The City Section’s history of talent
After nearly five years of talking, tinkering and debating, Los Angeles high schools finally have their own sports hall of fame, with 55 of the best athletes and coaches Southern California has produced inducted into the inaugural class.
Included are hall of famers from the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball, Olympic gold medalists and a Heisman Trophy winner.
Barbara Fiege, who as athletics commissioner of the City Section spearheaded the project, said the depth of talent that came through Los Angeles schools during the 20th century “certainly opens your eyes.”
To be considered for induction, a candidate must be at least 35 years old and a graduate of an L.A. City school. High school, collegiate and professional achievements were considered by a selection committee comprising L.A. Unified School District administrators and experts in sports history.
Thirty of the recipients are still alive. Twenty-five are deceased. Many of the names will evoke memories of greatness and cause grandfathers and grandmothers to speak up about a different era.
There were slam-dunks, such as John Elway from Granada Hills in football, Gail Goodrich from Sun Valley Poly in basketball, Don Drysdale from Van Nuys and Ozzie Smith from Locke in baseball. All are members of their professional halls of fame.
However, it was difficult to identify athletes from more than 50 years ago who were the best of their eras.
There was Mel Patton from University, who won the gold medal in the 200 meters at the 1948 Olympic Games and was an NCAA sprint champion for USC in 1947 and 1948.
There was Mal Whitfield from Jefferson, a Tuskegee Airman who won gold medals in the 800 at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.
There was Hugh McElhenny from Washington, who ran for 11,375 yards during a 13-year NFL career and was one of the best running backs during the 1950s.
There was Bob Waterfield from Van Nuys, one of the greatest all-around athletes in City Section history. He was the NFL’s most valuable player as a rookie quarterback for the Cleveland Rams in 1945.
There was swimmer Esther Williams from Washington, who became a movie star in the 1940s by using her aquatic skills.
Having covered high school sports for more than 30 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to see some of the inductees when they were teenagers, and all the stories are true.
To me, Elway is the most unique of the inductees because he was the best I’ve ever seen from high school to the pros. His quarterback skills, whether throwing, scrambling or leading, were off the charts from the time he was 16 to when he retired from the Denver Broncos.
I was at Dodger Stadium in 1982 when baseball inductee Bret Saberhagen threw a no-hitter for Reseda Cleveland in the City championship game against Palisades. Yes, he went on to win two Cy Young Awards and was the 1985 World Series MVP, but that no-hitter in the City final has never been duplicated.
I was heading into high school when inductee Marques Johnson was a basketball star at Crenshaw and later the No. 1 player in college at UCLA. He’d swoop in out of nowhere, make a dunk or block a shot.
When Roosevelt High is mentioned, Mike Garrett’s name usually comes up. He went from City football player of the year in 1961 to Heisman Trophy winner at USC in 1965. Even Garfield fans cheer for Garrett.
Among the coaches to be inducted, Willie West won eight state titles and 803 games in basketball at Crenshaw. Sparky Anderson, a Dorsey grad, was the manager for three World Series champions (Cincinnati in 1975 and 1976 and Detroit in 1984). Tex Winter from Huntington Park became the basketball mentor for Phil Jackson. And Rod Dedeaux from Hollywood became the legendary baseball coach at USC, where his teams won 11 NCAA championships.
An induction ceremony is planned for early next year, and there’s going to be a permanent place showing off the inductees. Every two years, another class will be inducted.
It’s long overdue to let everyone know about the glorious sports history compiled by athletes and coaches who called Los Angeles home.
And there won’t be any problem finding others to join the rookie group.
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