Burbank honors its own

BURBANK HIGH — They were award-winning athletes, successful coaches and revered administrators.

In their tenure at Burbank High, a special group of individuals helped put the school on the athletic map, helped bring pride to the city and made names for themselves in the process.

That group was honored Friday at the second induction of the Burbank High Athletic Hall of Fame, held at the school.

Organized by Burbank Athletic Director Fred Cook, the event brought back former Bulldogs athletes and coaches from a number of decades.

“I am just so honored and so humbled to be inducted with such a great group of individuals,” said Dave Kemp, who coached a number of sports and is a former athletic director at the school. “I am just so lucky to be associated with such a great group of people while I was at Burbank High.”

Kemp was inducted alongside his lifelong friend, Frank Kallem. Coaching a variety of sports, the two helped teams win many league and CIF championships, including boys’ cross-country crowns in 1964 and 1970. In addition, both served as athletic directors at the school. Kallem was at the school from 1962-2000 and Kemp coached from 1966-2000.

Fellow inductee Ralph Botting was a baseball standout who earned CIF Southern Section 3-A Player of the Year honors in 1974. He went on to play Major League Baseball. He said he was surprised when he was first told of his hall of fame induction.

“This is just so special for me,” Botting said. “This is just an honor, to be remembered after all these years.”

Botting, class of 1974, was a standout pitcher for the Bulldogs’ baseball program. He helped Burbank reach the playoff semifinals the same year. The left-hander was drafted by the California Angels in the seventh round of the 1974 amateur draft and played for the team in 1979 and 1980.

After a meet-and-greet Friday, the inductees took the stage for an awards ceremony.

“It’s a proud moment for me to be here,” said Christy Calderon, a softball and basketball star who went on to softball success at the University of California. “This is just amazing. It’s been a great experience thinking back to my old times at Burbank.”

Calderon, class of 1987, is considered by many as one of the best female athletes to come from Burbank. She was an All-CIF honoree in two sports, and still holds school records in basketball and softball. She played third base in college for the University of California, and set a school record (since broken) with 161 assists in a season in 1988.

Also joining the class was Byron “Tony” Frank, class of 1928. He is considered by some to be the school’s best athlete ever. He earned an amazing 16 varsity letters and led a host of teams to league championships. He went on to play football at UCLA

Roy Lockwood, class of 1932, was a three-sport standout for the Bulldogs. He returned to the school as a coach, winning league titles in boys’ basketball and swimming. His 1967 swim team won a CIF Southern Section championship. He went on to star at the University of Redlands and is a member of the school’s hall of fame.

Roy’s son, John — class of 1960 was an All-CIF and Foothill League Back of the Year during his senior football season. He was also a star track and field athlete. He played at the University of Colorado and at USC.

“I was shocked when they told me I was going in,” John Lockwood said. “There have been some very good athletes at Burbank High over the years. This is a great honor.”

Bob Pierce, class of 1959, was a talented track and field and cross-country runner for the Bulldogs. In 1959, he won a state championship in the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.3 seconds. He went on to compete for USC.

Ken Ziskin, class of 1966, is one of a group of fine swimmers to come from the Bulldogs’ program. Along with winning many league individual championships, Ziskin captured two CIF titles in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1965 (1:01.6) and 1966 (1:01.8). He was also a three-time All-American and a fine water polo player. He competed for USC.

Also honored were the 1975 CIF-champion softball team and the 1964 boys’ cross-country team that won a CIF title, placing five runners in the top 20 in the final.