NCAA regulations and eligibility requirements and educates the student on professional and personal development. He is also the owner of California Dawgs Community Football Developmental Organization and the Owner and co-founder of the Central Valley Junior Bills Youth organization. Dwayne is also an active Minister under Pastor Ray Pamer of Amazing Grace Ministries in Fresno. Dwayne is married to Sheri McGee Wright. Dwayne has two sons, Demarion, D'merus and three daughters, Naliyah, Zahra, and Ava. 

The 2006-2007 Men’s Basketball Team was coached by Mark Arce, who still serves as the Falcons head basketball coach today. Arce’s assistant coaches included Ron Eastman, Jeff Hughes, and Ryan Walker. The team included Ricky Branham, Eric Campos, Brandon Brown, David Carter, Josh Lopez, Guiressi Grimes, Jermaine Brown, Charles Carter, Adedokun Olanrewaju, and JC Snead. Redshirts included Eric Chatman, Warren Lewis, Jerod Joseph and Jamal Ross. The team had the best basketball season in the history of the college, finishing the season 25-10 overall and 11-3 in the Central Valley Conference. That season also included recognition as the state leader in blocked shots at 146, two All-Conference First Team players and one All-State player. The team advanced to the Elite Eight and a trip to the California State Championships. Brandon Brown earned All-State and All-Conference honors while Ricky Branham earned All-Conference honors.

With the guiding motto of “Every day and every way we get a little better, every day and every way we all stay together,” the team powered through their season as one unit.

In addition to being great players, Arce was proud of the fact that the team worked to succeed academically and put great emphasis on pushing them toward that success. Every player on this team went on to transfer to a university. The team was honored with an official West Hills College ring ceremony in 2007.