Hugh “King” Edward McElhenny
Detroit Lions, 1964Football Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny’s career spanned thirteen seasons in the National Football League. He was elected to the Associated Press 1951 All-American team and the All-Pro teams of 1952 and 1953 Hugh led the NFL rushers in his rookie season. In his first three years with the 49ers, he averaged 6.2 […]
Juan Antonio Sanchez Marichal
An outstanding pitcher, Juan Marichal compiled a 243-142-lifetime record in 16 big league seasons. On June 15, 1963, he pitched a 1-0 no-hitter at Candlestick Park against the Houston Colts. Soon after, he pitched a sixteen-inning shutout 1-0 against the Milwaukee Braves and Warren Spahn on July 3, 1963. Marichal won more than 20 games […]
Ernest “Ernie” Natali Lombardi
Born and raised in Oakland and one of the most popular players baseball has known, Ernie Lombardi won the 1938 batting title with a .342 average and most valuable player honors while with Cincinnati. He repeated batting title honors in 1942 with a .330 mark with the Boston Braves. In 17 National League seasons, Lombardi […]
Joseph “Joe” Edward Cronin
A baseball Hall of Famer, Joe Cronin’s major league career spanned 20 years. A perennial all-star, he was named Most Valuable Player in the American League in 1930, at age 24, with a batting average of .345. Cronin compiled a lifetime average of .302. He led the Senators to a pennant in 1933 as shortstop […]
J. “Don” Donald Budge
Tennis great, Don Budge was first to win the great slam in 1938 and was both the Wimbledon and U.S. Champion in 1937. The Number one player of the era, he twice won the national amateur tennis title and three times won top professional honors. He was born and raised in Oakland and attended University […]
Frank Robinson
Raised in Oakland, Frank Robinson was a baseball star at McClymonds High School before joining the Cincinnati Reds, where he was selected National League Rookie of the Year. A member of the Reds for 10 years and the Baltimore Orioles for six, Robinson holds the distinction of being the first player to win baseball’s MVP […]
Ollie Genoa Matson
A member of the 1952 Olympic team, Ollie Matson starred in football and track at San Francisco’s Washington High School, City College, and the University of San Francisco. A Silver Medal winner in the 1952 Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. 4×400 meters relay team, Matson also won a Bronze Medal, finishing third […]
Jack “Jackie” Eugene Jensen
Football and baseball great Jackie Jensen was born in San Francisco in 1927. An All-American halfback at the University of California, Berkeley, he also played on the UC baseball team as a pitcher-outfielder. Jensen began his professional career under Casey Stengel’s Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, and, in 1949, was sold to the […]
Ann Curtis Cuneo
Olympic Gold Medal winner and native San Franciscan Ann Curtis Cuneo was a member of the San Francisco Crystal Plunge team. This extraordinary swimmer was coached by Charlie Sava. Curtis won her Gold Medal during London’s 1948 Olympic Games in the 400-meter freestyle competition. She received a second Gold Medal as anchor of the U.S. […]
James “Gentleman Jim” John Corbett
A boxing immortal, the late James J. Corbett won the heavyweight boxing title in 1892, when he knocked out the famed John L. Sullivan in New Orleans after 21 rounds. Known as “Gentleman Jim,” San Francisco-born Corbett weighed 178 pounds to Sullivan’s 212. A representative of San Francisco’s Olympic Club, Corbett was the first champion […]