2024 Hall of Fame Honorees
Outstanding Athlete
Marloshawn Franklin Jr.
Marloshawn Franklin Jr. began his football career as one of the outstanding Chandler High School Wolves. His senior year he contributed 55 tackles, two interceptions that he returned for 61 yards, six passes defended and two forced fumbles. The team finished 10-3 overall and reached the semifinals of the Division I state playoffs.
Although his football achievements would have taken him to significant university teams, his classroom preparation lagged. At MCC, the 17-year-old received the support to ramp up his academics and football skills, earning him an Associate in Arts as well as first-team All-Western States Football League and second-team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference honors. As a Thunderbird sophomore, he recorded 41 tackles and tied for seventh in the nation with 12 pass breakups. According to ESPN, he was ranked the No. 12 junior college cornerback in the country in the 2016 recruiting class.
At the University of California, Berkeley, he made a major impact his first season by starting all 12 games and contributing career highs of 46 tackles and a team high of seven pass breakups. He played in 22 games with 14 starts at Cal with a total of 60 tackles. Also, the athlete scholar earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
He went on to the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, and then the Canadian Football League. In September, at the European League of Football championships, before more than 41,000 fans in Germany, Marloshawn intercepted a pass and nearly returned it for a touchdown in a 51-20 win by his team Germany's Rhein Fire over the Vienna Vikings.
Marloshawn always finds ways to give back to the community such as working with the Fiesta Bowl as a Fiesta Future and founding Relentless Sacrifices, a sports apparel line that funds a financial literacy program educating young people about fiscal skills. You will also find him at youth football camps mentoring the athletes to develop the knowledge needed on the field and to succeed in life.
Outstanding Coach
Danny Sanchez
Danny Sanchez, a multi-sport athlete at Scottsdaleʼs Coronado High School, he signed with MCC in 1987 with his soccer team winning the ACCAC and Region 1 Championships. Being named First Team All-ACCAC in 1988 netted him a soccer scholarship to the University of Connecticut where he earned his bachelor's degree and a 1989 Big East Championship.
Coaching for three years at Scottsdale Community College, he returned to MCC for seven years to coach men's soccer and became the first-ever women's soccer coach with a 103-15-5 record and 12 All Americans. He was the 1995 and 2001 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
As the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) head women's soccer coach he led the Roadrunners to six Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship titles and three RMAC Tournament titles. His teams went to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Tournament all six years, won two NCAA DII Championship titles, and claimed five Central Region Championships. He was a six-time RMAC Coach of the Year, named 2004 NCAA DII National Coach of the Year and was a four-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America Midwest Region Coach of the Year. Danny established five NCAA record streaks -- the longest unbeaten streak (59 games), longest home winning streak (61 games), longest home unbeaten streak (61 games), longest conference winning streak (57 games), and longest conference unbeaten streak (72 games).
Recruited to the University of Wyoming, he was named to the 2008 RMAC Centennial Team as the RMAC All-Time Top Coach for women's soccer. Danny is now in his 29th year coaching University of Colorado Boulder soccer, with 13 years as head coach. He has a career record of 400-141-57; NCAA record of 297-126-52; UC record of 133-81-34; seven NCAA Tournament appearances; and the best winning percentage of any soccer coach in UC history.
Excellence in Teaching
Roy Cohen Ph.D.
Roy Cohen, Ph.D., a distinguished Abnormal Psychology expert in the areas of assessment tools and therapeutic solutions, spearheaded many academic initiatives during his 38-year career at Mesa Community College and Gateway Community College. Faculty emeritus at MCC, Dr. Cohen infused his professional resources and expertise as a clinical psychologist into being an outstanding educational leader, innovator, teacher, and mentor.
A State of Arizona Licensed Psychologist, he has served as an honored member and executive of influential associations across the nation, including the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, the American Psychological Association, the Arizona Psychological Association, the Scottsdale Psychological Society, the Maricopa Psychological Society, the Phoenix Society of Clinical Psychologists, and the Phoenix Society of Clinical Hypnosis. These affiliations brought students valuable networking connections, cutting edge clinical techniques, and opportunities to meet experts in the field.
