Gene Washington
After starring at Long Beach Poly, Gene Washington played under John Ralston at Stanford. He switched from quarterback to receiver after his sophomore year and led Stanford in receptions for his last two years, catching 71 passes for 1117 yards as a senior, with Jim Plunkett at quarterback. He was drafted in the first round […]
Tom Flores
Tom Flores is, along with Mike Ditka, one of only two people to win a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach. Born in Sanger, California, Flores played quarterback for College of Pacific (now University of Pacific), which he attended on an academic scholarship. He joined the Oakland Raiders in […]
Brent Jones
Brent Jones spent his entire athletic career—prep, college and professional—in the Bay Area, going from Leland High in San Jose to Santa Clara University to the San Francisco 49ers. He was the thirrd tight end taken in the 1986 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 5th round. After being injured in a car […]
Tim Brown
When the Raiders returned to their original home in Oakland in 1995, after 13 seasons in Los Angeles, they brought one superstar with them. His name was Tim Brown. In the wake of winning the Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame and being drafted in the first round by the Raiders, Brown went on to a […]
Bob Ladouceur
Under Bob Ladouceur, the football records at De La Salle High School in Concord look made up or misprinted. In 34 seasons, his Spartans won 399 games, the most in California history, lost 25 and tied three for a winning percentage of 93.4%, the highest among any prep coach in the country. His teams captured […]
Eddie LeBaron
Despite his diminutive stature – 5’7”, 165 pounds – Eddie LeBaron led College (now University) of Pacific to an undefeated season in 1949 and was named Most Valuable Player in the annual Shrine East-West All-Star Game in San Francisco. Drafted in the tenth round by the Washington Redskins because of his small size, he soon […]
Joe Kapp
Joe Kapp is the only quarterback to lead teams to the Rose Bowl, the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup, and the Super Bowl. He was the last quarterback to throw 7 touchdown passes in a single game (vs. the Baltimore Colts in 1969.) He was the leading passer and rusher on the University of California’s […]
Steve Young
Steve Young finished a 13-year career with the 49ers as the NFL’s highest-ranked career passer with a rating of 96.8. He was the league’s MVP in 1992 and 1994 and Super Bowl XXIX MVP after he tossed a Super Bowl record six touchdown passes in the Niners’ 49 to 26 win over San Diego. He […]
Dick Bass
Dick Bass became a Bay Area high school sports legend in the 1950s as a sensational running back at Vallejo High, scoring 37 touchdowns in nine games as a senior. He was no less sensational at the College of Pacific, recording a rare trifecta in 1959 when he led the nation in rushing, scoring, and […]
Ted Hendricks
Ted Hendricks played nine seasons for the Raiders, revolutionizing the linebacker position in the 1970s and 1980s by operating both behind the line in run and pass coverage and as a pass rusher from what would ordinarily be a defensive end position. Unusually tall at 6’7″ for a linebacker, he was seemingly all over the […]