Upon entering City Hall for the event, the honorees were greeted by members of the Cordova Lancers football, basketball and baseball teams.

 

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame honored its newest class of inductees during the 11th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past Saturday, Sept. 12 in front of a capacity crowd inside Rancho Cordova City Hall. 

Seven new members received well-deserved recognition during the event including swimmers Scott Mefford and Elizabeth Cocker Escobar, football standouts Mike Brannon, Lamon Muldrow and Ken Bowles, as well as two posthumous inductions - Negro League baseball star Elmer Carter as well as well-respected local youth baseball coach Bill Meehan.

2026 Individual inductees include from left, Lamon Muldrow, Mike Brannon, Ken Bowles, Scott Mefford, Bill Meehan's son Joe and Elizabeth Cocker Escobar.

Upon entering City Hall for the event, the honorees were greeted by members of the Cordova Lancers football, basketball and baseball teams, all in full uniform as a way to bridge the gap between the past and present. The ceremony was kicked off by a montage video of various famous clips from sports movies throughout the years, including such memorable films as “The Sandlot.” This was by design, to help attendees remember what it felt like the first time they ever played a sport or put on a uniform as a child, showing that every Hall of Famer once began their journey as a child who discovered their sport for the first time. 

From there, Hall of Fame Chairman Michael Marando gave an eight-minute speech illustrating the importance of youth sports. Marando would then hand over the microphone to Rancho Cordova native and media personality Ken Rudulph, who served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Each inductee was then honored with a slide show displaying their accomplishments, and the event was well received by all in attendance. 

“If I had to sum up the event in one word, it would be ‘gratitude’,” Hall of Fame Chairman Michael Marando said.

When asked to sum up his feelings on the event, Marando gave an insightful answer.

“If I had to sum up the event in one word, it would be ‘gratitude’,” Marando said. “To watch Rancho Cordova’s finest athletes, stand shoulder to shoulder in the way that they did, completely humbled by the honor, I think is a powerful reminder why sports matters. It binds us together like nothing else can.”

Perhaps the loudest ovation of the night came during the recognition of Meehan, who was a well-regarded presence within the youth baseball community for more than three decades prior to his passing in 2022 at the age of 78. Overall, the event went off without a hitch and has clearly become quite a tradition within the city. 

Congratulations to the newest members of the Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame! 

The event went off without a hitch and has clearly become quite a tradition within the city.