A Catholic School for Young Men in the Marist Tradition since 1958
Athletics
Athletic Hall of Fame
Celebrate Athletic Excellence
It's our privilege at Christopher Columbus High School to honor our most outstanding alumni athletes through our Athletic Hall of Fame, which was started in 2009. The inductees to this prestigious group must have graduated from CCHS and been out of school for at least five years and have been chosen 1st Team All-County or 1st Team All State or played at the major college or played professionally.
If you would like to nominate an alumnus to the Athletic Hall of Fame, e-mail Alumni Director Barbara Branas at bbranas@columbushs.com and be sure to include:
Name of alumnus you are nominating with their CCHS graduating year
Sport you are nominating them for
How they meet the criteria listed above
The pictures of all Columbus Athletics Hall of Famers are displayed in a special area on the second floor of the All-Sports Fitness Complex.
Class of 2020
List of 14 items.
Billy Mendoza ('84)
Football
Bryan Garcia ('13)
Baseball
Craig Barry ('92)
Swimming
Deon Bush ('12)
Football
Eddy Alvarez ('08)
Baseball / Speed Skating
Erik Lora ('09)
Football
Gary Bush ('09)
Track & Field
Jakhari Gore ('10)
Football
Javi Salas ('10)
Baseball
Nick Wethy ('13)
Wrestling
Oscar Cartaya ('95)
Baseball
Roberto Suarez ('69)
Football
Alex Mirabal ('88)
Football Coach
Dave Dunn
Dave Riley Excellence in Coaching Award
Hall of Fame Members
All members of the Columbus Athletics Hall of Fame are listed here alphabetically for easy discovery and information access. Click + to expand each section.
Named First Team All-Catholic by the Voice newspaper
First Team All Gold Coast Conference selection
1968 Pre-Season All-American for the Naval Academy
Cesar Trigo De Serrano (‘05) – Volleyball
Named First Team All-Dade as a senior
First Explorer to receive a college scholarship for volleyball (Mount Olive College in North Carolina)
Set a school record for kills per set at Mount Olive
Cesar Hoed De Beche (‘88) – Water Polo
Led Dade County in scoring as a Senior
Named First Team All-Dade, First Team All-State and First Team All-American
Earned a Scholarship to the University of Miami
Armando Del Valle (‘11) – Track & Field
Most decorated athlete in Columbus History
Two-time state champion in the 3200 meters, the 1600 meters, and the 4×800 relay
Three-time Regional Champ in the 3200 meters
Four-time Regional Champ in the 1600 meters
Named the Miami-Dade Athlete of the Year in 2011
Andres Davila (‘06) – Cross Country
3200 meters GMAC champ in Track
Named 1st Team All-Dade and All-State
One of the best distance runners in CCHS history
Peter De Morejon (‘92) – Baseball
Starting pitcher 3 years
County record 24 wins
First team All-Dade
Thomas DeSiato (‘76) – Football
Named a Third-Team All-Dade offensive guard
Received the Scholar-Athlete Award
Walk-on at the University of Notre Dame as a strong safety; 2-year monogram winner, started 6 games and was a member of Notre Dame’s 1977 National Championship team
James Desmond (‘81) – Football
Guided the Explorers to a record of 20-4 over two years
Quarterback who led the Explorers offense to their first District title and State Championship Game
Three-year letterman at the University of South Carolina
Orestes Destrade (‘80) – Baseball
Played professionally in Japan and in the Major Leagues for four years
Was on the Florida Marlins opening day roster in their inaugural season
Works as a baseball analyst for ESPN
Eric Diaz (‘05)- Basketball
Most Valuable Player and Second Team All-Dade
20 points and 11 rebounds per game
Awarded a basketball scholarship to Stetson University
Rick DiBernardo (‘80) – Wrestling
State runner-up at 185-pound division as a senior with a 38-2 record
Also, was first team all-county in football as a linebacker
Won a wrestling scholarship to Ball State
CCHS Athlete of the Year in 1980
Joseph DiBernardo (’92) - Football
Recorded over 110 tackles his senior year
Named defensive MVP and earned 2nd Team All-Dade honors
Four-year starter at Appalachian State
Signed as a free agent by the San Diego Chargers, where he backed up his friend and legend, NFL Hall of Famer Junior Seau
Scott Dimare (‘85) – Football
3-year starter
FSU
Athlete of the Year
John Doyle (‘69) – Football
First Team All-Dade
Second team All-State
Scholarship to Purdue University
David Drier (‘83) – Swimming & Diving
4 Years – All-Dade
2 years – All-state
3-time All American
Kirk Dulom (‘84) – Baseball
3-year starter
First team All-Dade
Played for the University of Miami and then the New York Yankees
Dave Dunn (Dave Riley Excellence in Coaching Award)
Led football program to 1st State Championship (2019)
First Team All-Dade in Soccer, Football and Volleyball
Four-year starter in Soccer
2005 Scholar/Athlete Award winner
Br. Kevin Handibode 1971-1988 – Head Basketball Coach
