Redwood High School Alumni
All Classes 1959 to present
RAHOF Inductee Bios
REDWOOD ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
The RAHOF selection committee is pleased to announce the following 2024 and 2025 inductees to the RHS Athletic Hall of Fame. The Banquet willl be held on March 8, 2024. Details and ticket sales will be available in January on the Alumni web site home page.
INTRODUCING THE 2025 REDWOOD ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
2025 ATHLETES
(2025) Ed Anderson ’75: Ed was the ace of Redwood’s pitching staff in an era that saw RHS win 10 consecutive MCAL baseball championships under Coach Al Endriss. Andersen was a four year varsity player for the Giants compiling a 38-5 record while posting a RHS career 1.25 earned-run average. Ed went 3-1 as a freshman and 7-3 as a sophomore, including a “perfect game”. He really hit his stride as an upperclassman and was literally unbeatable as a junior, posting a 14-0 record. He went 14-1 in his senior year, adding his second no-hitter. Ed was also a three-time all-MCAL first-team selection. He added a Tournament of Champions (“TOC”) first-team selection in 1973 and the TOC MVP honor in 1974. The TOC of that period is the equivalent of today’s NCS championship format. After high school, Ed was drafted in the second round with the No. 38th pick, by the Houston Astros. Andersen pitched six seasons in the minor leagues for Astros affiliates and one season with a Yankees affiliate. In addition to his baseball career, Andersen also played football at Redwood as a linebacker and a running back with the Giants for Coach Phil Roark. In his junior year he was selected 1st Team All-MCAL as a linebacker but did not play in his senior year to focus on baseball.
(2025) Robert Pavosevich ’77: When Rob started Redwood in 1973 he was barely able to swim two laps. Four years later, as a senior, he was team captain of the swimming and water polo teams. In 1973, Redwood won the MCAL water polo championship and Rob was voted first team All MCAL. He was also named an All American…”One of the top ten goalies in the US”. After high school Rob attended College of Marin for one year where he was water polo team captain. That year COM won the Bay Valley Conference Championship and Rob was voted first team all-conference. Rob moved on to UC Riverside where he was team captain and named All-Conference for three successive years. As a senior he was voted both Most Valuable Player & Most Inspirational Player and was also named a First Team Division II, All American. Rob continued playing water polo in his adult life, excelling on teams in Croatia, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. He is a seven time All-Star in the Eastern Water Polo League and has been named an over fifty USA Water Polo All-American. Robert has also given back, as a coach for several youth teams and a Northern Virginia Women’s team. He’s also coached water polo at Redwood for the 1984 season. He’s “Still learning” and can’t wait for the next match.
(2025) Sam Skinner ‘82: Sam came from a long lineage of record-breaking Redwood High School distance runners who excelled under the guidance of legendary coaches Doug “Flash” Basham and Ray Jaques. He was a 6-time MCAL champion, a 3-time NCS champion, a State Meet finalist, and team Captain at both Redwood and UC Berkeley. At Cal he was a 4-year letterman and set several school records. Sam distinguished himself early in his high school career and rose to become the dominant distance runner in the MCAL during his junior and senior seasons. In those years, he claimed the individual All-MCAL crown in both cross country and on the track at the two-mile distance. He also led the Redwood boys' team to its continued dominance over all other county rivals. In his junior year, an MCAL individual title and a NCS Division 3-A individual title served notice that Sam was one of the brightest new cross-country stars in Northern California. In his senior year, Sam ran undefeated through the MCAL cross country season and set a new Redwood High School home course record. At the MCAL championship meet, Sam led Redwood to the team title while bettering the MCAL’s Indian Valley Cross Country course record by 16-seconds. During his senior track and field campaign, Sam posted the fastest MCAL time of the season for the 3200-meter distance and claimed an individual MCAL Championship title. Upon graduation, Sam number finished fourth on the all-time MCAL list for the 3200-meter distance. Sam’s running career continued at UC Berkeley where he was a four year letterman and became the school’s top runner in the 3000-meter steeplechase during the 1984 and 1985 seasons. Sam is the kind of role model we admire in RHS athletes. He not only excelled as an athlete, he was also an excellent student and as an adult has continued to make a difference in his community. He has mentored his own kids as well as coached many local runners over the years. He has coached soccer and Little League, been active in school organizations and often helped their Foundations raise money for the local schools. He has supported and been part of several local running groups, has run the Dipsea and many other local races and continues to run in the Marin watershed, at Phoenix Lake and on his trusty treadmill at home.
(2025) Mike Firenzi ’83 - Coach: Mike Firenzi graduated from Redwood High School in 1983. Mike is one of RHS’s finest examples of giving back and has now spent 10 years (going on 11) as Redwood’s head varsity baseball coach. In that period, he has amassed an RHS resume that harkens back to Redwood’s dominance of the Al Endriss era: a184 win -72 loss RHS record, one North Coast Section championship, 5 MCAL titles, 1 NCS runner-up, and 1 Nor-Cal runner-up. These numbers are even more impressive given that there were no playoffs in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid. In addition to his time as varsity coach, Mike logged four seasons at Redwood as an assistant varsity coach (1987, 2012-2014) and two seasons as the Frosh-Soph head coach (1988-89) for a total of16 years mentoring Redwood student athletes. In addition to coaching, he has been a leader in the charge to refurbish both fields at Redwood, turning the Varsity field (Moody field) into one of best diamonds in the North Bay. Mike can usually be found on the RHS diamonds doing everything from pulling weeds to cleaning dugouts. Mike’s efforts at Redwood are the definition of commitment. It’s also worth noting that Mike has become the most successful high school baseball coach in Marin County history and was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. In 30 years of coaching at Marin County high schools, he has amassed a 537-207 record …That’s a .721 winning percentage. In that time, he has won 5 NCS championships, 13 MCAL titles and never missed the MCAL playoffs. More than 80 of Mikes players have gone on to play in college, 9 were drafted by Major League teams and 2 have played professional ball in Europe. There is no shortage of players who will describe the countless ways Mike helped them through challenging times, drawing from his own experiences to talk to them at a level they respect and value. All of Mike’s efforts and accomplishments reflect very well on Redwood, but even more than the numbers Mike has been the consummate role model to his players, helping them to become better ballplayers and more importantly, better young men.
