Stan Charnofsky (2016) - CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame

Stan Charnofsky

Induction:
2016

Stan Charnofsky was inducted into CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. After briefly playing in the major leagues for the New York Yankees, Charnofsky served as San Fernando Valley State/CSUN Baseball Head Coach for five seasons from 1962 to 1966.

Along with his twin brother, Hal, Charnofsky graduated from Abraham High School in Los Angeles in 1949 before receiving a scholarship to attend USC. The twins played baseball for coach Rod Dedeaux as a double-play combination with Stan playing at second base and Hal at shortstop. The duo helped the Trojans reach the College World Series in 1951.

Charnofsky served as a co-captain alongside his brother for his senior year where he garnered All-Pacific Coast First Team honors. He batted .467 during the 1951 College World Series, earning a spot on the All-Decade College World Series Team.

He would earn a professional baseball contract to play for the New York Yankees, beginning a seven-year pro career. Along with his brother Hall, Charnofsky enjoyed a small stint with the Big League team. As they did at the college ranks, the Charnofsky twins were an extraordinary combination at the professional ranks, setting an Eastern League double play record with the Binghamton Triplets. Charnofsky’s professional career also included the highlight of breaking up a no-hitter thrown by future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.

After his playing days, Charnofsky began a legendary tenure with CSUN. He taught physical education and became the head coach for the Matador baseball team in 1962.

Charnofsky CSUN to its first conference championship, winning the 1965 CCAA Championship with an 11-4 league record and 21-17 overall mark. The Matadors finished as NCAA Regional Runners-up the same season. Over his CSUN career, Charfofsky had eight players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including four in 1965.

Fellow CSUN Athletics Hall of Famer Dick Enberg was Charnofsky's assistant coach at CSUN early in his tenure as head coach. In five seasons as the Matador skipper, he won 80 games, helping establish a program that would become a Division II power.

Charfofsky also holds the distinction of being one of CSUN's longest-tenured professors, teaching Educational Psychology and Counseling. He served as the Michael D. Eisner College of Education Chair and a member of the Educational Psychology and Counseling Workshops Program.

Following his baseball career, Charnofsky became a faculty member at CSUN, where he contributed to the field of counseling psychology. In 1970, he founded the Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC) program, now known as Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). He was Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling and Director of the CSUN Educational Opportunities Program (EOP).

Charnofsky also founded the MFCC/MFT Alumni Network and the Center in Educational Psychology’s Workshop Program in 1983. His teaching and mentorship earned him the CSUN Distinguished Teaching Award in 2016. He retired from his faculty position in 2021 at the age of 89.

Charnofsky would pass away at the age of 94 on Dec. 29, 2024.