Sports History

A Brief History of Raider Athletic Achievement

1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984
1987 1988 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

1966

President's Council approves athletics program
The Auburn Hills Campus fielded teams in men's cross country, men's basketball, men's swimming, men's golf and men's tennis.
The Highland Lakes Campus fielded teams in men's cross country, men's basketball, men's golf and men's tennis
The first intercollegiate athletic contest was in September, a cross country meet between the Auburn Hills and Highland Lakes Campus – won by Highland Lakes
The Highland Lakes team won the Region XII cross country title

1967

July, both OCC campuses were accepted into the Michigan Community and Junior College Athletic Conference (MCJCAC)
Both campuses dropped men’s tennis

1968

Orchard Ridge Campus joined MCJCAC with athletic teams in men's cross country, men's basketball and men's golf
March, Orchard Ridge Campus first athletic event was a cross country meet with the other two campuses

1969

June, baseball was added to all three campuses bringing Highland Lakes to four sports, Auburn Hills to five and Orchard Ridge to four sports
Orchard Ridge officially became a member of the MCJCAC and was placed in the Central Division, while Highland Lakes and Auburn Hills were placed in the Eastern Division.
February 6th, the Athletic-Intramural Council approved wrestling as a fifth sport at the Highland Lakes Campus

1970

Highland Lakes cross country team won the MCJCAC Championship for the first time, starting a streak of 11 consecutive Eastern Conference Championships

1971

Highland Lakes basketball team won the MCJCAC Championship, along with the Eastern Conference Title.
Ice hockey was approved as a fifth sport at the Orchard Ridge Campus

1972

Orchard Ridge golf team won the NJCAA Region XII Golf Meet for the first time and finished 10th at the NJCAA National Meet
MCJCAC changes its name to the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA)

1973

Orchard Ridge ice hockey team won the Midwest College Hockey Association Championship in its first year of competition
Orchard Ridge golf team won its second straight Region XII Title and extended its dual meet winning streak to 54 matches
Budget restraints force each campus to cut one sport. Auburn Hills dropped golf, Highland Lakes dropped wrestling and Orchard Ridge dropped hockey
College petitioned the MCCAA for probationary status for one year because all three campuses were below the five sport minimum

1974

Sherry Spencer became the first OCC woman to score points at the NJCAA National Swimming Meet
May, tennis became the first co-ed varsity sport, when the Highland Lakes tennis team competed in the Eastern Conference. The six women and five man team finished 4-5
June, the Orchard Ridge golf team won its third consecutive Region XII Title
July, the OCC Board of Trustees approved a reorganization of the athletic program. Due to budget restrictions the College adopted a college-wide athletic program, which is still in effect today. The nine sports under the new plan were: men's cross country, women's volleyball, men's basketball, ice hockey, swimming, men's bowling, baseball, golf and tennis.

1975

March, the men's bowling team won the MCCAA Title in their first season of competition
May, the men's baseball team won the MCCAA Title for the first time in school history
July, OCC added women's bowling and women's tennis to the list of sports

1976

January, OCC President, Dr. Joseph E. Hill, announced that Auburn Hills and Highland Lakes Campus would each build gymnasiums and that Orchard Ridge will build a gymnasium and a pool
March, the women's bowling team won the state title in their first season
May, the OCC golf team won the Region XII Title with a record low total of 600 for 26 holes
June, the college won the MCCAA All-Sports Trophy for the first time
Hockey was dropped as a sport by the college
Women's softball was added

1977

March, OCC won its first state championship in men's basketball
June, men's and women's bowling were dropped as sports and women's basketball was added, leaving OCC with 11 sports
May, Judi Stiff won the Region XII Women's Tennis Individual Title for OCC

1978

June, the Oakland Community College cross country team was honored as being the number one academic team in the nation

1979

May, OCC added men's soccer (club), women's cross country, and reintroduced men's and women's bowling
November, the women's cross country team, in it's first year of competition, finished ninth at the NJCAA National Meet

1980

May, OCC dropped women's volleyball and elevated men's soccer to varsity status
The soccer team tied for the MCCAA Title in it's first and only varsity season
Lisa Cockerill became the second women's tennis player to win the Region XII Individual Title
Due to budget cuts, OCC dropped the following sports: men's and women's bowling, men's and women's swimming, men's soccer and men's tennis

1982

May, women's softball team won the Eastern Conference Title for the first time in school history
Golf team won the Region XII Title

1983

May, baseball was dropped as a sport and men's tennis was added in it's place

1984

March, basketball team finished third at the first ever NJCAA Division II National Tournament

1987

Men’s basketball won conference title
Men’s basketball won regional title
March, men's basketball team won the NJCAA Division II Basketball Title, the first national title won by an OCC team
Raider Carson Butler named MVP of the National Tournament

1988

Fall, women's volleyball is added
OCC finished fourth in the All-Sports trophy race

1991

OCC did not field a men's or women's tennis team

1992

Men’s and women’s tennis resumed play

1994

July, Pin Ryan, the first and only Athletic Director announces his retirement
Steve Ogg is named Athletic Director

1995

Summer, Don Roehl replaces Steve Ogg as Athletic Director
November, Tod Hess is named Sports Information Director. While OCC, has had SID's in the past, Hess travels with all teams and does stats and press releases for teams

1996

May, OCC drops men's tennis and adds men's soccer as a club sport
September, Don Roehl steps down and Bernie Little is named Athletic Director
OCC has two All-Americans, Kelly Rose is named second team All-American for her record setting year in softball, while Corey Meehan earns first team All-American Honors in cross-country

1997

Golfer Pete Clinton finishes in the top five at the Division II Nationals to earn first team All-American Honors

1998

Paula Wesa becomes the second OCC women's basketball player to be named All-American. Wesa earned 2nd team All-American status averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game

2000

Shelly Vickery, becomes the first OCC woman to ever earn All-American honors in track and field

2002

The softball team won its 13th MCCAA Eastern Conference Title and the won its first District Title to qualify for the National Tournament. This was the first time in school history that softball has qualified for Nationals
The Lady Raiders go 2-2 and tie for 5th place in the nation
Toni Salo earns 2nd Team All-American Honors, becoming the forth softball player ever to earn such honors
Volleyball coach Mike Lindstrom passed away. Lindstrom had the most wins and coached more years than any volleyball coach in OCC history
Former NBA, Michigan and Pontiac Central High School standout Campy Russell was named coach of the men's basketball team. Russell was an All-Star with the Cleveland Cavaliers