Thunderbirds flex their feathers in the big leagues
No matter how talented or dominant an athlete is, they all have humble beginnings.
Before an athlete heard their name called on draft night, or before they signed their first contract, they put on a worn down jersey another athlete dawned the prior season.
Mesa Community College has a strong lineage of athletes that have turned into professional athletes in their respective sports.
Up until July 2022, MCC had 17 former Thunderbirds take the field for an NFL team, 21 former baseball players who called MCC home have played major league baseball, and one NBA player and coach have attended MCC.
Shea Hillenbrand is a local name many in the valley know and love.
Hillenbrand was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2001, and would bounce around the league until his retirement in 2007. From 2003-2004, Hillenbrand proudly wore the teal and purple of his hometown Arizona Diamondbacks and hit 32 home runs, batted in 139 runs, and had a batting average of .289.
Before his time in the majors, Hillenbrand was a member of the MCC baseball team from 1994-1996. During his stint, he was a First Team All-American and then was named the 1996 ACCAC Player of the Year.
Dave Collins, who also played for MCC’s baseball team, had a long major league career as he played for eight teams over 16 seasons.
From the diamond to the football field, even though MCC no longer has a football program, they’ve still had NFL players don their red and blue through the years. Former NFL defensive back Damarious Randall played for MCC in 2012.
During his time at MCC, the defensive back notched nine interceptions, averaged 28.3 yards per return on kickoffs, and 18.4 yards per punt return while scoring on two returns.
Randall’s skill set was so potent, he would even play wide receiver at times and recorded eight catches for 152 yards with two touchdowns.
When it came to awards, Randall was named to the All-ACCAC Team as a defensive back while earning All-American honors, and was also named the 2012 Western States Football League Defensive Player of the Year.
With his outstanding year as a Thunderbird, Randall was able to attend Arizona State University and be drafted 30th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
Another former T-Bird that found his way to the NFL is former Arizona Cardinal Deuce Lutui.
Lutui, who was an Arizona Cardinal for six years and a Tennessee Titan for one, played for MCC before he was able to make the leap to play for the USC Trojans. Luiti’s Mesa roots are strong as he also attended Mesa High School, and after his NFL career, would join their football coaching staff.
Meanwhile on the hardwood, MCC has had one player from the school make it to the NBA thus far.
Ernest Brown earned First Team All-American honors, Freshman of the Year, and ACCAC Player of the Year in his 1998-99 season.
Brown was drafted in the second round of the 2000 NBA draft by the Miami Heat.
Current Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown also called MCC home as he attended the school from 1988-1990.
Brown is most known for his NBA coaching career, which began back in 1997 when he was an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards. Brown was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006-07 when he took them to the NBA Finals. He has earned a total of three NBA rings, with coaching stints with the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors.
Junior College sports have an unnecessary negative stigma about them. To some people, it is viewed as a place for athletes that are not good enough to make it in better divisions to go.
A lot of times though, that is not the case.
Lutui chose to go to a junior college in order to improve his grades so he can become eligible for a Division I program.
JUCO programs are places for athletes to get back on track, improve their game so they can compete in a higher division, and at times, continue to play the sport they love before they have to hang up the cleats for the final time.
