Bellarmine College Preparatory has announced that three alumni will be inducted into the Bellarmine Hall of Fame on August 26, 2023. These distinguished individuals embody Bellarmine’s motto of being men for and with others through their extraordinary personal and professional accomplishments and significant contributions to the community.
The following alumni will be honored in their respective categories for exemplifying the Ignatian tradition in their service to others:
Mike Thibault ’68 (Athletics). The incredible basketball life of Mike Thibault goes all the way back to his time as a Bellarmine student when he spent his senior year as head coach of the Freshman B team. His career in professional basketball started with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he served as an assistant coach and director of scouting and was a member of two NBA championship teams. He then spent four seasons in the same role for the Chicago Bulls, followed by eight years as head coach and general manager of the Omaha Racers of the Continental Basketball Association. Mike returned to the NBA to be an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks for four seasons, and then in 2003, he became head coach of the Connecticut Sun of the Women’s National Basketball Association. He spent 10 seasons with the Sun before taking over head coach duties for the Washington Mystics in 2013. Mike’s teams made the postseason in 16 of his 20 seasons, he was named WNBA Coach of the Year three times, and he captured a WNBA Championship with the Mystics in 2019. He retired from coaching in 2022 with the most career victories in the history of the WNBA and continues to serve as general manager for the Mystics. Mike has been a beloved mentor to countless athletes during his career, providing guidance and support and encouraging his players to give back to their communities. His contribution to the growth of women’s basketball over the last twenty years has been immeasurable. Mike has also been an integral member of the coaching staff for USA Basketball over the last three decades, and he is the only coach in history to win an international gold medal in both men’s basketball (1993 FIBA World Championships) and women’s basketball (2008 Beijing Olympics).
Dinari Brown ’98 (Humanities & Fine Arts). Dinari Brown has used his passion for the culinary arts to help address the problem of food insecurity in Silicon Valley and make a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community. His professional experience includes culinary leadership positions at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco and the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, followed by a four-year stint as the Executive Chef at the San Francisco 49ers Levi’s Stadium, where he led a team of more than 350 employees and oversaw the food service efforts for Super Bowl 50. Since 2018, Dinari has served as Chief Operations Officer for Hunger at Home, a nonprofit organization that provides multiple solutions addressing food security throughout Santa Clara County. Among other programs, they partner with local convention centers, entertainment venues, hotels, and stadiums to collect excess food, which is then distributed to hungry and homeless individuals through public distributions and a network of charitable community-based organizations. These efforts result in the annual diversion of hundreds of tons of wholesome food away from landfill and helps ensure that people facing food insecurity in our community do not go hungry. Concurrently, for over a decade, Dinari has shared his expertise with aspiring chefs as a chef instructor of Culinary Arts and professor of Hospitality Management at Diablo Valley College and other institutions.
Ed Watson ’65 (Public Service). Ed Watson ’65, proud parent of four children — including one Bellarmine alumnus and two St. Ignatius graduates — and five beautiful grandchildren, has served as a trusted attorney in the Bay Area for the last 50 years, assisting individuals and families with estate and tax planning and advising charitable and nonprofit organizations on legal matters. He is a man of tremendous faith, kindness, and humility, and he has been extremely active in his lifelong parish of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame. Ed serves as an advisor and board member to numerous nonprofit and religious groups, including as a Scoutmaster and Eagle Award advisor for the Boy Scouts for over 15 years, member and past president of the St. Thomas More Society, an organization of Catholic lawyers in San Francisco, a current board member and past president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Mateo County, past chairman and board member of Mercy High School, Burlingame, and advisor to the Capuchin Franciscan Order of California and its foundations. In 2005, he was awarded the Ozanam Service Medallion, St. Vincent de Paul Society's highest honor, for having demonstrated superlative service to others without seeking personal recognition or favor. Ed is a member of Bellarmine’s Fr. Pedro Arrupe Society and has worked to support educational opportunities throughout his life. As the son of a single mom, he attended Bellarmine on a scholarship provided by a generous benefactor. In 2018, he and his wife established the Ed and Liz Watson Scholarship Fund in order to provide tuition assistance to Bellarmine students being raised by single parents. He has also helped support the South American missionary efforts of his sister, Deborah Watson, and his sister-in-law, Mary Ann Clifford, with the Sisters of Mercy, as well as the work of his son and daughter-in-law, who have established foundations in Honduras and Oaxaca, Mexico to assist the needs of those areas.
The Bellarmine Alumni Hall of Fame event takes place on the school campus on Saturday, August 26, 2023, with the induction ceremony at 5:00 p.m. in the Sobrato Center for Humanities and the Arts, followed by dinner on the Leo J. and Mary G. Lucas Quad. Register online at: https://www.bcp.org/bhof