His foresight and creativity inspired students, such as when he used the MCC Psychology Instructional Resource Center to create an interactive assessment kit so students could apply standard diagnostic tools to assess famous historical figures, providing an interesting approach to understanding common clinical assessments.
Roy was a leader in outreach efforts to establish relationships with European colleges so MCC students could learn internationally, which evolved into MCCs Study Abroad Program.
One of his notable legacies is the Evening Lecture Series in Psychology, which offers students, staff, faculty, and the community exciting seminars on salient topics in psychology, facilitated by local experts in the field. With the support of psychology colleagues and students in the Psi Beta National Psychology Honor Society, the series often draws hundreds of attendees to each presentation.
Sandy de Neui
Sandy de Neui has shared her talents and love of dance and movement throughout her 53-year career, bringing to countless lives joy, confidence, fitness, and a sense of belonging to a creative community. Dancing and performing as a child, by the time she entered the dance program at Arizona State University she had already been a standout in private studios, taught her peers, and choreographed competitive dance performances. Known for her dance talents, she gained additional recognition as Miss Tempe 1964 and Miss Maricopa 1965.
A graduate of Tempe Union High School, she returned to teach there after earning her master's degree in physical education and dance. Recruited to join the Mesa Community College physical education department, she began expanding the curriculum to include a wealth of dance styles including jazz, tap, ballet, modern, and choreography. She also collaborated with other departments to provide training for other activities such as cheerleading and gymnastics. A variety of Asian Arts were added such as yoga and meditation to meet the needs of the community.
She established the first dance performance company at MCC. Many, many students have enjoyed her classes over the decades, drawn to them for their reputation of providing a safe environment adapted to each participants body, fitness level, and lifestyle. Some return semester after semester finding every class is creative, innovative, and exciting fun regardless of skill levels.
Today, Sandy is adjunct faculty at MCC serving as a valued teacher, colleague, and mentor.
Service
Barbara Thelander
Barbara Thelander, while director of MCC Continuing Education and Community Service, guided New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning to become a significant attribute for the college and a valuable education and activities resource for the community. This robust organization offers an admirable array of noncredit classes, programs, and community service activities for the adult community.
In the early 80s, Barbara partnered with East Valley Adult Resources on a number of projects offering lifelong learning community classes. She was involved with the Council for Lifelong Learning in the 90s, which was a precursor to New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning. Her leadership in that group was critical not only for the formation of New Frontiers but also for its initial success. In the early 2000s, she worked on a project funded by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust -- Mesa Life Options -- to expand opportunities for Boomers.
Barbara was one of the early pioneers of what has now become a hallmark of MCC -- partnering with businesses and industry to meet their skilled workforce needs. As the MCC/Motorola Training Partnership program administrator, she collaborated with college administrators and Motorola University to plan, manage, and deliver the services and classes necessary to upskill employees and offer new opportunities.
Since Barbara's retirement from the active workforce at MCC, she has continued to work diligently to enhance awareness of New Frontiers by leading marketing and communications, while strongly advocating for MCC and maintaining student scholarships in New Frontiers budget. Connecting with MCC faculty has resulted in some of the organizations most popular classes. Now supposedly retired, she continues to be an inspiring driving force for New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning.
Alumni Achievement
Antoinette Cauley
Antoinette Cauley, an international painter, art activist, and third generation creative Phoenician. Her artistic roots were nurtured as a child and her talent and skills quickly developed beyond her years.
Attending Mesa Community College at 17, she was chosen for an apprenticeship with nationally renowned American oil painter Chris Saper. Antoinette applied for artist residencies across the globe and in 2021 was on a plane to Berlin, Germany. Less than a year later, she opened up her own Berlin studio with a woman from the United States and another from Mexico.
