Last year, he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. This year, Mike Pantalione will be accepted into another Hall of Fame.
The former Yavapai College men’s soccer coach is among seven inductees in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame’s 2026 class. Pantalione established the Roughrider soccer program in 1989. When he retired in 2020, he amassed 636 wins, the most ever for a junior college coach. Pantalione also won seven national championships and 28 conference titles.
In addition to the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Pantalione is also a member of the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame, the ACCAC Hall of Fame, and the National Italian-American Hall of Fame.
Joining Pantalione in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame this year are Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, MLB shortstop J.J. Hardy, Olympic sprinter Michael Bates, UofA swim coach Frank Busch, UofA distance runner George Young, and skydiver Craig Girard.