Honoring student-athletes and faculty for their outstanding contributions to athletics, the 25th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet, takes place Thursday.

The Ayres Hotel in Hawthorne will be the new venue where the tributes to collegiate success will occur.

“The audience will be able to celebrate 60 years of history that frame El Camino College,” Tony Barbone, athletic director of El Camino College said.

Opposed to previous events, this banquet will be more formal where as guests will sit down and eat a buffet-style dinner, Julie Meredith, health and athletics clerical worker said.

Coaches, student-athletes and significant contributors to El Camino athletics will be recognized at the event for their achievements and overall support of the athletic community at El Camino College.

“It will be a sprinkling of current students and a sprinkling of alumni that have helped with what we call warrior pride,” Rory Natividad, dean of health sciences and Athletics Department said.

Five to six nominees are selected by the community and coaches and sent to the Hall of Fame committee who then narrow it down to the final winners for award determination.

When asked who would be the main sponsor for the event, Natividad said that the event is put on through the El Camino athletics, and that various departments along with the community help to make the event successful from its past to the present.

“It will be a good, well-rounded experience that any one may attend,” Barbone said.

The banquet has honored some prominent figures in athletics such as Keith Erickson, a former El Camino student, UCLA basketball player and  Los Angeles Laker.

President, Thomas Fallo is one of several well-known figures who have spoken on behalf of the banquet.

Along with the inductees for the Hall of Fame, specific awards for current student-athletes will also be issued throughout the ceremony.

The Ray Southstone award, given to a track and field student-athlete, one being male and one being female, is one of the more prestigious awards.

Southstone is the co-founder of the Hall of Fame and is also a student from the first graduating class in El Camino history.

Another prestigious award is the Norm Verry award given to one male and female for obtaining a 3.5 grade point average as well as outstanding athletic achievements. The winners of the award will receive a $1,000 scholarship provided from the Verry family.

This will also be the first year in the history of the banquet that a team, the 1971 El Camino football team, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“The event celebrates our gifted student-athletes; those who were here and are here,” Natividad said.

Natividad emphasized how hard the students as well as the committee work to achieve and issue the awards.

“We work hard all year long to remember how important these gifted student-athletes are,” Natividad said.