Also inducted Friday night were Janice Opalinski-Harrer and Adam Johnson. Also honored were earlier inductees Greg Lee (1997) and Mike O’Hare (1992).
The induction ceremony was held at the Hermosa Beach Historical Museum, which has offered the CBVA its first physical hall of fame location.
Emcee Jim Arico introduced Ayakatubby as someone born to play beach volleyball. He was introduced to the sport when he was six by his uncle Matt Gage, then a pro player and subsequently the long time AVP operations director.
“He was not only one of the best, but also the coolest. Who else could wear satin shorts fringed with dingle balls,’ Arico said.
Ayakatubby earned over $1 million on the pro beach circuit and recorded 19 pro tournament wins. In 1995, he and fellow hall of famer Karch Kiraly won eight of 13 tournaments.
Brent Frohoff, Ayakatubby’s long time playing partner, recalled Mira Costa coach Mike Cook phoning him in 1982 and saying that Ayakatubby wanted to play with him, but was too shy to ask him.
“That spring we played an A tournament and won, an AA tournament and won and then entered the pro tournament in Santa Cruz and placed fifth,” he said.
“Scott had this slow, loopy, three step approach to his jump serve. But when he uncoiled it was deadly. If he didn’t hit it to you, you weren’t going to get it,” Frohoff said.
Ayakatubby’s offensive game was so strong that his defensive play has been overlooked, but Ayakatubby was also one of the sport’s greatest ever defensive players, Frohoff said.
Inductee Janice Opalinski-Harrer, winner of 25 pro titles, was introduced by Pat and Sharkie Zartman. Despite her modest height, Opalinski-Harrer was a “pit bull” on the court, Sharkie Zartman said. Pat Zartman, Opalinski-Harrer’s her longtime coach said, “She was the best defensive player of her era.”
Harrer expressed her appreciation for the sport, which she started playing professionally in 1983 when bragging rights were more valuable than the prize money. But she also enjoyed pro volleyball’s more rewarding golden years during the 1990s.
She expressed appreciation for the sport not only for her pro career, but for preparing her for a marketing career with Power Bar.
Harrer now lives in central Oregon, but continues to play beach volleyball on the sand court her husband built for her in their back yard as a Mother’s Day present.
Adam Johnson, the evening’s third inductee was Adam Johnson, was unable to attend the induction ceremony.
Johnson told Easy Reader last week, “I’m very honored, yet sad that I won’t be able to attend the event,” Johnson said. “I was fortunate to have played with 10 Hall of Famers. To be in the same sentence as these guys is very special.”
The Laguna Beach native won 44 titles during the 1990s, 16 of them with Karch Kiraly. He was a three-time All American and member on the U.S. National indoor team prior to focusing on beach volleyball.
Previous inductee Greg Lee (1997) was too ill to attend the event. He was represented by his playing partner Jim Menges. During the 1970s and early 1980s the two won 25 out of 30 tournaments, including a record 13 consecutive tournaments.
“Greg always believed we’d win. I was taught by Ron Von Hagan to always respect your opponent. But Greg’s attitude was always, ‘We’re better than those guys,” Menges said.
The prize money was so little during their era, Menges recalled, that when they won the Manhattan Beach Open in 1978, Lee grabbed the game ball and took it home.
Lee also played guard at UCLA under the legendary John Wooden. Lee was a teammate of the Bill Walton-led team that won two consecutive NCAA Basketball Championships and a record 88 straight games.
Mike O’Hare (1992) was introduced by Ron Lang, who noted that the O’Hare used his 6-foot-four height to introduce blocking to beach volleyball.
Like Lee, O’Hare attended UCLA, but only after spending two years at Santa Monica City College, where he played basketball. Coach Wooden dashed his hopes for playing at UCLA because Wooden didn’t want to invest in a player who would only be at the school for two years, O’Hare said.
“So I joined a fraternity,” O’Hare recalled, “and one of the members said, ‘Forget basketball. Volleyball is the game. We heard about a college championship tournament in Omaha, so I went to UCLA athletic director for help and he gave us a bunch of old basketball jerseys. We won the tournament and brought home a trophy that was so big we had to strap it to the roof of the car.
“After the tournament I went to see the athletic director again and asked him to make volleyball a varsity sport. He said he was in the business of collecting national championships, and since we had one he agreed to do it.
