Gene Upshaw
Gene Upshaw joined the Oakland Raiders in 1967 from Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M) as the number-one draft choice. He and Art Shell, on the left side of the defensive line, were heralded as the best guard and tackle combination in the game. The path they left cleared for Raiders backs was known as […]
Vada Pinson
In his own workmanlike, dedicated fashion, speedy outfielder Vada Pinson played 18 seasons of major league baseball and built an imposing record— a .286 lifetime batting average and, just as important in his worth to his teams, a .981 fielding average. Pinson was one of a group of future major leaguers from Oakland’s McClymonds High […]
John Henry Johnson
Stardom for John Henry Johnson ranged from Pittsburg, California, where he was a high school sensation to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where as a super running back, he earned NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement. His career moved from Berkeley’s St. Mary’s High School to Arizona State to the 49ers as part of the “Million Dollar Backfield” of […]
Don Barksdale
After starring at a Berkeley playground, Don Barksdale was recruited to Marin JC and then to UCLA, where he was an All-American basketball player. He earned gold medals with the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team and in the Pan American Games of 1951. In that year, the 28-year-old rookie joined the Baltimore Bullets. Barksdale was the […]