Even Being the Best of L.A. an Achievement for Elway

John Elway arguably is the best football player ever produced by a Greater Los Angeles high school. I emphasize arguably because it’s possible he’s not even the best quarterback from the San Fernando Valley.

Elway, who played at Granada Hills High, is leaving the NFL after 16 seasons with five Super Bowl starts, two Super Bowl rings, 54,882 all-purpose yards, 327 touchdowns and, most impressive of all, 47 fourth-quarter comebacks for victories.

Some will say, however, that Bob Waterfield of Van Nuys High was better.

There’s a reason for the cliche that it’s impossible to compare players from different eras. It’s true. But comparison also makes good conversation.

Elway’s statistics as a quarterback are superior, although Waterfield also started for two NFL championship teams--as a rookie in 1945 for the Cleveland Rams and in 1951 for the Los Angeles Rams, although he shared the position that season with Norm Van Brocklin.

Waterfield also kicked a field goal in the ’51 title game, a 24-17 victory at the Coliseum over the Cleveland Browns. His versatility leads some to conclude that even if he wasn’t a better quarterback than Elway, Waterfield was a better all-around football player.

That’s not fair to Elway. Playing in an era of two platoons and specialization, he wasn’t required to do as much as he probably could have, considering his athletic ability.

But there’s no doubt about Waterfield. He still holds UCLA’s record for the longest punt--91 yards against March Air Force Base in 1944--and the Ram record for field goals in a game--five against Detroit in ’51. He also played defensive back in college and the pros.

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The envelope, please.

Upon consulting wiser men, I have concluded that the 11 best football players to come from L.A. area high schools are:

1. Elway; 2. Hugh McElhenny, Washington; 3. Waterfield; 4. Ronnie Lott, Rialto Eisenhower; 5. Anthony Munoz, Ontario Chaffey; 6. Tom Fears, Manual Arts; 7. Mike Garrett, Roosevelt; 8. Kenny Washington, Lincoln; 9. Ron Mix, Hawthorne; 10. Ron Yary, Bellflower; 11. Charles White, San Fernando.

The list is so strong that two players chosen No. 1 in the NFL draft, Ricky Bell of Fremont and Keyshawn Johnson of Dorsey, didn’t make it.

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Elway and Lott are destined to join Waterfield, McElhenny, Fears, Mix and Munoz in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. . . .

None, however, had more impact on professional football, or professional sports for that matter, than a Hall of Famer from Compton High, former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. . . .

Paul Hackett experienced his first big loss at USC as an assistant under John Robinson. . . .

Hackett was responsible for recruiting Elway, who chose Stanford. . . .

“There was some concern he would disrupt our power, tailback-dominated offense,” Hackett recalled last year. “It’s a risk we were willing to take.” . . .

USC’s R. Jay Soward and UCLA’s Danny Farmer form the wide receiver tandem on Playboy’s preseason All-American team. . . .

UCLA is looking for women involved in its athletic programs over the last 25 years who haven’t heard about the dinner in their honor Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton. . . .

Among women who have committed to attend are Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Natalie Williams, Ann Meyers Drysdale and Dot Richardson. . . .

After years of considering it, Hollywood Park officials named a race at the current meeting for Charlie Whittingham. . . .

They waited too long for him to enjoy it. The legendary trainer died last week at 86. . . .

At least they chose the right day for it--Memorial Day. . . .

The Dodgers traded Todd Zeile to make room for their third baseman of the future, Adrian Beltre. Texas traded its third baseman of the future, Fernando Tatis, to St. Louis to make room for Zeile. . . .

That worked out for the Rangers last season. In the long run, though, give the edge to the Dodgers and Cardinals. . . .

The latest edition of “Total Baseball,” the official encyclopedia of major league baseball, includes an entertaining profile of Casey Stengel, who was named the Yankees’ manager 50 years ago. . . .

“My God, we have hired a clown,” one team executive said. . . .

Why would he think that? Because Stengel once tipped his cap to fans while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and a sparrow flew out? Or because he once was recruited as a publicity stunt to drop a baseball from an airplane for his manager, Wilbert Robinson, to catch but dropped a grapefruit instead, splattering Robinson’s face? . . .

The club’s clown became the John Wooden of baseball, winning 10 American League pennants and seven World Series.

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While wondering if Chan Ho Park is still shellshocked, I was thinking: Glen Rice should consider moving without the ball, the Clippers are blowing their lottery chances, whoever said the NHL playoffs last too long wasn’t from Southern California.

Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harvey@latimes.com.