2025 SPECIAL RECOGNITION
(2025) Steven K. B. Larsen (aka: Lou) ’69, Special Merit - Individual Recognition: Lou graduated in 1969 but it in his heart he never left Redwood. Lou especially loved RHS Basketball. For approximately 30 seasons Lou coached, mentored and provided real time game statistics for Redwood Basketball programs under varsity coaches Bill Peters, Steve Compagno, and Jerry Piro. He also worked with the very successful Varsity Women’s Basketball program under coach Diane Peterson. Lou was always willing to help and also did stats for Coach Peters at Novato High School from 1990-1996. Testimonial letters from these coaches always mention that Lou was very accurate and thorough at his job and brought the value of game statistics to a new level of importance for Redwood Basketball programs. He made a difference. Lou donated his time, laptop, printer, paper, and all the necessary cords needed to be ready for every game for 30 basketball seasons. It was well known that during all his years as a statistician Lou was well respected by every prep basketball coach in Marin County. Many were amazed that he would always manage to have three copies of the halftime and final stats ready for BOTH teams 30 seconds after each half. Lou also co-coached a very successful Redwood Freshmen Basketball program over a period of 10 years alongside coaching staffs led by Conor Flaherty, Ryan Lloyd and Bill Peters. Each of their teams averaged 20 wins per season which laid the foundation for RHS’s Men’s Varsity teams. Lou not only kept all the Shots, Rebounds, Assists, Fouls and Charges in order per player, he became a counselor and confidante to the hundreds of young student athletes he worked with. Many of those former players still call or txt “Coach - Sweet Lou” for a chat on a regular basis. According to RHS Alumni Association President, Marilee Rogers. Lou is also recognized as one of the founding members of the Alumni Association. He has been active on the Alumni Leadership Council since its inception in 2009. As of this writing Lou is currently the Chairperson of the Redwood Athletic Hall of Fame (“RAHOF”). Lou was one of a core committee of Alumni that made it possible for the Alumni Association to assume management of the RAHOF in 2013. Since then the RAHOF has elected forty new members and added new member categories of: “Special Merit-Individual ” and “Special Merit-Team” to the roster. Thanks to Lou and the Alumni Association team the biennial RAHOF Induction Banquets are a very popular event and are usually sold out. Redwood is proud to call Lou Larsen a great contributor and loyal friend and look forward to his induction into the Redwood Athletic Hall of Fame in March 2025.
2024 ATHLETES:
(2024) Jim Jones ’79: Jim excelled at football and baseball at RHS. On the baseball diamond he was a standout and was a three years RHS Varsity letterman. He was a two time All-MCAL Pitcher and a team leader of the RHS 1978 &1979 MCAL & NCS Championship teams. In 1979 he was selected as a Northern Cal All Star and played in the All California North v. South game. He was a great pitcher and pitched 5 no-hitters for Redwood in the 1978 and ’79 seasons. In his senior season he won 13 and lost 2 and had an ERA of 1.91 with 3 no hitters. Off the mound Jim was a versatile, defensive standout playing both 3rd Base and Left Field. Offensively he was very dangerous. He hit 6 Home Runs in each of the ‘78 and ‘79 seasons and ended his senior season with a batting average of .447. Jim was drafted by the pros out of high School but chose to play for Pepperdine University. While at Pepperdine he started 2 seasons, and was a SoCal area All Star. He led Pepperdine in Home Runs, hitting 18 out of the park in his final season. Jim was selected in the Pro Baseball draft in four successive years. He was drafted by Kansas City twice, then drafted by Milwaukee. He finally signed with the Oakland A’s who drafted him as a Catcher in the 11th Round. Jim was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
(2024) Brian Matthews ‘92: Water Polo and Swimming were his sports at Redwood but Brian focused on swimming and excelled in freestyle sprint events. Brian dominated the MCAL “free” sprint events. In his junior season at the All MCAL meet he took 1st in 50 y free, 2nd in 100y free, 1st in 200y Medley relay and 1st in 200y free relay. At the ’91 North Coast Section meet he took 1st in 50y free and 2nd in 100yd free. As an MCAL senior he took 1st in 50y backstroke, 1st in 50y free, 1st in 200y med relay and 1st in 200y free relay. At the ’92 NCS meet he took 2nd in 100y back and 3rd in 50y free, 3rd in 200y med relay and 4 in 200y free relay. In 1991 Brian was accorded All American honors in 50y freestyle and in ’92 he was an All American selection for both 50y freestyle and 100y backstroke events. While he was winning races in High School he was also winning AAU events for the Marin Pirates. In 1991 he placed 3rd in 18-under National Championships in 50y freestyle and 9th nationally in 100y free. In AAU swimming in ’92 Brian placed 2nd nationally in 50y freestyle. That year Brian and the Pirates 200y freestyle relay team set an age group (17-18) record at the AAU National Championships. Collegiately Brian swam for two NCAA powerhouse Universities. While at UCLA continued to swim in freestyle events and was awarded D1 all-American honors in 1994. He moved from UCLA the U of Arizona in 1996 and continued his competitive, winning ways ending with another selection as a Division 1 Collegiate All-American.
(2024) Cooper Helfet ‘07: Cooper attended Redwood for his junior and senior years. He was a multi-talented, gifted athlete. As a junior in 2006 he played Varsity Football, Basketball and La Crosse but focused on Lacrosse and Football as a senior. . In Football he was 1st team All MCAL with a league leading 42 receptions and 811 yards. In La Crosse he was all MCAL attacker on back to back MCAL Championship teams. As a senior he led the La Crosse league in scoring. He was voted 1st team All-League attacker and was also named the league’s Most Valuable Player. “Coop” received a D1 La Crosse scholarship to play with John’s Hopkins who were the NCAA champs that year. He switched to football in 2009, moving to Santa Rosa JC where he played tight end for two years before transferring to Duke University. In his first year at Duke he had 34 receptions for 380 yards and was an honorable mention All ACC Tight End selection, He also was named as an Academic All ACC player. As a senior he had 43 receptions for 390 yards with 4 touchdowns and finished as an All ACC player. In the NFL Cooper was signed as a free agent by the Seattle Seahawks and appeared in 24 games over the 2013 – 2016 seasons. During his 4 seasons as a Seahawks he played for hall of famer head coach Pete Carroll (Redwood 1969). They made the playoffs all four seasons, won 1 Super bowl, lost a second Super bowl and had the best winning percentage (.714) in franchise history. Coop is one of the very select group of Redwood Alumni with a Super bowl ring.
(2024) Dwight MacDonald ‘75: Dwight received the E.E. Boyden award in 1975 as the Most Outstanding Senior Athlete. He played a unique trio of sports while at RHS, lettering in water polo, wrestling and baseball. Dwight was captain of his water polo and wrestling teams. He was an All-League goalie and recorded two shutouts. He was a varsity wrestler all four years qualifying for the NCS championships three of those years. His sophomore year he was part of the league championship team. His senior season he led the team in wins (24), set a school record for pins in a season with 15, was undefeated in league dual meets and scored 120 team points. Unfortunately, a knee injury in the third round of the NCS cut his season short. In baseball Dwight played third base and was on the league championship team his senior year. Upon graduation, he attended Cal Poly SLO where he competed in water polo and rugby, graduating with honors in 1980. In 1979 and 1980 he was selected to the Tri Counties rugby side and in 1980 received a tryout with the Southern California Griffins. Dwight had a distinguished post college career as a teacher, coach, and athletic director at Arroyo Grande HS from 1984 to 2017. In 2012 his girls’ basketball team won the CIF Southern Section Championship and Dwight was named the 3AAA Coach of the Year. In 2019 he was inducted into the Arroyo Grande HS Athletic Hall of Fame.
