With two decades in the history books since the start of the 21st century, Pasadena City College Athletics will go through sport by sport as we look back at the Top 10 performers for every sport in the 2000s as determined by the sports information office. Today, we look back at the Top 10 from Lancers football.
With so many great players that have gone through the PCC program over the last 20 years, here are a fine number of honorable mentions who didn't make the cut for the elite list while there are plenty of other superb Lancers alumni who played from 2000-to-present that could have argued for a spot in this listing:
Hannibal Thomas, wide receiver, 2001-2002, a 2-time, All-Mission Conference choice, he was at one time No. 2 on PCC's all-time receiving list (now #4) with 88 receptions for 1,176 yards. Thomas, who played on two bowl teams for the Lancers, went on to gain a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati and as a senior totaled 1,028 yards receiving and was named All-Conference USA Second Team;
Mike Watson, offensive lineman, 2001-2002, an All-State player on a Potato Bowl team in 2002, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound tackle started two seasons at West Virginia University including playing in the Gator Bowl v. Florida State as a senior;
Marcus Raines, linebacker, 2003-2004, twice named All-Mission Conference with 130 tackles, nine sacks in just 17 total games and received scholarship to Southen Mississippi;
Ryan Weigand, 2004, is one of only two PCC punters to ever average better than 40 yards a punt and went on to lead the ACC in 2007 (45.7 yards a punt) as an all-conference selection at the University of Virginia;
Marcus Anderson, wide receiver-returner, 2006-2007, 2-time, All-Mission Conference performer, JC Grid-Wire All-American 2nd Team choice in '07, and the only Lancer to ever return a kickoff and a punt return for touchdowns in the same game in 2007. In that year, he totaled 1,142 all-purpose yards (averaged 14.6 yards per touch) and nine TDs and he stands at #4 on PCC's all-time receptions list with 84. Anderson earned a scholarship to New Mexico State;
Jason Scott, linebacker, 2006-2007, who led the Lancers in tackles in both of his seasons (162 overall) as A 2-time, All-MC selection and went on to be a top tackler at New Mexico State with 188 in his final two collegiate years;
Julius Harris, safety, 2008-2009, a 2-time All-SCFA First Team defensive back with six interceptions as a freshman when he helped PCC win the Tremblay Bowl and accomplish a 7-4 record.
Miguel Machado, offensive lineman, 2012-2013, a late bloomer as an All-SCFA lineman his sophomore Lancers season, the 6-foot-6, 300-pounder earned a scholarship to Michigan State, played on a Big 10 Conference champion team as a junior and was a regular starter as a senior.
Jalyn Williams, linebacker, 2014-2015, twice an All-SCFA talent who led PCC in tackles in back-to-back seasons (178 overall) and went on to be an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference First Team selection at Prairie View A&M;
David Telles, 2018-2019, distinguished as a rare 2-time, All-State selection as a wide receiver and returner in his recently completed career for the Lancers.
Special Mention--Cariel Brooks, defensive back, 2011, hardly put up great numbers in his lone season with PCC (24 tackles, two forced fumbles, no interceptions), but he parlayed a scholarship to Adams State and in 2015, made it all the way to the NFL as an undrafted free agent, playing in three regular season games with the Arizona Cardinals.
And now in reverse order, the Top 10 PCC football players of the 2000s:
10. Roman Pula, middle linebacker-fullback, 2008-2009: A rare two-way player, Pula was twice selected All-SCFA as a hard-hitting tackler at linebacker as well as a short-yardage fullback. In 2008, he led PCC in scoring with 12 touchdowns and helped the Lancers to their last bowl game, a 45-14 win over Southwestern College at the Santa Barbara Tremblay Bowl. During that freshman season, Pula scored three TDs, including returning a fumble 17 yards for a score, in a wild 42-41 overtime loss for the National Northern Conference title against College of the Canyons. In the OT, the Lancers chose to go for the win and Pula was involved in a controversial finish on a 2-point conversion run but the referees ruled that he was just short of the goalline thus dashing PCC's conference title hopes. In his two years on defense, Pula totaled 157 tackles (finished second on team each season), six sacks, three interceptions, four recovered/forced fumbles, 10 quarterback hurries, and 19 total tackles behind the line of scrimmage. A 5-foot-11, 245-pounder from Tacoma, Washington, Pula earned a scholarship to Texas A&M-Kingsville.
