Not Just One Way to Be an All-Pro

Across the region, in small towns and big cities, in blue-collar neighborhoods and upper-class cul-de-sacs, the dreams of high school football players are the same.

They want to reach the NFL.

Only a few make it.

For every John Elway (Granada Hills ‘79) or Erik Kramer (Burroughs ‘83), there are countless others who must face the reality of life without football.

It isn’t easy to move on. Many teenagers don’t prepare for the day someone judges them not fast enough, strong enough or big enough to play the game they love.

Eventually, they will learn a little secret: They can become as important to their community as any NFL star.

Here’s a look at some former area football standouts who have moved on with their lives and found success in other venues:

Wide receiver Jim Friedl (Agoura ‘85) is an attorney in Thousand Oaks.

Running back Terry Barnum (Alemany ‘92) is the business manager for USC’s College of Arts, Letters and Science. Quarterback Roy Talavera (Alemany ‘88) is an LAPD patrol officer.

Running back Eric Mortensen (Antelope Valley ‘87) is a chiropractor in Ventura.

Kicker Sy Silverstein (Birmingham ‘78) is a dentist.

Offensive lineman John “Shotgun” Simpson (Buena ‘89) is an attorney.

Tight end Dyson Hamner (Burbank ‘81) is an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego.

Tailback Edgar Penaranda (Burroughs ‘81) is a Burbank policeman.

Defensive back Kenny Moskow (Calabasas ‘86) is an actor. Offensive lineman Jon Perlstein (Calabasas ‘86) is a doctor in the Bay Area.

Defensive tackle Bob Milhauser (Canoga Park ‘76) is a captain in the L.A. Fire Department.

Linebacker Scott Monson (Canyon ‘82) is an engineer for Boeing’s Rocketdyne Division in Canoga Park and a Pop Warner coach in Saugus.

Kicker Chris Noonan (Chaminade ‘88) is a product manager for Pharmanex in Simi Valley.

Running back Usher Barnum (Chatsworth ‘81) is a lieutenant in the Navy and serves on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. Linebacker Paul Horowitz (Chatsworth ‘89) is a doctor.

Running back William Dixion (Cleveland ‘86) is an FBI agent.

Quarterback Ron Redell (Crespi ‘89) is an investment advisor in the Bay Area. Center Billy Redell (Crespi ‘87) is an attorney and manager of the Solvang Bakery. Quarterback Randy Redell (Crespi ‘86) is an F-16 pilot and a captain in the Air Force.

Linebacker Scott Akerley (Crescenta Valley ‘88) owns an escrow company in Glendale.

Running back Ron Colarosi (El Camino Real ‘80) owns Trees N Things in Woodland Hills.

Linebacker Chris Duddy (Granada Hills ‘79) is a cinematographer. Quarterback Dana Potter (Granada Hills ‘71) owns Pinnacle Estate Properties in Northridge.

Quarterback Roy Rodriguez (Grant ‘91) is in the Marines.

Quarterback Tom Bonds (Hart ‘84) is a financial consultant for Merrill Lynch in Chicago. Offensive lineman Brian Jacobs (Hart ‘88) is an account executive at Dean Witter. Kicker Jim Harper (Hart ‘88) is an LAPD patrol officer.

Nose guard Langston Holley (Harvard-Westlake ‘87) is a brain surgeon.

Defensive back Ronald Hardy (Kennedy ‘88) is a correctional officer in Boron. Defensive back Dion Lambert (Kennedy ‘87) is a social studies teacher and assistant coach at Kennedy.

Defensive back Jim Sharp (Monroe ‘72) is a production manager at DreamWorks. Quarterback Guy Benjamin (Monroe ‘73) is an assistant coach at Hawaii.

Quarterback Steve Lockwood (Poly ‘76) is a dentist.

Wide receiver Eddie Cibrian (Montclair Prep ‘91) is one of the stars of the TV soap opera “Sunset Beach.”

Quarterback Wayne Cook (Newbury Park ‘89) is teaching history and coaching football at Chaparral High in Temecula.

Tight end Russell Greene (North Hollywood ‘89) is a private investigator.

Offensive lineman John Simic (Notre Dame ‘84) graduated from Harvard and is a doctor in emergency medicine in Paramount. Offensive lineman Paul Simic (Notre Dame ‘86) is in his fourth year of medical school at Cornell Medical College.

Quarterback Scott Schaeffer (Reseda ‘86) is a chiropractor in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Offensive lineman Jason Wendland (Royal ‘92) is a stockbroker in Chicago.

Defensive back Dan Spriesterbach (St. Francis ‘64) is a Pacific 10 Conference football official.

Quarterback Sean Sterle (St. Genevieve ‘83) is a physical therapist. Wide receiver Jan Cespedes (St. Genevieve ‘83) is a theology school studying to become a minister.

Offensive lineman Allan Graf (San Fernando ‘69) is a stunt coordinator and second-unit director. Running back Manfred Moore (San Fernando ‘70) is a banker.

Defensive lineman London Woodfin (Sylmar ‘90) is a history teacher and an assistant football coach at Sylmar.

Wide receiver Bill Spooner (Taft ‘75) is an NBA official.

Linebacker Anthony Yokoyama (Thousand Oaks ‘82) is a doctor performing cancer research at Princeton.

Wide receiver Seamus Gibbons (Westlake ‘91) is a chef. Wide receiver Gary Wellman (Westlake ‘86) sells surgical supplies in Santa Fe, N.M.

Linebacker Eric Rogers (Van Nuys ‘83) is vice president for Prudential Securities.

See, there’s life after football.

*

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.