2024 COACH:
(2024) David Kirchoff –Coach: Dave Kirchoff was instrumental in the development of the RHS Rugby program. He was Redwood’s first Rugby coach and headed the program from 1980 through 1993. He started at RHS from scratch, finding kids willing to try a new sport and teaching and encouraging them to excel. Dave was known as a coaching innovator. He brought a new and different approach to coaching at RHS. His style is described by ex-players as “intellectual”. He he rejected the more aggressive coaching styles of the past and drove success through personal connections, player buy in and a shared purpose that resulted in a drive to excellence. During his 13 year tenure Redwood won numerous League and NorCal championships. They amazingly won Rugby National Championships in both 1981 and 1982 and the 1982 Side was elected to the RAHOF in 2021. Dave’s legacy at Redwood is only partly about incredible success in terms of wins and losses and championships. He was also a driving force behind the creation of Redwood’s Ghilotti Field, which is now highly regarded and well-used asset to the entire sports community. In the many testimonials provided by his players it was pointed out that playing for Dave had a lasting impact… He introduced them to a global Rugby culture that became a major part of their post RHS lives. Many of his players went on to play with major top tier collegiate programs including Cal, Arizona, UCLA, UCSB and SDSU. Several of his players played for the US National Team and several also went on to coach at all levels ranging from Redwood HS to the Marin Highlanders to UC Davis to the US National Team.
2024 SPECIAL MERIT TEAM
(2024) Special Merit: 1969 Redwood Mile Relay Team: The powerhouse Varsity 1969 Mile Relay team (aka. 4 x 440) was composed of seniors Todd Norris, Robin Williams, Tom Poppin and junior Tom Estudillo. Their Coaches were Gary Shaw and Stan Tobiason. A key component of the boys track and field squad, these Mile Relay runners were a team within a team. In spring 1969 both the Mile Relay team and the RHS boys Track & Field (“T&F”) team won their MCAL championships. That qualified both the Mile Relay Team and the T & F team for the prestigious North Coast Section III invitational meet. Redwood’s exceptionally strong Track & Field team of 1969 became the first MCAL team to win the NCS III in any sport! That day at the NCS competition the boys on the Mile Relay each sprinted their best quarter mile and flawlessly exchanged their handoffs to run the fastest mile relay in Redwood High School history. A blazing time of 3:21.54 seconds! This stellar mark also established a new MCAL Mile Relay record. Through a succession of record setting competitions the ’69 relay team had lowered the school record by an amazing 9 seconds that season. They also qualified to compete in the California Interscholastic Federation Track & Field Championship at Drake Stadium at UCLA. The ‘69 Mile Relay boys were also respected champions individually. Track & Field team captain Todd Norris also ran the 440 and 880 and set the 880 MCAL record in 1969. Tom Poppin took first at the 440 yard dash at the MCAL Championships in both 1968 and 1969. Versatile Robin Williams competed in three sports for RHS. In T & F he also ran the Half Mile and Quarter Mile races. He ran for the Cross Country team and was also Captain of the first RHS Varsity Soccer team. Tom Estudillo set the sophomore record for the 440 yard dash with a time of :52.0. As a senior Tom was elected co-captain of Redwood’s 1970 Track & Field team. At the 1970 MCAL Championships Tom won the half mile event and set a new meet record. Records and set and then they are broken …but not always. The 1969 Mile Relay Team’s achievement at the NCS III is still the gold standard for Redwood High School relay teams. As of this writing, fifty-five years later, their Mile Relay time of 3:21.54 is still standing as the RHS record. 55 years! This team was composed of hard working student athletes who challenged each other in workouts daily and practiced relay exchanges endlessly. They didn’t run for fame or notoriety or scholarship. They ran to give their best to each other, for their coaches and for RHS. They never received much acclaim for these accomplishments…until now.
2023 ATHLETES
2023) Cynthia "Zica" Davis. ’83: Four year starter, Varsity Soccer. Second team All MCAL as a Freshman. Named All MCAL First team 1981, ’82 & ’83. Team Captain 1983. RHS was MCAL League Champions 1980 through 1983. Selected to Nor-Cal State Select Team seven years. Was a member of the National Champion, US Western Regional Team in 1984. Played UC Berkeley Varsity Soccer 1983 & 1987. Played professional soccer in Japan for 2 years with the Fujita Mercury, played in Japan TOC and was Selected to Japanese Eastern All Star team in 1995. Played USWISL Soccer with SF Nighthawks and NorCal Shockwaves. Was team captain of the Vikings Women’s Soccer team who were California State Champions in 1993, ‘ 96 and ‘97 and won a National Championship in 1997. Also played with East Bay Power of the WPSL. Cynthia has also coached Women’s soccer extensively and holds a United States Soccer Federation “B” License. Notable coaching stints: RHS Varsity Soccer Coach 2003 to 2008, COM women’s soccer coach 2000 to 2002, and Olympic Development Program region and state teams 1997-1999.
( 2023) Ken Frost ’62, a RHS Varsity Swimmer from 1959-’62. He was a member of RHS’s first-ever League Championship team. His specialty was the breaststroke, losing only one league race through 1960, 61 & 62 seasons. Ken was named Redwood's first HS All-American in ’61 and ‘62/ breaststroke. In 1962 he was also the first ever RHS athlete to win an individual NCS Championship. Ken was also RHS Student Body President. He moved on to swim for Indiana University from ’62 to ’66. He competed in US Olympic Trials in 1960 and ’64. In 1964 Ken missed making the USA Olympic squad by 0.08 of a second. After 30 years out of the pool, he rejoined the swimming community as a US Masters swimmer. As a Master’s swimmer, Ken has won several National and World Championships and has set many world record marks.
( 2023) Matt Morrison ’80 was a three-year RHS letterman in baseball and 2-Time All-MCAL. He was a member of the 1978 NCS Championship team. He was also a two-year letterman in football and 2-Time All-MCAL in that sport.. He was senior team captain in both sports. He lettered four years on the UCLA baseball team with a .303 career average. He was voted UCLA’s Most Inspirational Player in 1983 and won the team Hustle Award in ’84. He signed with the Texas Rangers after college. He began his journalism career with The UCLA Daily Bruin in 1984 and continued through 30+ years as a well-known sports broadcaster for several television outlets including CNN Sports, FOX, and Comcast Sports Bay Area. He served as a special assistant for Team USA Swimming when his daughter Marin Morrison competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
2021 ATHLETES
(2021) Kip Schaefer ’92: Kip was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Redwood (1989-92). He was named All MCAL three years in both football and baseball and All Bay Area for football his senior year. He was team captain in football and baseball and team MVP in football for three years. Kip was named 1st team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, referred to as the “Dream Team”. He received Division 1 scholarship offers from many schools in both football and baseball. Kip decided to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a baseball scholarship. He also played on the football team at UNC and was a senior captain. Kip was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 1992 draft. Kip is married to DeAnna, his college sweetheart, they’ve raised their three children in Marin. He’s had a successful career in finance and has returned to Redwood as a football coach.