9. Reuben Thomas, wide receiver-punt returner, 2009-2010: An electrifying player, Thomas was a 2-time, All-SCFA receiver, who led PCC twice in all-purpose yardage and scoring. He totaled 25 touchdowns over his two seasons, including a PCC single-game record four TD catches in a 2010 contest v. Grossmont. He put on a clinic in his final two games as a Lancer as he pulled in 18 receptions for 421 yards (a monster 23.4 yards a catch) v. two of the top teams in SoCal--Grossmont and Mt. San Antonio. Thomas is sixth in all-time receiving yards with 1,201 (68 receptions). An outstanding punt returner, Thomas ran back punts for scores in both of his years, including the longest punt return by any Lancer in 43 years when he returned one 80 yards v. College of the Desert in 2010. In his freshman 2009 season, Thomas scored all four of his team's touchdowns, all in different ways, in a 27-20 win over Moorpark. Thomas scored on 1-yard run, a 75-yard punt return, a 4-yard pass (from Joe Montana's son, Nata Montana), and then a fumble recovery in the end zone for the game-winning TD with 1:31 left. A local product of Muir High, Thomas earned a scholarship to Utah State, but ended up becoming the top receiver for an undefeated at 15-0, NCAA Division II national champion team at Northwest Missouri State in 2013. Thomas scored two touchdowns in the championship game and totaled 1,025 yards receiving for the season.
[Reuben Thomas in 2009 photo]
8. Dalyou Pierson, defensive end, 2012-2013: Another 2-time, All-SCFA selection, Pierson was All-State as a sophomore in 2013 when he totaled the second-most quarterback sacks in a season in PCC history with 11.5, which led SoCal players. In his two years, Pierson made 112 tackles, 28 of them for loss (14 total sacks). The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Pierson, from Bakersfield, led the Lancers in tackles as a freshman with 64 in 2012. Pierson earned a D-1 scholarship to Iowa State University and proceeded to tie the Cyclones school record for sacks in a season with 8.5 as a senior in 2015. Early that season, he was leading the NCAA in sacks and even earned the nickname "SackMamba." He was selected to the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team.
7. Jesus Yanez, center, 2000-2001: A 2-time, All-Mission Conference offensive lineman, Yanez was the glue on one of the great teams in Lancers history in 2001. An All-State selection as a sophomore, Yanez is one of four players in the Top 10 list from the 10-1, Mission Conference Northern Division champion team that set multiple school records on offense. The 6-3, 300-pound Yanez helped block for a line that became the highest-scoring team in Lancers history at 42.3 points per contest. Three times PCC eclipsed the 50-point mark, including v. stalwart programs in Cerritos and Long Beach City Colleges. He was named the team's top offensive lineman in both of his Lancers seasons. A local product of Mark Keppel High, Yanez earned a scholarship to play at Bowling Green State and participated on an AP Top 25 ranked team along with fellow PCC teammate and lineman Vardan Mkhitarian.
6. David Pittman, quarterback, 2006-2007: In his two Lancers seasons, Pittman broke virtually every PCC passing record as part of the "David Show" with spectacular wide receiver David Reed (a Top 10 A-List player here). Pittman first snapped the school record for passing in a season with 2,703 yards in his 2006 freshman season. In 2007, he obliterated that mark as an All-American Second Team choice and the Mission Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Pittman set single-season records for most yards, 3,643, most touchdown passes, 35, most completions, 303, most attempts, 453, and set a PCC single-game record for TD aerials with seven in his final JC game v. Santa Ana. For his PCC career, he passed for 6,346 yards, 64 touchdowns, while also setting the single-game record of 481 yards in a win over Palomar in 2007. A QB who used the shovel pass to perfection while also having the ability to throw bombs, Pittman has four 400-or-more yards passing games and had eight others for more than 300 yards. Pittman led PCC in rushing as well as a sophomore with 572 yards that allowed him to lead the state and set a PCC total offense yards record of 4,215. From Atlanta, Ga., and the son of a former Lancer and future NFL player in receiver Danny Pittman (New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, 1980-1984), Pittman earned a scholarship to the University of Minnesota.
[David Pittman in 2007 photo, by Richard Quinton]
5. James Griffin, linebacker-defensive back, 2001-2002: A First Team, All-American as a sophomore in 2002, Griffin was also a 2-time, First Team, All-Mission Conference selection. He was a key figure on defense for two bowl teams that finished a combined 18-4, including the 2001 MC championship. Griffin led the Lancers in sacks in both seasons, finishing with 17 overall. He led the team in tackles with 86 in his second PCC season while being named the Pasadena Quarterbacks Club JC Player of the Year. In his Lancers career, Griffin totaled 154 tackles, 39 quarterback hurries, recovered/forced nine fumbles, and blocked two kicks. In the team's South County Bowl victory in '01, he made seven solo tackles and a sack. From Tennessee, Griffin earned a scholarship to Virginia Tech University. As a senior playing the rover position as a starter and a team captain, he helped the 2004 Hokies win the ACC championship, be rated No. 10 in the Final AP College Football Poll and make it to the Sugar Bowl, finishing with a 10-3 record.
