ORANGE COUNTY LEGENDS FROM A to Z : The People’s Choice : The Times Orange County Sports Staff Published Its Legendary List, but Readers Had Their Own Opinions About Who Belonged: In Short, What Were We Thinking?

Rick Aberegg, Shirley Babashoff, Gary Carter, Mary Decker

We knew it was coming. We expected it. You stick your neck out there far enough and someone will come along and chop it off. We gave you a list of Orange County prep legends from A to Z, and you gave us a hard time.

Janet Evans, Mickey Flynn, Michele Granger, John Huarte . . .

We wanted feedback. Practically begged for it. But we’re not sure everyone picked up that we wanted your choices to replace our choices on our list of legends. We gave you a supplemental list that included a few names we considered--the idea was to jog your memory--and then we got many suggestions on who should have been on the supplemental list.

Keith Iwanaga, Walter Johnson, Natalie Kaaiawahia . . .

In theory--and we tried--every high school graduate who played in Orange County was considered. You pick the cream of the crop from 16 sports from the last 85 years and you wind up with nearly 1,000 names.

Rick Leach, Ann Meyers, Phil Nevin . . .

And some of you made pretty good arguments. Unfortunately, you were unable to follow directions. The reason your responses aren’t listed isn’t because we were afraid we would look bad, but because you didn’t leave your name and phone number.

Kim, Elaina and Beverly Oden, Cherokee Parks . . .

The definition of a legend is a notable person whose deeds or exploits are much talked about. It’s not always the best athlete, but certainly one whose legacy will be an enduring one.

Dan Quisenberry, Cathy Rigby, Steve Stenstrom . . .

It was tough trying to decide who belonged and who didn’t. How do you compare a player with a golf prodigy? Team athletes against individuals? How do you compare men against women? There are a few of you out there who refuse to believe women have a place in sports lore.

Garry Templeton, Jim Usevitch, Arky Vaughan . . .

So if we were able do it again, we might re-examine some of our choices. But if we were able to enlighten you a little bit and maybe gain a little enlightenment ourselves, that’s well and good. Everyone has their own ideas. And this was fun, except when that fight broke out in the office over Michele Granger and Brian Goodell. And maybe, 20 years from now, when the legend of Schea Cotton has had time to grow, we’ll do it again.

Tiger Woods, George Yardley, Lori Zeno.

In this installment of Prep Voices, The Times Orange County asks:

“Who’s on the Orange County Prep Legends A to Z List but shouldn’t be? Who didn’t make it but should have?”

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Apparently your sports writing staff didn’t do their homework before writing this article. You listed from A to Z the legends in Orange County history. Under the letter L you listed Rick Leach, a tennis player from Laguna Beach.

Incredibly you did not list Tom Lewis, a basketball player from Mater Dei. But yet, your same L.A. Times sports department a few years ago (Dec. 27, 1989 Barbie Ludovise) wrote an article on the best players in each sport from the decade of the ‘80s. Not only did you vote Tom Lewis the top basketball player of the ‘80s, you also voted Tom Lewis as your Male Athlete of the Decade and Janet Evans the Female Athlete of the Decade.

So, if Tom Lewis is your Male Athlete of the Decade for the ‘80s, how can Rick Leach (who wasn’t even your top tennis player of the ‘80s) now be your athlete listed under the letter L as your legend?

Obviously it looks like your staff has a lack of communication or someone has an axe to grind toward Tom Lewis and Mater Dei.

Jay Alday

Garden Grove

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When comparing various athletes’ accomplishments, one must look at the level of competition at which those athletes excelled.

When comparing Michele Granger and Brian Goodell, Brian has to be the clear winner. In 1976, while still a student at Mission Viejo High, Brian won two Olympic gold medals at Montreal, breaking his own world records in both the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle events. He went on to win three gold medals in the 1979 Pan American Games and was expected to medal in five events in the 1980 Moscow Olympics before President Carter denied our athletes the opportunity to compete. Brian set a total of five world records during his career, won 10 U.S. National AAU titles and nine NCAA individual titles for UCLA.

Goodell was Swimming World Magazine’s World Swimmer of the Year in 1977 and American Swimmer of the Year in 1978. He has been inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame, the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame. When reviewing the proud history of Orange county prep sports, G stands for Goodell.

Bill Cowdrey

Coto de Caza

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Danny O’Neill, Mater Dei, University of Oregon, Pacific 10 champions, 1994. He’s the man.

Mark Lansdon

Orange

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When I was a young boy in L.A., there was a high school sprinter from Huntington Beach named Eddie Morris. He was the fastest high school runner in the nation. He was running consistent 9.7-second 100-yard dashes. He was so far ahead of his time in those days, it was unbelievable.