( 2021) Brendan Darby ‘99: Brendan attended RHS from 1995-99. He played Football four years, Track & Field four years and Rugby for two years. In Track he excelled in shot put and discus events. As a Junior he placed 2nd in the MCAL in Shot put and as a Senior in ’99 he took 1st. .. Playing HS Rugby he was named to the Northern California All-Star team in 1999. Football was Brendan’s premier sport. He came to Redwood when Football was way down on it’s luck. RHS didn’t even field a varsity team when Brendan was a sophomore. He became an inspirational key player in the RHS Football comeback that followed and as a junior helped lead the team to its first ever NCS playoff berth. As a senior, his Football team won the MCAL Championship with a 9-1 record and hung RHS’s first Football pennant in the gym since 1979. The Football comeback after a 20 year drought was remarkable enough that the team was mentioned in Sports Illustrated Magazine as “The little Redwood that could”. In 1997 Brendan, a junior was named All MCAL (HM) Offensive line. As a senior in Fall of ‘98 he was named 1st team All MCAL Offensive Line and 2nd team All MCAL Defensive Line. He was also named the EE Boyden Award winner as the outstanding senior male athlete. Brendan moved into to college football very naturally. As a 275lb walk-on he was awarded a Football scholarship at San Diego State University and started for the Aztecs 42 of the 44 games. At SDSU he was a 4 year letterman (2000-‘01-‘02-‘03) and he was a two time All Mountain West Conference All Star selection. In 2000 he made the Mountain West All- Academic team and was also honored as SDSU’s most improved offensive player of the year. After SDSU Brendan was signed as a free agent by the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens but ended up that year signing with the SF 49ers. The Niners sent Brendan the NFL Europe development league where he played for the Cologne Centurians and the Rhein Fire. In 2005 he came back the SF and played in all four Niners pre-season games before being released in final cuts. At that point he said he decided it was probably a good time to move on with his life”.
2021 TEAM
(2021) 1982 Redwood Rugby – Team Recognition: The 1982 Redwood High School Rugby team played as a club sport fully supported by RHS’s administration. Their record was 20-9-1 in 1982. Outside of undefeated league play the team had wins against St. Mary’s College and UC Berkeley’s B Teams. The team was invited to compete in tournaments in England and Wales and recorded the first American HS victory over a Welsh schoolboy side. They also had international wins vs. teams from England, Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia and British Columbia. When the ’82 team returned to the US they had to play and win sectional and regional championships before advancing to the final four at Stanford. In the final at Stanford they beat Highland High from Utah to be named the 1982 HS National Champions. A remarkable number of seven players from RHS’s 1982 side went on to play Division I Collegiate Rugby….John Morken – Cal, Rob Salabar – Cal, Bud Reilly – Cal, Sean Tighe – Cal, Pat Farley – UCSB, Gordon Wright – UCLA and Matt Eschoo – UCSD (which won two National Championship titles). Redwood Rugby and especially the 1982 team was extremely formative in the development of high school Rugby in Marin as well as in West Coast Colleges and Universities. In addition to fostering all those intangibles the opportunity of team play and Redwood Rugby competition created some very fine young men.
2020 ATHLETES:
(2020) Tom Wickert ’70: Tom was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Redwood. He played Basketball for two years and both Football and Baseball for four. In Baseball he was a hard throwing pitcher / first baseman and a great hitter. He played on RHS’s MCAL Champs teams in ’69 and ’70 and was selected All-MCAL in ’70. In Football he played tackle on both offense and defense and was selected All MCAL O-Line in the ’68 and ’69 seasons. In ’69 he was also selected to the All North Coast and All NorCal teams and played in the North South HS All Star game. Tom got a full scholarship to play football at Washington State U and played offensive guard for 4 years. He was selected All Pac 8 and in ’73 played in the East West Shrine All Star game as well as the Coaches All-American game. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in ’74. After the Dolphins Tom went on to play with New Orleans Saints and the KC Chiefs. He retired from the NFL in 1978 and was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
(2020) Russ Silvestri ‘79: Russ grew up in Tiburon and started sailboat racing at an early age aboard the family boat. He was the skipper of the first team representing Redwood in competitive high school sailing, taking third in the national competition. Russ attended the University of Southern California, where he wa an outstanding college sailor and team captain. Highlighting his school and college years was winning the United States Youth Championship for Singlehanded Sailing in 1980. After college Russ launched a full-time campaign in the singlehanded Olympic Finn Class in preparation for the 1984 Olympic Trials. After 1984, he competed in three more Olympic Finn Trials culminating with a win in 2000. In the 2000 Olympic Games, representing the United States, he finished sixth in the Finn Class. His Olympic Trials journey led to seven North American and National Titles in the Finn, a silver medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games, and Olympic Team membership in 1988. In 2000, the United States Olympic Committee named him the Outstanding Male Athlete for Sailing and the St. Francis and San Francisco Yacht Clubs both named him "Yachtsman of the Year." In the wake of his Finn Sailing, he crewed and raced for the America's Cup, aboard the St. Francis Yacht Club's entries "USA" in Perth, Australia in 1987 and "AmericaOne" in Auckland, New Zealand in 2000. Today, he actively races in Masters Team Race competitions but more importantly he supports youth sailing with the hopes of inspiring future Olympians.
(2020) Susannah Miller (Muller) ’86: In swimming, there wasn’t much that Susannah didn’t accomplish. All four years at RHS she was team MVP and received 1st team All MCAL honors. She was a scholar athlete and a team leader. She was elected Captain in Junior and Senior seasons and was also an Academic All-American, ranked, 5th in the US in her senior year. She set numerous MCAL, NCS and National age group records and won so many Outstanding Female Athlete awards it makes your head swim ;-). Her swimming and her grades got her a free ride to Stanford. At Stanford she was a key member of her 4 year Pac 10 Championship Women’s Swimming Team and from ’87 to ’90 Stanford Women were always finalists at the NCAA D1 Championships. During that period Susannah was a 6 time NCAA All-American, Qualified as a member of the US National team, was a finalist at the World University Games and qualified for the US Olympic Trials. She was one of Stanford Women’s top scorers and was named to the Stanford Athletic Honor Roll all 4 years. In 2019 Susannah was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame.
(2020) Jake Schmitt ’05: Jake Schmitt is an amazing runner. In 4 years running with Redwood’s in Cross Country and Track and Field teams he compiled an amazing record, winning 11 individual MCAL titles. His RHS Cross Country team won the MCAL Team Championship 3 times and Track and Field 1 time. In 2004 he was a Footlocker National Cross Country finalist finishing in the top 20 in the US. In 2004 he was the Cross Country State Champion and set the D III course record in the finals. He was named a High School All-American two times in both Track and Cross country. At U of Washington he broke the 29 minute mark three years in a row and was named an Indoor track & Field All-American in the 5000 meter. In 2009 he was Indoor Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Champion and a 2 time outdoor NCAA finalist at the 10,000 meter. He continues to run. He’s qualified for the Olympic Trials in the Marathon in 2012, 2016 and 2020. While Jake graduated from RHS in 2005 he came back in 2010 to coach RHS’ outstanding Cross Country and Track & Field teams through the 2019 season. Jake is a true champion.
