Major:Â Psychology
Hometown:Â West Sacramento, CA
Career Highlights:Â Two-sport Athlete; Soccer National Champion (1966), Two-time WCAC All-Conference (soccer 1967, 1968); WCAC All-Conference (baseball 1969)
Biography: Laurel was a two-sport star on the Hilltop who lettered in both men's soccer and baseball. He played on the freshman soccer championship team in 1965 and was named All-Conference First Team. He was the starting left fullback on the varsity NCAA soccer championship team in 1966 under Steve Negoeso. Laurel was an All-Conference soccer player in 1967 and 1968, and was also named All-Conference in varsity baseball in 1969.Â
Why Laurel Chose USF: "I was offered a full athletic scholarship with the stipulation that I play both baseball and soccer. I was also accepted at UC Berkeley and at the University of Colorado, but USF was my choice. I have always loved San Francisco, and I knew it well. We didn’t have the disruption of anti-war protests on our campus, but I escaped mandatory ROTC because I have diabetes. In the four years I played at USF, the diabetes was never a problem."
Favorite USF Memories:Â "I was the only American-born starter on the 1966 NCAA National Championship soccer team. I played every second of every soccer game USF played from 1965-1968."Â
The USF Student-Athlete Experience:Â "The university really took care of its student-athletes. My registration for classes was taken care of for me so that I could attend practice. I saved money on my college books, and I had great coaches and a supportive student body."
Did You Know?: In his first two seasons with the men's soccer team Laurel never played in a losing game. The 1965 freshman team was undefeated, and in 1966 he was a fullback on the national championship team that finished 12-0-1.Â
Life After USF: Laurel earned his Teaching Credential in 1970, and taught Social Science in the Fremont Union High School District for 38 years. Laurel also moonlighted playing rock and roll for 25 years, and loves playing the piano and writing poetry. He still plays piano in residence homes to entertain the elderly. He retired in 2007 and now lives in West Sacramento.
