The City of Chandler welcomed two Valley Christian greats into the Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Saturday, February 11 at the Chandler Center for the Arts.
Riley Barclay ’08 and Marlin Broek joined a group of seven individuals, mostly professional athletes and including Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley, in this year’s induction class.
Riley was a 2008 graduate of Valley Christian High School and attended Arizona State University where he competed in men’s gymnastics. Riley was a seven-time All-American at ASU and was a member of six team national championships. He overcame an injury sustained while practicing in which he broke his neck in several places to capture the individual all-around national championship his senior year and be named the USA Gymnastics Senior Athlete of the Year. After graduating from ASU, he coached overseas for a period of time and now is one of the assistant coaches for ASU Men’s Gymnastics.
Marlin was Valley Christian’s first teacher, coach, and athletic director and served in all of the capacities and more until 2012. Marlin oversaw the development of the athletic program from an associate member into one of the state’s most successful and respected programs. Valley Christian teams won 60 state championships and 115 region championships under Marlin’s leadership and began a streak of at least one state championship a year that still continues through 2016. Marlin ensured equity in sports long before it was popular or required. His commitment to developing and supporting girl’s athletics was recognized nationally when the school was named the nation’s top women’s athletic program in 1997 by Athletic Management. The Athletic Complex at Valley Christian bears the name of Marlin Broek in recognition of his selfless service to the school.