Sid Hallburn

Huntington Beach

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Ed. Note: Morris was a three-time State champion in the 220-yard dash ; he tied Jesse Owens’ high school record of 20.7 seconds in 1940.

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It was fun to reminisce and see so many names of people I have known and have read about in my 34 years in Orange County. You indicated that the collective experience of your group exceeded 200 years, but it seems to me that you failed to delve into Orange County’s history before the 1980s. Where are Gary Hall and Rod Strachan, Olympic gold medalists in swimming?

As far as women’s athletics, I can recall back in the early 1970s that not much coverage was given to women. My daughter, Vicki Hays, was an outstanding swimmer for Troy who set several records in high school swimming in the 1971-73 seasons. In 1973, she earned a berth on the U.S. National swim team that competed in the first World Swimming and Diving Championships held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. She established a number of national records swimming for Stanford in the old women’s athletic league.

No doubt you will hear others who have a bias as I do. People of Orange County have raised outstanding athletes and we need to be reminded of them and honor them.

Don Hays

Anaheim

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Dale Story, Orange High, 1959, set the national scholastic record of 4:11.0 (in the mile) at the State meet in 1959 and went on to win the NCAA cross-county championship at Oregon State.

Don Burnette

Orange assistant cross-country coach

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Mark Boyer, Edison football, had a great high school and professional career; and Duval Love, Fountain Valley football, a great high school, college and pro football career.

Joe Mohney

Huntington Beach

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I believe there was a huge omission under the V category. John Vallely was one of the premier high school basketball players in Orange County. After an all-league, all-county and leading scorer career at Corona del Mar, he went on to Orange Coast College where he led the state in scoring in ’67 and ‘68, and then on to UCLA, where he was a starting guard on the Wicks-Rowe championship teams. He ultimately played for the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks in the NBA before a nagging foot injury ended his career.

Michael Leech

Laguna Beach

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I’m not totally against John Huarte on the H, but Glenn Hoffman, who played at Savanna in the mid-70s, was the Orange County player of the year in baseball. He also set the school basketball record for most points in a career, which has since been broken, but at the time it was a pretty nice double. He played nine years with the Red Sox, Dodgers and the Angels; now he’s the head of minor league operations with the Dodgers.

Greg Hoffman

Savanna, Class of ’73

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A couple of S candidates that were omitted; (Garden Grove’s) Mark Schilling, who I believe still holds the county mile record at 4:05.4 (set in 1972) and he had a pretty good career at San Jose State afterward; and Ralph Serna, of Loara, who as a junior, I believe, held the world junior record for the 5K and three-mile at 13:45 and 14:15, respectively.

Dr.John Koningh

Irvine

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You left off Eddie Lavelle, who excelled at cross-country and track for Corona del Mar High School and had one of the best times in the nation in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Kjell Anderson

Mission Viejo

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Richard (Dick) Newhart, from the original Capistrano High School, was a star in golf, tennis, football, basketball and baseball. He was drafted by the Red Sox and was one of the best athletes to come out of Orange County in the early ‘60s. He definitely should have been on the list.

Todd Marinovich, should have been on the list even though he’s a bad boy. He didn’t last, but that doesn’t cancel him out from being a high school legend in Orange County. There wasn’t a better high school quarterback around--ever.

Dennis Sommers

Mission Viejo

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Capistrano Valley’s Brian Bluetrich from the early 1980s was an All-American from UCLA, as well as a member of the 1992 Olympic team. While he was in high school, he held the California discus and shot put records, and still holds the discus record. Also, Polly Plumer from University High School, who holds the national high school record in the mile.

Mark Kallick

Huntington Beach

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Lance Stewart played football, basketball and volleyball all four years at Laguna Beach High. His senior year in volleyball, he was all-league, all-CIF and player of the year on an undefeated state championship team. In basketball, Lance played point guard and was all-league and an all-star. In football, Lance played linebacker and quarterback and was all-league and All-CIF, and his team went on to the playoffs for the first time in 23 years. Lance is now a very successful volleyball coach at Corona del Mar.

Warren Blossom

Laguna Beach

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I would suggest Joe-Max Moore for soccer, in that he was The Times’ high school player of the decade for the 1980s. He scored the winning goal in the Pan American Games for the first (U.S.) gold medal ever in soccer in 1991; he had a goal in the Olympics against Italy and was on the 1994 World Cup team. He is a two-time All-American and the leading scorer on the national team in 1993.

