Brandi Chastain
Soccer star Brandi Chastain’s love of sports was honed in childhood. Growing up in San Jose, she was an avid supporter of the San Jose Earthquakes. She was on a youth team called the Quakettes and was so enamored of her uniform that she slept in it. She became a student of the game, long […]
Harris Barton
Harris Barton, from his right tackle position with the 49ers, protected two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Barton likened Joe Montana’s style to that of a symphony conductor, and said Steve Young was more like the leader of a “jam session.” Both quarterbacks produced beautiful music, but they couldn’t have done it without the bedrock-solid […]
Matt Cain
Durability and dominance separated Matt Cain from even the most accomplished San Francisco Giants. He amassed 12 years and 38 days of continuous major league service time, more than any Giant who played exclusively for the ballclub since its 1958 move west. Cain also distinguished himself on June 13, 2012, by pitching the major leagues’ […]
Tim Hardaway
He played his college ball at the University of Texas, El Paso, known as UTEP, so the move by Tim Hardaway, the crossover dribble, was nicknamed “The UTEP Two-Step.” But Hardaway, originally from Chicago, could do so much more than put the basketball on the floor. The 14th overall pick in the 1989 draft by […]
John McVay
One of John McVay’s first assignments upon joining the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 was finding Bill Walsh, a quarterback. The search ended in the draft’s third round with a skinny Notre Dame passer named Joe Montana. “We couldn’t understand why he was still there in the third round,” McVay said. “At the time, he […]
Dave Dravecky
Dave Dravecky’s ultimate victory transcended all others, for it was a triumph of heart. During 1988, his seventh big league season, Dravecky learned that he had a Desmoid tumor in his left arm, requiring surgical removal of half of the deltoid muscle. Dravecky resumed pitching in 1989 and thrilled a Candlestick Park crowd of 34,810 […]
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert’s wide-ranging success is unique in the history of tennis: Top 10 ATP player including a career-high #4 ranking; elite coach of grand slam champions; author of the international best-seller Winning Ugly; and popular commentator on ESPN. In 1994 Gilbert began coaching Agassi who was struggling with a serious wrist injury and had dropped […]
Jason Kidd
Forged under the fiery tough-love tutelage of local point guard legend Gary Payton, Jason Kidd’s hall of fame basketball career began in Oakland under perhaps more scrutiny than any other prep star had ever seen up to that point. In the late eighties and early nineties, the local demand to see Kidd play forced little […]
Keena Turner
Keena Turner exemplified the 49ers’ dominance in the National Football League throughout the 1980s. He was a versatile, game-changing linebacker throughout his 11-year professional career. His impact was also felt off the field with the integrity, class, and commitment he demonstrated during and after his playing days. He played his entire professional football career with […]
Tara VanDerveer
The consummate teacher, yet always a student of the game, Tara VanDerveer has amassed one of the greatest careers in the history of college athletics. One of a handful of NCAA basketball coaches with more than 1,000 career wins, the legendary Stanford women’s basketball coach cemented her legacy as a pioneer, mentor, role model, and […]