Helen Wills Roark
Considered one the best women tennis players of all time, “Little Miss Poker Face” began her remarkable career at the Berkeley Tennis Club. From her initial victories there, Helen Wills Roark moved swiftly to international renown, beginning at age 17 on the courts of Forest Hills. Included in her 16 years of conquests are eight […]
Francis “Lefty” Joseph O’Doul
“Lefty” O’Doul and San Francisco are synonymous. He was born here, raised here, and after 73 years, he died here. O’Doul won two major league batting championships, managed four Pacific Coast League pennant winners, and had 254 base hits with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1929 (a record as yet unmatched by any National League list). […]
Robert “Bob” Bruce Mathias
On August 6, 1948, 17-year-old Bob Mathias of Tulare High School competed in a grueling 10-event test of heart and muscle to become “the world’s greatest all-around athlete” at the Olympic Games decathlon. Four years later, the stronger and more experienced Mathias became the first ever to win the decathlon twice, setting a world record […]
Vernon “Lefty” Louis Gomez
Discovered on the sandlots of Richmond High School, 17-year-old “Lefty” Gomez’s next stop was the San Francisco Seals. His pitching debut there was a three-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Following an eight-game winning streak, Gomez was sighed by the New York Yankees, where his career took off with the same incredible velocity of his famous […]
Frank “Frankie” Culling Albert
Frankie Albert enjoys the distinction of being the first player signed by the San Francisco 49ers for competition in the All-American Football Conference. That 1946 event was preceded by Albert’s starring performance as quarterback for Stanford University. There the triple-threat kicked, passed and ran his way to lead the Cardinals to victory in the Pacific […]