Citrus College honored five standout figures from its athletic history on April 10, inducting four individuals and one team into the Citrus College Athletics Hall of Fame at the Handy Campus Center.
The 2026 class included Pat Burke (men’s golf), Jim Eppard (baseball), Vince O’Boyle (cross country, track), Delyse Shamhart (women’s water polo) and the 1981 men’s cross country team.
Pat Burke’s career began with a dominant run at Citrus in 1984, when he earned team MVP honors and helped lead the Owls to a conference title. He went on to earn All-American honors at Cal State Dominguez Hills before turning professional and competing on the PGA Tour, including appearances in major championships and multiple international wins.
Jim Eppard was a key part of Citrus baseball’s success in 1979 and 1980, helping the program win back-to-back Mission Conference championships. He earned conference Player of the Year and All-American honors in 1980 before transferring to UC Berkeley, where he hit .398 in one season. Eppard later played professionally and went on to serve as a hitting coach for the Anaheim Angels.
“This was the place for me,” Eppard said. “This idea of doing things the right way in all aspects, from the cage work, to batting practice, to infield, all preparing us to win the game.”
Vince O’Boyle’s impact on Citrus athletics spanned more than a decade. He coached the cross country and track programs from 1970 to 1981, leading the Owls to three conference championships and earning state coach of the year honors in 1980. His tenure culminated with a state title in 1981 before he moved on to a long and decorated coaching career at UC Irvine.
“(Citrus College) It’s a very, very special spot, it’s been a special spot my whole life,” O’Boyle said.
That 1981 cross country team was also honored as part of the induction class. The Owls captured the state championship at Woodward Park in Fresno, finishing with 49 points to complete a perfect 9-0 season behind a balanced team effort.
“We had some good meets, really good meets,” O’Boyle said. “It wasn’t just one day, one race. It took time to build that team. It wasn’t overnight.”
Delyse Shamhart had a standout career in women’s water polo. She earned second-team All-Conference honors as a freshman before leading Citrus to a conference title in 1997, where she was named conference MVP and first-team All-Conference. She later set a single-season steals record at Cal State San Bernardino.
“We had women who were incredibly strong individually,” Shamhart said. “We learned to trust each other, play together and push ourselves when we didn’t think we could go any harder.”
The ceremony celebrated not only individual achievements but also the lasting legacy each inductee has left on Citrus College athletics.
