NorCal sports hall of fame to honor new inductees

The Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California has announced that Mark Spitz will be among its 2009 inductees at its third induction gala dinner March 29.

The winner of seven swimming gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Spitz, who was born in Modesto and spent his teen years in Santa Clara, will join other inductees: Richard Goldman, Leigh Steinberg, Mike Epstein, the late Abe and Monte Attell and Al Emmick-Cohn.

Boxer Monte Attell, who died in 1960, was a world bantamweight champion, while Abe Attell, who died in 1970, was a world featherweight champion. Both were born in San Francisco. Emmick-Cohn, also of San Francisco, fought Monte Attell in a title bout.

Goldman, the former president of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and a major supporter of Cal’s athletic program.

Steinberg, also a U.C. Berkeley graduate and former Bay Area resident, is one of the nation’s pre-eminent sports agents, whose client list includes Steve Young, Ben Roethlisberger and Dusty Baker.

Epstein played baseball for U.C. Berkeley and went on to play for the Oakland A’s and other Major League teams.

Robert Corrigan, the president of San Francisco State University, will receive the Hall of Fame’s Mensch Award for his efforts to boost SFSU sports activities and facilities, and his leadership role in resolving issues involving campus climate and the Jewish community.

Local Jewish student athletes also will be honored.

Presenters at the induction dinner are slated to include former Oakland A’s president Roy Eisenhardt, Cal football coach Jeff Tedford and former San Francisco 49ers Bill Ring, Steve Young and Brent Jones.

The induction dinner is set for March 29 at the Four Seasons Hotel, 757 Market St., San Francisco. A celebrity reception and silent auction begins at 5 p.m., with dinner and the awards ceremony beginning at 6:30. For more information, call (408) 374-1600, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit http://www.jshofnc.org.