She draws inspiration from her Phoenix roots to create visual stories to spark conversation and change. Her works speak to the consequences of American slavery and colonialism by highlighting the beauty and resilience of Black American Hood Culture with a feminist undertone.
She returns frequently to Phoenix to exhibit, including in 2022 with her Blackbirds Fly collection, inspired by the Beatles song. Antoinette was commissioned for several Phoenix Mercury pieces culminating in the courtside mural at the 2024 WNBA All Star Game. Her nine-stories tall mural in downtown Phoenix honors Civil Rights activist, James Baldwin.
She has been the MCC Artist in Residence through October, where she curated Future Matriarchs: The next generation of Matriarchs to exhibit in conjunction with Matriarchs of Washington Park: the African American Women Who Persevered through Racism in Segregated Mesa. A collection of Antoinettes work titled I Used to Wonder What it Feels Like, is on display depicting her growth from a young girl with a pack of crayons and a dream to an international artist creating acclaimed murals and paintings.
Featured on television and in publications including PBS, NPR, JAVA Magazine, and Forbes, Antoinette was named one of Phoenix Magazines Great 48: 48 Most Influential people in the state of Arizona.
David Hines
David Hines, who has devoted his 30-year career to achieving the best as an athlete and educator, and serving youth and the community as a track, cross country, and football coach. Growing up in Tempe, he was on the basketball, football, and track teams.
The nationally recognized high school athletic director was a member of the MCC 1975 Football National Junior College Athletic Association Championship Team. David says he learned a lot at MCC about sports and how to inspire a team. While earning his bachelor's degree in education from ASU, he coached at Tempe High School.
In January of 1977, he started a more than 30 year career at Mesa Public Schools as a teacher, coach, and administrator. During David's final 12 years in MPS, he was assistant principal and athletic director at Mountain View High School, leading it to be named one of the top 25 High School Athletic Programs in the United States by Sports Illustrated magazine with the Mesa Tribune crowning Mountain View as the "Campus of Champions."
He retired in 2008, immediately launching a second notable career with the Arizona Interscholastic Association, beginning as a tournament coordinator producing state championship events. In 2015 he was selected as the Assistant Executive Director of the AIA and added sports such as girls beach volleyball, and Unified Sports for intellectually challenged students.
He was selected AIA Executive Director in 2017, leading an organization that reaches 284 high schools and 325,000 students in the state of Arizona. He has added more sports with training and support for athletic directors while driving technology improvements. David is retiring after the 2024-25 school year but still has accomplishments in his plans.
Robin Wilson
Robin Wilson, lead vocalist and guitarist for the alternative rock band the Gin Blossoms. The group has earned multiple platinum albums and hit singles and Robin has been inducted into both the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame and the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Robin spent a lot of his youth on the Mesa Community College Southern and Dobson campus where his father, Lee Wilson, taught accounting from the '70s through the early '90s. Robin says he remembers selling popcorn at the football games and his first job was in the campus cafeteria. A full-time student from 1983-88, he was looking for academic direction and one summer, on a hike, he found his direction. Excited to return to MCC, he took every science class he could for three years, planning to get a degree in planetary science.
Then rock and roll called. The Gin Blossoms grew, propelling Robin and the band to fame in the '90s with hits such as "Follow You Down," "Hey Jealousy," and "Allison Road." The group earned a 1997 Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Group.
Robin jokes that he is the "Blutarsky" of community college - a reference to John Belushi's character in Animal House - because he spent five years at MCC. He says it was time well spent because it was where his solid knowledge of science grew. He named his Tempe recording company Uranus Recording Studio after his interest in planetary science.
As bands do, the Gin Blossoms broke up and Robin became lead vocalist for the Gas Giants and then reunited with the Gin Blossoms in 2006. Touring, they also released the album Major Lodge Victory featuring the singles "Learning the Hard Way" and "Long Time Gone."
In the '90s, he moved to Long Island to help raise his son, Grey Wilson, an aspiring musician and songwriter.