Came to the school first in 1966
Titles, positions: teacher, dean of discipline, principal, president, development director, athletic director, basketball coach
Darren Handy (‘86) – Football
Three-sport standout
UM — 2 national titles
Columbus defensive coach for a number of years
David Hartnett (‘82) – Baseball
Columbus MVP Pitcher 1981 & 1982
Pitched at Creighton University
Pitched for Seattle Mariners & Chicago Cubs
David Heffernan (‘80) – Football
“Goose Egg” Defense
1979 Team allowed 39 Points in 10 Games
2-year OT Starter at University of Miami
Jim Hendry 1980-1982 – Head Baseball Coach
Columbus Coaching Record of 80-16
National Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1991
Current General Manager of the Chicago Cubs
Joseph Hernandez (‘65) – Football
Three-year Starter
1965 First Team All-Dade
Four-year Starter at University of Tampa
Luis “Wicho” Hernandez (‘90) – Baseball
Helped Explorers post a 27-6 Record and capture GMAC, District, Regional and Sectional titles in 1988
Received 1st Team All-Dade honors
Had a career average of .360 and was a phenomenal base-stealer
Alonzo Highsmith (‘83) – Football
All-county, all-state and all-American defensive end
Started three years as a running back at the University of Miami and was the third overall pick in the NFL draft in 1987
Also, played basketball at CCHS
Athlete of the Year for 1983
David Hiss (‘63) – Football
All-city, all-state, and All-South
Led Dade County in rushing as a senior
Also, ran track and was Athlete of the Year for 1963
Won a football scholarship to the University of Florida
Christopher Hosford (‘65) – Track & Field
All-State for both 880 yards (school record holder) and 1 mile
All-State Meet 1-mile champion, record holder, and meet MVP
Florida Junior Olympics 1 mile champion
Full scholarship winner and letterman, University of Florida
Carlos Huerta (‘87) – Football
“Ice Man”
First Team All-Dade
University of Miami Hall of Fame
Marcelo Huarte (’10) - Golf
A big hitter off the tee with a stellar short game
Four-year letterman
Won the district individual title as a freshman and sophomore, was the Youth Fair Champion as a Junior, and as Senior, was the regional title winner, and went onto finish 11th at the State Tournament
Jim Husk - Coach
Took over the wrestling program in 2004
Has won six District titles, tallied over 300 wins, and an individual State Champ with Nick Wethy in 2013
Recently tallied his 1000th career dual meet victory
Received the team’s Defensive MVP award, named First Team All-Dade and First Team All-State
Member of the Herald’s All-Super South team, and was listed as a Top 75 Southeast Blue Chip Prospect
Played for the University of Florida
Donald “Donnie” Lewis (‘80) – Football
Three-time letterman for the Explorers
Led the nation in receptions in 1982
Third Team All-American for Columbia University in 1983
Frank Lagotic (‘63) – Cross Country
Won Florida state cross-country championship in 1962, becoming the first state champion in school history
Two-time state track champion for 1-mile run
CCHS Scholar-Athlete award winner
Scholarship winner, University of Florida, setting UF’s 1-mile and 2-mile records
Southeastern Conference cross-country champion for UF in 1967
Julio LeBlanc (‘61) - Basketball
Three-sport athlete for the Explorers, playing halfback in football and serving as captain of the Swim team, but it was in basketball that he made his mark
Named First-Team All Gold Coast Conference, 2nd Team All-City by the Miami News and 2nd Team All-Diocese by the Voice Catholic newspaper
Patrick Lee (‘03) – Football
Two-year starter
Played at Auburn University and earned All-SEC honors
Played for the Green Bay Packers and won a Super Bowl
William (Bill) Lennon (‘76) – Track and Field
Dominant in the 800 Meter and the Mile
First Team All-County
First Team All-American at Miami Dade South
Robert Lesperance (‘81) – Track & Field
Received Honorable Mention by both the Herald and Miami News
Named Track & Field Athlete of the Year
Has competed in over 25 marathons including Boston, New York and Miami
Erik Lora ('09) – Football
First Team All-Dade by the Miami Herald (football)
Set the FCS single season record by hauling in 136 passes for 1660 yards and 12 TDs
Spent time in NFL camps with the Vikings, Lions and Jaguars
Chris Lynch (‘72) – Baseball
Three Year Letterman
First Team All-County in 1972
Ed Lynch (‘73) – Baseball
First team all-city in baseball and basketball
Played both sports at the University of South Carolina
Pitched in the Major Leagues for 8 seasons, including 7 with the New York Mets
John Lynskey (‘78) – Football
CCHS School Record Holder for tackles in a game (26) and a season (150)
Named First Team All-Dade and First Team All-State
Named to the 2000 All-Regional Team at the University of Miami
Member of the 2001 National Championship Team at UM