2020 SPECIAL RECOGNITION:
(2020) Sue Chelini – Special Merit Recognition: Sue had 3 careers with Redwood, the TUHSD and the MCAL: She was a Teacher (28 years). She was an RHS Assistant Principal & Athletic Administrator (13 years) and, after an initial retirement in 2005 became Tam Union HS District Athletic Coordinator (13 years). Sue has spent a total of 54 years serving Redwood and TUHSD students and MCAL athletics. As a Teacher, Sue held many offices in the CA Home Economics Assn. including President (83-85). She was CA Home Economics Teacher of the Year (1980), CA Home Economist of the Year (1986) and Marin County Outstanding Secondary Administrator (2000). As TUHSD Athletic Administrator she directed all TUHSD school’s (Tam, Redwood & Drake) Athletic Directors and their activities. Sue was very familiar with MCAL athletics from all angles, particularly since her daughters were four year athletes at Tam. She represented Redwood Athletics in the MCAL from 1992-2005 and not surprisingly, she was the MCAL’s President from March, 1999 to June, 2000. This “term of turmoil” was notable because that was when Justin Siena became part of the league and all schools got brand new Principals, save one. Also this was the first time the MCAL had to place one of its schools on a years probation. After TUHSD service Sue became an ex-officio MCAL member 2005-2018. Of special note, during her tenure, Girls Golf, Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Frosh Girls Volleyball, Frosh Boys Baseball & Coed Wrestling were added as RHS & MCAL sports. Also, under her guidance all Redwood and most TUHSD Athletic facilities were significantly expanded, upgraded and modernized to state of the art levels you see today. In addition as Athletic Coordinator, she developed the District website and created the often referenced Parent-Students Guide to Athletics and Coaches’ Handbook. Sue was inducted into the Marin Athletic Foundation Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
2019 ATHLETES:
(2019) Todd Brockman '83: Todd attended Redwood 1979 through 1983. In sports he lettered his freshman year in Tennis, ran Track & Field, and played Soccer. In the 1983 Track season he was team co-captain and was undefeated in the MCAL in the 100m, 400m and the 300m low hurdles. At the NCS Championships, he won the 100m and 400m. He was also a leader on the Soccer pitch, winning MCALs his junior and senior year. His junior year, RHS won the NCS Soccer Championship. As captain his senior year, he achieved the all-time MCAL goal scoring record, with Redwood placing 3rd at NCS. Todd attended UC Berkeley playing soccer all four years, qualifying for the NCAA tournament 3 of 4 seasons. At Cal, he was selected to first team All Conference in both 1984 and 1986. In fall of 1987, Todd coached Redwood boys JV soccer team to an undefeated season. After Cal, Todd played soccer in Germany for three years, and in 1994 played for the San Francisco Greek-American team winning the U.S. Open Cup. Todd was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
(2019) Tim Evans '88: Tim was a two time Junior National champion and a four time Senior National champion in a variety of rowing events from 1986 to 1991 (three 4+ coxswain, three 8+ coxswain gold medals). He was a two time member of the US Junior National team and earned a bronze medal at the 1988 Junior World Championships in Milan, Italy. While at UCLA, Tim was named to the Pac-10 All-Conference team in 1990 and helped lead them to a bronze medal at the NCAA rowing championships, the best result in UCLA rowing history. He was a member of the US National Team in 1990 and 1991 and earned a bronze medal at the 1990 Lucerne (Switzerland) International Regatta. Tim was a member of the United States Olympic Rowing Team in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain where his boat placed 4th in the Men’s 4+ event. In addition to competing, Tim went on to coach the Marin Rowing Association’s Junior Men’s 4+ team to a gold medal at the 1995 US Junior Nationals in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of Tim’s coaches, Dave Fahrner says… ”Tim’s consistent hard work and dedication earned him success throughout his athletic career, beginning in High School, through college and ultimately as a member of the elite US National and US Olympic rowing teams.
(2019) Jennifer Svanfeldt '96: Jennifer Svanfeldt was a highly ranked junior player in Northern California and played #1 singles on Redwood’s Varsity Tennis Team for four years. She was undefeated all four seasons, winning 54 consecutive matches. During her senior year, Jennifer was Team Captain, won the North Coast Section Championships and was awarded the Don Kreps - Outstanding Female Senior Athlete Award. Jennifer received a full scholarship to the University of Washington, where she played four years of tennis and competed in NCAA Regionals, Pac-10 Invitationals and Rolex Regionals, among other tournaments. Jennifer was Team Captain her senior year, and in 1999 her record in singles was 23-9, which ranked 11th in the school’s history. Jennifer was an ITA Scholar Athlete All-American in 1999, Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention in 2000 and a member of the University’s Honors Program. Jennifer graduated from University of California Hastings College of the Law in 2004 and is a practicing attorney
(2019) Scott Trobbe '71: Scott grew up in Tiburon Ca. and attended RHS from 1967-1971. Scott played Baseball and Basketball for Redwood. He was a very good Baseball player but he really excelled in Basketball and was captain on his Frosh, JV and Varsity Basketball teams. In his junior and senior seasons his Basketball teams were undefeated Champions in the MCAL. He was All MCAL Honorable Mention in his junior year and 1st Team All-MCAL as a senior. In addition in spring 1971 he was honored as RHS’s Senior Athlete of the Year, KTIM’s all Marin County Senior Athlete of the Year and the SF Examiners – All North Bay 1st Team. He received a full scholarship to Stanford and was a 4 year Basketball Letterman. In his senior year, Stanford was nationally ranked at #15 and Scott was selected to the All-Tourney Team at the New Mexico Lobo Classic. He was also one of the very few Marin Basketball Athletes to be drafted by the NBA (Warriors,1975). Instead of playing for the Warriors he went on to play professional Basketball in France for three years. He continues to be fluent in French.
2019 COACH:
(2019) Carrie Zarraonandia… Coach: Carrie, like her sister Anne is one of greatest HS Tennis coaches in Marin history. She began at RHS as Assistant Girls Tennis coach in 1989 and remained a key player in the Girls Teams’ success for 10 years. In the spring of 1993 she took over as head coach of the RHS Boys Tennis program and appeared to have no trouble continuing the Boys Tennis MCAL dominance for 11 more years. At the helm of the RHS Boys Tennis program she compiled a coaching record of 165 wins and 26 losses. She headed the Boys to 5 undefeated regular seasons and 6 MCAL Championships in 11 seasons. In 2003 she coached Eric and Spencer MacCall to the NCS Doubles Championship. Her nominator Sue Chelini, as RHS Assistant Principal, in charge of athletics stated: “Carrie had the ability to coax the best from players. She exhibited consistent professional demeanor and always set high expectations and ethical standards for everyone in the program”. Carrie was inducted into the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame in 2011 and has over 35 years of service to the United States Professional Tennis Association.