4. Nathan Chandler, quarterback, 2000-2001: A legacy Lancer (like #6 David Pittman), Chandler's father Bryan played on the 1973 Lancers. Chandler arrived at PCC after playing his prep football in Texas and played backup to incumbent Josh Knight as a freshman in 2000. As the starter in 2001, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound Chandler towered over his own offensive line and was a force against smaller community college defenses. He proceeded to break then PCC school records at for the Lancers' 2001 Mission Conference champion team. Chandler made up half of the only First Team All-American backfield selected from one college in the history of the JC Grid-Wire with running back Jonathan Smith. Chandler set the Lancer single-season records for most passing yards, 2,633, most touchdowns, 29, and highest completion percentage, .648. He threw a PCC record six TDs in a victory over Long Beach. As the signal caller on the highest scoring PCC football team ever with a 42.3 points average, Chandler also was part of an incredible streak between 2000 and 2001 when he helped the team score touchdowns in 40 consecutive quarters. He led the team to a victory over Grossmont in the South County Bowl. Chandler earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa and passed for 2,021 yards and 19 TDs as a senior. He engineered a remarkable comeback win over Michigan and led the Hawkeyes to a 10-3 record, a No. 8 ranking in the final AP National Poll, and the program's first bowl win in 44 years, beating Florida in the 2003 Outback Bowl. Chandler's younger brother Scott Chandler played eight seasons in the NFL as a tight end. Nathan Chandler was inducted into the PCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
[Nathan Chandler in 2001 photo]
3. David Reed, wide receiver, 2006-2007: As the other half of "The David Show," Reed had a season like no other in 2007 when he set the PCC, state and national single-season records for most receptions (111) and yards (1,661) in just 10 games of work. Reed averaged 15 yards per catch, but frequently turned shovel passes from Pittman into long first-down gains. Four of the top five single-game reception performances in Lancers history were turned in by Reed, including a school-record 16 catches for 262 yards in his final JC game v. Santa Ana. A week earlier, he caught 15 passes for 167 yards v. Cerritos. As a freshman, Reed had 40 catches for 711 yards. He led PCC in scoring in both of his seasons, tallying 11 touchdowns in 2006, and 13 more in '07. A 2-time, All-Mission Conference selection, Reed was named First Team, All-American in 2007. The speedy receiver from Connecticut next took his talents on scholarship to the University of Utah. He palyed on a 13-0 Utes team as a junior and caught a TD pass in the team's Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. As a senior, he led the Mountain West Conference and was 11th in the nation in receiving yards (1,188) on 81 catches. Reed was chosen in Round 5 of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens and went on to play four seasons with Baltimore and then Indianapolis. In his rookie season for Ravens, he led the NFL in kick return yards per attempt with a 29.3 average and he set a Baltimore record for longest kick return of 103 yards for a TD. In 2011, he was third in the NFL at 29.7 yards per return for those that made at least 16 kick returns. In 2013, Reed played on special teams and earned a ring in Super Bowl XLVII as the Ravens won the NFL championship.
[David Reed in 2007 photo]
2. Jerome Harrison, running back, 2002-2003: Every league of football that Harrison performed, he was considered small for a running back at 5-foot-9. But Jerome played big, making history at the community college, 4-year university and even NFL levels. The only running back in school history to perform back-to-back, 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Harrison, who came here from Michigan, is second on the PCC all-time career rushing list with 2,092 yards. He was twice named All-Mission Conference and a JC All-American honorable mention in 2003. Harrison ran for 255 yards in a game v. Santa Ana, the seventh most in school history. At the 4-year level, he led the nation and the NCAA Division I in rushing with 1,900 yards at Washington State University in his senior season. He was named a consensus NCAA All-American in 2005. Harrison was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. A six-year veteran back in the NFL, he recorded the third highest rushing yards game total in league history with 286 yards in a 2009 contest for the Browns. The performance shattered the franchise's 52-year-old record set by the legendary Jim Brown and fell just 10 yards shy of the NFL record. The effects of a brain tumor ended his career prematurely after the 2011 season. Harrison was inducted into the PCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
[Jerome Harrison in 2002 photo]
1. Jonathan Smith, running back, 2001: A one-year wonder at PCC, Smith smashed the Lancers' single-season rushing and scoring records while breaking Jackie Robinson's long-time school record for touchdowns in 2001. He set a national record for most all-purpose yards in a game with 515 (broke NFL player Jason Sehorn's mark) in scoring a PCC record six touchdowns against Cerritos College. In that same game, his 353 rushing yards in 34 carries broke a PCC and conference record for one contest. He also gained 317 yards (second-most in school history) v. Mt. San Antonio and had the No. 5 most yards game with 287 v. Riverside. Selected JC All-American First Team and league offensive MVP, Smith helped the Lancers win their only Mission Conference title with a 10-1 record. Smith was MVP of the 2001 South County Bowl championship win over Grossmont, rushing for 247 yards. The Los Angeles Narbonne High product is the only Lancers player to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season (2,049) and he scored an impressive 31 touchdowns in just 11 games. His 181 points surpassed the immortal Robinson's 131 points in 1938. Smith and PCC quarterback Nathan Chandler (#4 on list) made up the only All-American First Team backfield in JC Grid-Wire history. At Washington State, Smith went on to be an All-Pacific 10 Conference selection as a senior after helping the Cougars win a co-Pac-10 title in 2002. He later played on a World Bowl title team for NFL Europe's Amsterdam franchise, allowing him to be a champion at three different levels of play. He was inducted into the PCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.