Robert MacKarvich (‘04) – Bowling
First-team all-county bowler four consecutive years
State champion and Dade County Bowler of the Year in 2003
Paul Mainieri (‘75) – Baseball
All-county shortstop who also played quarterback on the football team
CCHS Athlete of the Year for 1975
Played for LSU, Miami-Dade North and the University of New Orleans
Today is the head baseball coach at LSU
Jose Marques-Neto (‘82) – Tennis
Three-year letterman
Three-time District Champion in Singles and Doubles
Recognized as a Miami Herald All-Dade selection in 1980
David McCammon (‘63) – Baseball
First team all-city as a pitcher and outfielder
Played in the Los Angeles Dodgers system and won the batting title in the New York-Penn League
Kevin McCutcheon (‘82) – Football
3-Year Starter in Basketball and Football
First Team All-County in 1981
Played at the University of South Carolina and the University of Miami
Chris McKeon – Athletic Director
Has led the Columbus athletic program to an unprecedented 20-year run of success at the highest levels in the State of Florida
Columbus has taken home the All Miami-Dade Athletic Award for the Best Boys Major Sports Program four times and we have also won the prestigious Sunshine Cup three times
James McKirchy (‘64) – Basketball
Dade County Basketball Player of the Year as a senior
Averaged 26 points per game. Scholar-Athlete award winner for 1964
Won a basketball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame
John McVeigh (‘81) – Football
First Team All-County, All-State and All-American
Played at the University of Kentucky and the University of Miami
Drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1986
Rolando “Roly” Medina (‘92) – Basketball
Named team MVP
Represented CCHS in the 1992 State All-Star Game
Went to on to Barry University to be named Sunshine State All-Freshman team
Ricardo Mejia (‘81) – Wrestling
Won 2 District Championships
First Columbus Wrestler to win Regional Championship
First Team All-County for 3 Years
Billy Mendoza ('84) – Football
Played defensive tackle
Three-year letterman in soccer
First Team All-Dade by the Miami Herald (football)
Jose Mendoza (’05) - Baseball
An imposing lefty who loved to challenge hitters on the biggest stage
Named Miami-Dade County Pitcher of the Year by the Herald 2x
Won both the Baseball Senior Award and the Sportsmanship Award at the Block C.
Pitched for the University of Maine
Chris Merritt (Coach) – Football
Has posted most career wins as Explorer’s Head Football Coach (158-45)
Has won 13 District and four Regional Championships
Nike Coach of the Year in 2015
Mark Miggins (‘72) – Baseball
2-Year Starter as Outfielder
Played at Miami Dade South for 2 Years
Played 7 Years of Professional Baseball
John E. Miller (‘67) – Football
Caught the winning touchdown pass in CCHS’s first ever victory over Coral Gables
Selected Second Team All-City in both the Herald and Miami News
Selected for an Honorable Mention All-East
Alex Mirabal ('88) – Football Coach
Has coached offensive line at FIU, Marshall and Oregon
Rose Bowl Champion (University of Oregon)
Offensive Line Coach of the Year by Football Scoop
Francisco Montana (‘87) – Tennis
State No. 1 singles champion
First team all-county four years
Awarded a scholarship to the University of Georgia and played professionally for more than 10 years
Michael Montero (’11) - Track & Field
Three-sport athlete, excelling in football, wrestling and track
Dominant force in Miami-Dade County in both the shot put and discus events
As a Senior, Michael had a perfect sweep, as he was GMAC, District, Regional and State Champion in the shot, as well as being a First Team All-Dade selection
Marco Morales (‘04) – Golf
First team All-Dade – 3 years
Part of 2 state championship teams
Golfed for FAU and UNF
Edward Morse (‘89) – Swimming & Diving
Won Three State Championships in Diving
Set Three State Records
1st Team All Dade
Robert Murphy (‘78) – Baseball
First-team all-county as a left-handed pitcher
Also, kicked for the football team and played both baseball and football at the University of Kentucky
Pitched in the Major Leagues for 11 years (Reds, Red Sox, Mariners, Astros, Cardinals)
Christopher Columbus High School is a private, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory high school, conducted by the Marist Brothers of the Schools. We aim to make Jesus Christ known and loved, as we prepare young men for higher education and for their continuous challenge of harmonizing faith, culture and life. We foster a family spirit among all who are committed to the success of the school and promote opportunities to work together as a community of learners.
Columbus is fully accredited by Cognia and is a member of the Marist Association of Secondary schools, the National Catholic Education Association and the Independent Schools of South Florida.