2019 TEAM:
(2019) 1972 Cross Country: The 1972 RHS Cross Country team of 9 runners was coached by Doug Basham and his sidekick Ray Jacques. To quote RAHOF & MAF member Hal Schulz ’76 who wrote a letter supporting their nomination… “They didn’t just dominate their competition, they destroyed it. They went undefeated in dual meet competition then dominated the 1972 MCAL championships placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 8th. They were the first MCAL team in any sport to win the NCS Championship and set the record for the best score in NCS history. They won it when all schools competed together, before separate divisions were set up based on school size. There was still no State-wide Championship competition in 1972, however this team went on to place 3rd in the US National Postal Championships”. In addition… In 1972 this team won the 50 team Sacramento Invitational, place 3rd in the Soquel Invitational, took 2nd in the Pleasant Hill Invitational and won the Redwood Empire Championship. Members of this team set four RHS Track Records and two MCAL records. All members competed in College and three (Killeen, Sweeney and Tracy) qualified for NCAA Championships. Additionally, Overend and Sweeney earned professional contracts. To quote Hal Schulz again… “Their example taught us younger runners what was expected of us and we trained our butts off. Without their leadership I doubt Redwood would have been as successful in later years”.
RAHOF ATHLETES:
(2018) Tacy Dunham’70: Tacy had an exemplary Redwood athletic career. She was also a tireless and pioneering leader in the Redwood Girls Athletic Association (GAA) where she served in subsequent years as Corresponding Secretary, Vice President and President. Prior to the GAA the social climate that Redwood students faced was not supportive of female sports. The Marin IJ went so far as to call the early GAA teams “the Lollypop League” and girls who participated were often ridiculed as weird, or non-feminine. Tacy and the Redwood GAA were instrumental in helping to lay the groundwork that changed the culture to where officially recognized MCAL competitions for female athletes now exist in all sports. In sports Tacy earned 7 Varsity letters and participated in 4 different sports. Swimming; In ’67 her Medley Relay team set a National record. Trampoline; In ’67 she place 3rd in Trampoline at NCS Gymnastics finals. Basketball; In ’68 she played guard on Redwood's League Championship team, and in Track & Field she competed in high jump and 200 yard dash. In 1970, her senior year she compiled several honors. She was elected GAA’s Outstanding Senior Athlete and was awarded the coveted RHS Outstanding Senior Athlete trophy. At graduation she was given an Award of Distinction in the field of Girls’ Physical Education. After Redwood Tacy’s athletic exploits led to hiking and writing. Her “Hike of the Week” column in the (above-mentioned) Marin IJ has encouraged people of all ages to engage in physical exercise while enjoying Marin’s beautiful trails. She’s authored seven highly informative Marin Hiking trail guidebooks and through them has been a positive influence on thousands of Marin residents over 27 years.
Ned’s roots as a runner at Redwood in both Cross Country and Track, have led him to a lifetime of athletic accomplishments in cycling & running. There was no cycling team at Redwood when Ned was a student so he ran. In ’72 when there was still only a single division for all runners he was 3rd overall at MCALs’, 4th in Redwood Empire competition and 7th overall at NCS. At the same time he was also part of a cutting edge group of mountain bikers from Marin who were becoming internationally recognized for their bikes, their skills and for developing the sport itself. Since graduating he has had a long and stellar career as a pro bike racer and triathlete. He is recognized as one of the best ever and has collected so many titles we can’t list them all. Some of his more notable accomplishments are; First ever UCI Cross-Country World Champion, Six time NORBA (mountain bike) National Champion, Two time Xterra Off Road Triathlon World Champion, Winter Triathlon World Champion, and Fat Bike (on snow) National Champion. He has also been inducted into the (2018) Edmund (Ned) Overend ‘73
Roger was a superbly focused Redwood student, leader and star athlete in both Basketball and Baseball. A rarity in those days Roger played at varsity level in both sports for his sophomore through senior years. He led the basketball team to MCAL Championships both his junior and senior years posting an MCAL record of 27-1 for the two seasons. In his senior season Roger posted a league leading 16.3 points per game to lead the team to a 17-0 record while earning first team All MCAL honors. RAHOF’s RHS Coach - Dick Hart said… “He’s one of the best shooters to ever play for RHS.” “He’s a top kid…Never loses focus or temper…Not flashy, he just always plays well.” In Baseball, Roger played Pitcher and OF during his three varsity seasons. His specialty was pitching. He shared the #1 Starting Pitcher’s role as a junior and took sole possession in his senior year. In 1970 he led the team to a 13-1 MCAL championship record. His 1970 season W-L record was 9-1 with a 2.25 ERA. Almost indestructible, he miraculously took the mound in all 14 MCAL games and won first team All MCAL honors. Roger won an athletic appointment to the US Naval Academy and went on to serve 22 years as a “cold war” Submarine Operations Program Captain for the US Navy.(2018) Roger Smith ‘70:
(2018) Jodie Wertz (Trutzschler) ‘85
(2017) Daryl Edralin ’73: Daryl was one of the standout leaders of RHS’s championship Football and Baseball teams in the early ‘70’s. In Baseball, as a stellar second baseman he was All MCAL ‘72 and ’73. In Football he played Halfback both ways and was All MCAL in ’71, ‘72 and ’73. As a Junior he was selected Marin Athlete of the Year by the Italian Athletic Club of Marin and as a Senior he was named Marin County’s Co-Athlete of the Year by KTIM Sports. He accepted a Football scholarship to U of Hawaii (UH) and played four years for the Rainbow Warriors. After his playing days he coached at UH from ’79 to ‘91. From ’91 to ‘06 he coached for five different CFL teams. These included three Grey Cup (CFL Superbowl) wins with Baltimore in ‘95 and Toronto in ‘96 and ‘97. As of this writing Daryl is teaching high school in Canada, specializing in Geography, Special Ed and Phys Ed.
(2017) Frank Ferroni ’76: Frank grew up in Mill Valley and played baseball at Tam for two years before transferring to Redwood in 1975. He was a baseball "specialist”, a southpaw / starting pitcher who did not play other sports or positions. He was about 5-10, stocky at 180-185 pounds and possessed a dominant heater. He made All-MCAL in 1975 as a junior but in 1976 Frank had one of the greatest single seasons in prep sports history. Except for Redwood’s loss to Pleasant Hill in the NCS title game, the 1976 Giants (30-3) may well have also been named national champions, as the 1977 squad was. Frank had a mid-90s fastball, a solid curve and excellent control. In 1976 his record was 17-1, with a 0.91 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 95 innings. Frank pitched a no-hitter vs. San Marin at Albert Field and struck out 17 against Eureka in the NCS play-offs. He was selected All-MCAL, All-State and All-American and played in the California North-South All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. Frank was a good student, team leader and popular guy who always put teammates ahead of his own glory. He was drafted by the SF Giants in 1976 but elected to play at Central Arizona JC, where he was 8-4, made JC All-American and was the number one pick in the 1977 winter draft by the Minnesota Twins. Instead of going pro he elected to accept a full ride to play for the legendary Augie Garrido, at Cal State Fullerton, but sustained an injury and was unable to play. He later was signed by Baltimore and played at Miami of the Florida State League, but his injuries were too severe to continue. Otherwise, Frank had the stuff to play in the big leagues.
