Hoover alum Forrest Beaty tabbed among CIF’s all-time best

As was often the case, all eyes were situated on Forrest Beaty from the second he left the starting line to when he sprinted through finish line during a dash from 1959-62.

Whether he competed in the 100- or 220-yard races, the odds seemed to favor the former Hoover High standout track and field athlete that he’d be in line for a victory or come close to setting a world record.

While a junior, he clocked 20.2 seconds in the 220, 0.2 seconds off the then-world record. As a senior, Beaty finished in 9.4 in the 100, also 0.2 off the world record at the time. Beaty was the CIF Southern Section and state champion in the 100 in 1961 and 1962 and captured the CIF Southern Section title in the 220 from 1960-62, in addition to winning a state title in 1961. During his tenure, he set national high school standards in both races and was twice named CIF Southern Section Athlete of the Year. .

For his excellence on the track, Beaty was named to the CIF 100th anniversary Spring All-Century team Wednesday. The team was nominated and voted on by the public.

“It’s very flattering, to say the least, to be honored like that,” said Beaty, who graduated from Hoover in 1962 before graduating from California after helping the Golden Bears win NCAA championships in 1964 and 1965 in the 1,600-meter relay. “I have a great deal of fondness from my days at Hoover and running in all of the different meets.

“I had a lot of great teammates and got to learn under [Tornadoes Coach] Sam Nicholson. He was a great educator and fine coach who taught me a lot about the values of being disciplined.”

As part of its 100-year celebration, the CIF has held voting for all-century teams in the fall, winter and spring. Hoover’s Margarito Cassilas and Anita Siraki, both cross-country standouts, were named to the all-fall team, while Crescenta Valley’s Michelle Greco was an all-winter selection for her greatness on the basketball court. The spring selections of which Beatty was a part of might well have been the most star-studded, however. Swimmer Mark Spitz (Santa Clara, 1968), golfers Phil Mickelson (San Diego University, 1988) and Tiger Woods (Anaheim Western, 1994), track runner Marion Jones (Thousand Oaks, 1993), volleyball player Karch Kiraly (Santa Barbara, 1978) and softball player Lisa Fernandez (Lakewood St. Joseph, 1989) were joined by baseball icons such as Walter Johnson (Fullerton, 1905), Joe DiMaggio (San Francisco Galileo, 1931), Ted Williams (San Diego Hoover, 1935), Jackie Robinson (Muir, 1937) and Tony Gwynn (Long Beach Poly, 1977), among many more.

Nicholson, who coached at Hoover from 1956-64, said Beaty’s strong organizational skills aided him significantly on and off the track.

“Being able to coach Forrest was such a delight,” Nicholson said. “You don’t get many opportunities to coach special athletes like him, but he was such a pleasure to coach.

“He was the perfect person to work with and he responded well to any suggestions given to him. His greatest strength was his confidence. He was also a great student in the classroom.”

Beaty, who is a doctor and resides in Northern California, began his run of brilliance as a sophomore in 1959. Beaty took the league championship in the 100 and 220 in 9.8 and 21.1, respectively. Beaty wouldn’t stop there, making huge strides in 1960.

A standout on the football field as well, Beaty turned in a mark of 9.6 in the 100 and 20.2 in the 220. His time in the 220 set a new national high school record. The world record had been 20.0.

As a senior, he ran 9.4 three times in the 100 when the world record was 9.2. He captured what was then classified as the grand slam of track and field meets, winning the 100 at the Pasadena Games, Glendale Relays, Bellflower Relays and the Huntington Beach Invitational.

Overall, Beaty clocked 9.4 three times, 9.5 five times and 9.6 eight times in the 100. In the 220, he ran 20.2, 20.4 and 20.6, and finished eight races under 21 seconds. Beaty was chosen the CIF Athlete of the Year in 1961 and 1962.

Former Hoover teammate Jim Pagliuso recalled watching Beaty perform.

“When you watched Forrest, you knew something special would probably happen,” Pagliuso said. “He was so unbelievable with that strength and speed that he had.

“He was always very consistent with the techniques needed to be an outstanding runner.”