Two Rams Headed for Division 1

By Dakari Thomas

City College Rams had a successful season both on and off the field as two players sent letters of intent to Division 1 football programs.

Cornerback Robert Taylor will continue his collegiate football career at Washington State University and punter Michael Sleep-Dalton will head to Arizona State University

WSU’s defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and running back coach Jim Mastro visited Taylor in his home in December, then he verbally committed the next week.

“This was the best decision for me and my family,” Taylor tweeted, who is from Oakland and stands 5-foot-11 inches tall at 180 pounds. “Playing in the Pac 12 has been a dream since I was a kid.”

From Australia, Sleep-Dalton finished the season as the fourth ranked punter in average yards per punt. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs in at around 210 pounds.

He verbally committed in November and made it official on National Signing Day. Usually the first Wednesday of February, this is the first day that recruited players can sign a binding agreement to a college.

These two players make it 53 former Rams players to transfer to Division 1 football programs since 2010.

Former Ram Elected to HOF

The Pro Football Hall of Fame elected former NFL and City College Rams offensive lineman Dick Stanfel at the 5th annual NFL Honors on Feb. 5 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

Stanfel grew up in San Francisco and played for City College and University of San Francisco before joining the NFL, playing for both the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins.

Stanfel was also a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL champion, winning a Super Bowl with the Bears in 1985.

After retiring from playing pro football, Stanfel became an offensive line coach with several different teams, including the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Mike Nolan from 1971–1975, then as an assistant to the Chicago Bears head coaches Neill Armstrong and Mike Ditka from 1981–1992.

Stanfel’s coaching career continued until his retirement in 1998. He died in June 2015 at the age of 87 and will officially be inducted to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio later this year.

Soccer Captain Signs Up

Co-captain of the Rams women’s soccer team Raquel Herrera signed a letter of intent on Feb. 5 committing to play for Lenoir-Rhyne University of Hickory, North Carolina.

Midfielder Herrera tallied three assists for the Rams this year and has been an integral part of the success of the Rams soccer program, leading her team to two consecutive conference championships.

Shannon Cole


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