(2017) Bruce Kreitzberg ‘86, Special Merit Recognition. As a student at Redwood Bruce was known for his spirit, his skills, and leadership in Tennis and Cross Country, however he was elected to the RAHOF for additional contributions to RHS just as Student Representative on the board of the Community Fields Association. While on the board he developed the idea to add an RHS outdoor amphitheater to the fields’ plan. He persistently petitioned the Fields Committee to add it to the project, as a new utility that would host RHS graduation ceremonies as well as other outdoor community events. As recipient of RHS’s Mike Kavanagh Scholarship, awarded to a senior for “outstanding service to team, school and community” Bruce donated the substantial cash prize to the Field’s and to the amphitheater under consideration. The Kreitzberg Family Foundation donated the rest of the funds necessary to complete the structure within the Community Field’s project timeline. Thanks to Bruce, RHS has an outdoor amphitheater! Ever since, Bruce has served on the Kreitzberg Foundation and comes to Marin each year to award grants to youth centered activities and projects. For his leadership and contributions to RHS Bruce was elected by students as a “Hero on Campus” and featured in the December ’85 issue of the Redwood Bark.
(2016 Inductee) Christine Choppelas '87: Christine received four Varsity Letters in basketball between 1983-1987, was a Team Captain in the 1986 -1987 season, was 1st Team All-MCAL in 1985, 1986, 1987, MVP of the League and All Northern California in 1986, 1987. She was recognized by the San Francisco Examiner All-Bay Area All-Stars - First Team – Prep Honor Roll – 1987, Honorable Mention – 1985 - 1986, and set numerous Redwood and MCAL records. She went on to Santa Clara University – 1987-1991, becoming Team Co-Captain 1990-1991, receiving the Frank Parducci Endowed Scholarship – 1987-1991 and was part of the National Women’s Invitational Tournament (NWIT) Championship Team – 1991. During soccer season at Redwood she received three Varsity Letters – 1984-1987 and was selected 1st Team All MCAL in 1986 and 1987. She also received three Varsity Letters in volleyball 1983 –1986 and was named First Team All MCAL – 1986. In I987, Christine received the Marin Athletic Foundation Award – Outstanding Student Athlete and the Patricia Joy Gibian Award – Outstanding All-Around Athlete-School & Community.
(2016) Mickey Meister '79: Pitcher Mickey Meister played four years on the varsity baseball team, pitching 11-1 in 1977, 15-0 1979. He was a three time MCAL 1st team member and a two time prep All-American, 1978-79. He won 39 games in his career, which was at that time the 2nd best in state history. He was selected to All California team and was named MVP of the series played against Oklahoma All Stars. He was drafted in 11th round by Boston Red Sox in 1979 but opted to accept a scholarship to USC. He was later drafted by Seattle Mariners in the 11th round 1983. He is a member of the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2006 at the age 44.
(2016) Dan Young '72: Dan was an All League offensive guard and defensive tackle in football, a heavyweight wrestling champion for two years, and placed third in the discus at MCAL finals. He was selected captain of football and wrestling teams during his senior year and the KTIM Sportsman of the year 1972. He went on to play defensive tackle for U.C. Davis, making second team All Conference 1974. He was inducted into the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame in 2001.
(2016) Greg Zunino '77: Greg was part of the Prep All American Baseball Team in 1977, a two time all MCAL first team while batting .510 in senior year, setting school and MCAL records. He received a full scholarship to CAL where he was four year starter and a member of the 1980 College World Series championship team. He was drafted by New York Yankees 1981.
(2016) Jim Connor '77: Jim was a three year Varsity Letterman in Football, Basketball, and Baseball. As a senior, he was named team captain in all three sports. An excellent all around team player, Jim accumulated many awards playing for RHS: 1975 First Team, All-MCAL in Football; 1976 All-MCAL, First Team in Football, Baseball and Honorable Mention in Basketball; 1977 All-MCAL, First Team in Baseball and Honorable Mention in Basketball; 1977 All-State First Team in Baseball. His RHS Baseball teams won MCAL championships in 1975, ’76, ’77 as well as the NCS Championship in 1977. Those same Giants were also named (mythical) 1977 National HS Champions by USA Today. After Redwood Jim attended USC and continued baseball as a four year Varsity Letterman, which included playing on the NCAA National Championship Team in 1978. Jim graduated from USC in 1981 and was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
(2016) Aleco Preovolos '83: Aleco was a four year RHS Varsity Tennis player, leading the team as MCAL and NCS Singles Champion as a senior in 1983. He played on at UC Davis where he was a 4 year All-American and selected as UC Davis Athlete of The Year in 1986. He was also elected a member of the UC Davis Hall of Fame in 1997. After graduating from Davis, he joined the pro tennis tour and from 1987 - 1993 was ranked on the American Tennis Professional tour, winning four doubles titles. Aleco was also a noted coach on the ATP Men’s and Women’s tours (WTA) from 1995-2006, and has five grand slam titles accredited to his work.
(2016) Michelle (Santino) Isaak '87: Michelle was female Athlete Of The Year in the Class of 1987, which is notable in that '87 was loaded with many highly accomplished female athletes. Michelle lettered for three years on the Varsity Soccer and Basketball teams. As a junior in she was selected First Team, All-MCAL in Soccer and Second Team in Basketball. In her senior year, she was honored far beyond the boundaries of the MCAL with selections as: First Team, All-MCAL in both Soccer and Basketball; All-Bay Area, First Team Soccer and Basketball; All Northern Cal, First Team in Basketball; and All-State, First Team in Basketball. Michelle’s accomplishments at Redwood earned her a full scholarship to play for the USC Women’s Basketball team, where she played point guard four years before graduating and was named Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for basketball, 1989 and 1990.
(2016) Hal Schulz '76: In running circles Hal was sometimes called “The Class” of 1976. He was a three year Varsity Letterman and set new standards on RHS Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He set RHS school records for the Mile and 2-Mile runs and still holds the 5,000 Meter record. In Hal’s junior year (1974-1975), he won All-MCAL and All-NorCal honors in Cross Country. During Track season, he won the finals at the MCAL Championship meet in the 2-Mile, and at NCS he placed third in the 2-Mile. In his senior year (1975-1976) in Cross Country he captured individual titles at both the MCAL Championship meet and the NCS Championship meet. His ’75 Cross Country team won team championship pennants in both the MCAL and at the NCS meet. Hal was also named to both the All-MCAL and the All-NorCal Cross Country teams. During the ’76 Track and Field season, he won both the Mile and 2-Mile titles at the MCAL Championship meet. At the NCS Championships he placed first in the 2-Mile and second in the Mile. At the State Meet he placed fifth in the 2-Mile. That year, he went on to the Junior Nationals competitions where he placed fifth in the 5000 Meter run, which was the third best showing of all High School age boys nationally. He was also named to both the All-MCAL and the All-NorCal Track and Field teams that year. After Redwood, Hal went to Cal and became a four-year varsity letterman on UC Berkeley’s Track and Cross Country teams. While at Cal, he established a school record for the 10,000 Meter run. After graduating, he ran professionally for Nike and participated in two Olympic trials in the Marathon, with a best time of 2:13.37 and finished sixteenth in the 1983 Boston Marathon.