Carl Moore

Mission Viejo

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I have two additions to your legends list, both water polo players from Villa Park. Gavin Arroyo, who graduated in 1990, was the county’s swimmer of the year and also the county’s water polo player of the year, was a four-year player at California, a three-time NCAA champion and is a current national team member. The other is Doug Kimble, who was All-CIF, played at Long Beach State, was an All-American and was on the Olympic team in 1988 and ’92 and will also be on in ’96 in Atlanta.

John Kulisich

Orange

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Not a single male athlete was mentioned from track and field. You mentioned Eric Hulst as an “other,” but I think he was one of the top distance runners we ever had--he belongs right up at the top.

Vince O’Boyle

UC Irvine track coach

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I was a classmate of Mark Wulfemeyer’s and went to school all four years that he did, and I think he was a much more deserving candidate for the W section. I base that on watching him and being really awed by him, by watching him do things that, as another individual his same age, I couldn’t even approach doing. Tiger Woods is very good at what he does, but Mark was doing things that people five or six years older couldn’t do.

Dan Beauchamp

Dove Canyon

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Hank (The Hammer) Bauer, former running back for the San Diego Chargers, definitely needs to be included on the Legends list. He played football for Magnolia. How about Dave Wilson (Katella), former backup quarterback for the New Orleans Saints?

Jay Boughter

Huntington Beach

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For the letter W, Tim Wallach, University High, Saddleback College and Cal State Fullerton.

Dick Roche

University assistant baseball coach

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You should have included Pete Sanchez, Mater Dei football. He led the Monarchs to the 1965 4-A championship and was Times Orange County back of the year, CIF 4-A co-player of the year and a prep All-American.

Also Eric Patton, Mater Dei football, was a three-year starter, 1966 and ’67 Times’ All-Orange County, 1967 Times’ lineman of the year, unanimous All-CIF 1967, a prep All-American and three-year varsity player at Notre Dame. He is the football head coach at Capistrano Valley and played with the Southern California Suns.

Matt Gaffney

San Juan Capistrano

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If my fading memory serves me correctly, a prominent Times Orange County sportswriter retired last year, and, after 25 years of covering prep sports, named his top county athletes. He said, without reservation, that Esperanza’s Travis Kirschke was the most dominating football player he saw in high school and maybe the best in any sport. While Natalie Kaaiawahia’s feats are remarkable, how can you ignore one of your own veteran writers?

Craig Willardson

Yorba Linda

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Someone who should have been on the list but wasn’t is Rog Middleton, who played high school basketball at Tustin (‘87) and college ball at Chapman. He was the all-time scorer at Chapman.

Sharon Middleton

Tustin

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Alan Bannister (Kennedy High, ‘69) should have been there.

Don Adams

Irvine

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Zach Cooper, a Canyon wrestler from 88-90; he went 100-1, won two State titles at 191 pounds, four Masters and four CIF titles, and a national title. My final year, he picked our guy up, showed him to the crowd, and then slammed him down. I think that’s pretty impressive and pretty legendary.

Pete Scott

Orange

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I’d recommend from Rancho Alamitos Randy Vataha, who starred there in 1967 and went on to play at Golden West College, at Stanford and then the New England Patriots. I would also recommend swimmer Gary Hall, who graduated from Rancho in 1969, competed in three Olympics (1968, ‘72, ‘76) and medaled in all three (two silvers, bronze) and was the holder of numerous world records.

Alan Roeder

Costa Mesa

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You left off your legendary list Chip Rish, Marina track and field, from ‘82-84; I believe he was the Sunset League champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters three years in a row. He won the ’84 State meet in a time of 46.82 in the 400 meters. It was pretty impressive, and I don’t know how many people have been able to get close to that.

Preston Hayslette

Huntington Beach

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You left off two Olympic athletes: Brian Bluetrich was a shotputter and discus thrower, a national record-holder at Capistrano Valley who also was on the 1992 Barcelona Olympic team, and Wendy Williams, who was a diver at Mission Viejo who won the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics in platform diving.

Steve Bell

San Clemente

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Duval Love, Fountain Valley offensive/defensive tackle, went on to play at UCLA and gained All-American status; formerly with the Rams, now he’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rob Marquez

Santa Ana

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Stormin’ Norm Johnson from Pacifica, 1978. He also played footballand was a kicker for the Seattle Seahawks. That’s one of the main guys you missed.

Neil Hanson

Newport Beach

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Toby Whipple, who played at Tustin High, was a good running back and then went on to play at Saddleback College and was, and I think still has, the state record for most career rushing yardage for junior college football and led Saddleback to its first conference championship and national ranking back in 1969.

John Stewart

Santa Ana