Vallejo PAL long-time director Mike Kollar dies at 84

VALLEJO – Former Vallejo Police Activities League executive director Michael Kollar died last week at the age of 84. He was a Vallejo police officer for 30 years, led the PAL for over 40 years and was inducted into the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. 

“He was a sports fanatic,” said his wife Dottie Kollar in an interview. He fulfilled his passion by giving Vallejo youths athletic outlets for over 4 decades.

Kollar grew up in Vallejo and graduated from St. Vincent High School where he played football, basketball and baseball. He later joined the Vallejo Police Department in 1966.

One of his first assignments while on patrol was to follow the children riding the school bus to protect them from the Zodiac killer, whose first confirmed killings occurred in 1968 on Lake Herman Road in Vallejo. 

One of his five children, Steve Gordon, also served in the Vallejo police department and became a sergeant. 

He became the PAL director in 1982 and organized basketball, softball, baseball, wrestling, judo, boxing, football and track programs, including starting their soccer program in the 1980s. Today, only the soccer and boxing programs remain active.

The Vallejo Sun interviewed Kollar by the boxing ring in August at an open sparring event at the Vallejo PAL Boxing Club. 

He pointed to a hanging green PAL Boxing flag by the ringside, a memento from when the club had gone to New York to fight in the 90’s.

As director he had taken Vallejo PAL soccer club to Germany three times to play, including right after the Berlin wall had fallen. 

He retired as PAL director six months ago after having his kidney removed, but even then he would spend “three or four hours a day at the PAL office,” said Tyler Terrazes, PAL Boxing’s director and coach. 

On Friday, the day after Kollar died, PAL had their annual golf tournament, where Vallejo Police officers commemorated Kollar’s achievements. The gold tournament was an event that Kollar loved to attend. 

Last year Kollar had won the tournament’s raffle. “And so this year we didn't win the championship, but I won the barbecue grill,” said Terrazes. “Like, Mike hooked it up. Now I gotta throw a PAL boxing barbecue coming soon.”