(2014) Leslie Airola Murveit '73 was the #1 tennis player for 3 years. She led her team to two undefeated MCAL championship seasons. She was also a member of the MCAL championship volleyball (69-70) team and #1 badminton player on the MCAL championship badminton team (71-72). She went on to be #1 varsity player at the University of California at Berkeley, won several Pac 8 championships, and was appointed to the Women’s “C” Society winning the “All Cal Award”.
(2014) Crissy Cerkel Peluso '85 was a member of the varsity track team for four years, varsity basketball team for 3 years, and volleyball team for two years. On the court, she was selected first team all league(84),second team (85), and honorable mention all Bay area for basketball and first team all league for volleyball(85). On the track and field team she set school records in the long jump, triple jump, and 300 meter hurdles. She won eight events at the MCAL track and field championships, seven events at NCS championships, one event at the MOC, and qualified for three events at state championships. After graduating, she was a member four year member of the University of California at Berkeley track and field team.
(2014) Ryan Myers '92 was a 4 year member of the varsity swimming team, a MCAL individual and relay champion, a six time NCS finalist, and All American in swimming in 1992 (50, 100 and 200 Freestyle). He held numerous school (one is still standing today), MCAL, MCAL championship league records, and a national record. He also participated in numerous national championships. Ryan was a four year starter on the varsity water polo team. He led the team in scoring and was team captain his senior year. Ryan earned all league honors in 1990 2nd team and 1991 Honorable Mention. He received the E.E. Boyden award in 1992. After graduating, Ryan was letterman on the University of California at Berkeley swimming team.
(2014) Cory Shakarian '90 lettered three times in each of the three sports he played, and was all-MCAL in football (1988, ‘89), basketball ('90) and baseball ('88, '89, '90), as well as being team captain and team MVP in each sport in his senior year. In 1990 he was also named the Marn Athletic League's male outstanding student athlete from Redwood. He is member of the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating he played baseball for one year at COM and two years at Michigan.
(2013) Russell Smith ‘66 played on Redwood's first league championship teams in basketball (starting guard, leading scorer and 1st team all league senior year) and baseball (1st team all-league outfielder junior and senior years). In 1966 he was one of KTIM's outstanding athletes. At COM he played 2 years of basketball, all conference in 1968, 1 year of baseball and 1 year of golf and then 2 years of basketball at UC Davis, graduating with a degree in civil engineering.
(2013) Scott Munn ’88 was a member of the 1987 Varsity 4’s national championship rowing team, 1988 Varsity 8’s national championship rowing team, third in the Junior World varsity 8’s rowing team, and won numerous races against the premier high school rowing teams. After high school he placed fourth in 1992 Olympic 8’s team, Pac 10 champion in varsity 8’s at Washington, and World champion in 1995.
(2013) Jerry Piro ‘70 was first team all league for two years in basket ball, league MVP, and 3rd team all NorCal. He was also first team all league in baseball. At Santa Clara University he played four years of basketball and was two-time team captain. After college he played professionally in Europe, head basketball coach at Marin Catholic, Branson and most recently Redwood. He is a 1993 inductee in to the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame.
(2013) Peter Woodring ‘86 was a four-year varsity soccer player, two time first team all league team captain, league MVP and All NorCal in 1984 and 1985. At Cal, Peter was a four year varsity member, team captain three years, team MVP and All far West. He played in Germany with the first and third divisions, on the US National team, the Danish Premier League and finally with the New England Revolution in the MSL.
(2010) Rick Weil ’60 was a four-sport athlete at Drake High School before transferring to Redwood in his junior year. As a football player on the undefeated MCAL championship team at Redwood in 1959, Weil was selected all league and was named one of the top 12 Marin County athletes for that year.
(2010) Richard "Butch" Brear ’61 came to Redwood when it opened in ’58 and was a football, basketball and baseball player. He was a football player on the undefeated MCAL championship team at Redwood in 1959, a two -time MCAL All-League selection in basketball, as well as winning All-League honors in baseball. Brear was named Redwood's Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1961 and he went on to play at Stanford University where he earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965. Brear was elected to the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
(2010) Mike Hoffman: Athlete ’61 came to Redwood when it opened in ’58 and participated in three sports: football, basketball and track. He was a football player on the undefeated MCAL championship team at Redwood in 1959, recognized '58, First team all Marin County and All North Bay League and in '59, First team all Northern California-San Francisco Examiner. Mike was a three year starter for Coach Dick Hart on Redwood’s basketball team, Co-captain senior year and recognized as All-League in Marin County. In track, he placed first in the 1960 MCAL finals in the High Jump.Mike attended University of California, played on the Undefeated California freshman football team and became a top rugby player, playing on the 1965 National Championship University of California Rugby Team. He was elected to the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
As a Special Education Teacher, he worked with emotionally handicapped children in the Oakland Schools and published a book titled Give Me a Push Mr. Hoffman.
(2010) Kevin Wilson ‘67, a football, basketball, and baseball player at Redwood High School in 1965 and 1967. He was selected as a first team MCAL baseball player in 1967 as he led the Giants to the league championship that season as an undefeated pitcher. Wilson was an all-conference outfielder for College of Marin in 1968 and 1969. In 1969 he also was the quarterback who led COM to the conference championship and State playoffs.
(2010) Ken Johnson ‘68 was selected as an all-league player in football (1965 and 1966), basketball (1968) and baseball (1966, 1967, and 1968). In 1968 Johnson was Northern California Baseball Player of the Year. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees organization for five years after being selected in the baseball draft as the 24th overall pick in 1968. After his professional career, Johnson turned to coaching in the state of Washington. He was named High School Coach of the Year twice and then won seven Conference Titles and seven Coach of the Year awards as head coach of Walla Walla Community College between 1989 and 1999. Johnson is a member of both the Washington State Baseball Hall of Fame and the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame.
(2009) Pete Carroll, 1969, was a triple-threat athlete who lettered in football (he played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back), basketball and baseball, and was named Senior Athlete of the Year in 1969. After Redwood, Carroll first attended College of Marin, lettering in football there in 1970, then the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he majored in business. At UOP Carroll was named twice as a free safety to the All-Pacific Coast Conference(UOP inducted Carroll into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995). Carroll is the most successful Division 1 college football coach in the modern era, having led the University of Southern California since 2000 to an astonishing 88-15 record—a winning percentage of 85 percent. He has spent over 20 years in the National Football League, now coaching the Seattle Seahawks. He led them to the Super Bowl victory in 2014.
(2009) Jim Peters ’69 played three years at varsity level in all three traditional sports: football, basketball, baseball, lettering each year and winning all-league honors in each. In his senior year, his teammates on all three teams honored him by naming him as their co-captain. In 1969, Redwood named him as its Senior Athlete of the Year. Marin’s beloved KTIM radio station extended a similar honor, awarding Peters as its Outstanding Senior Athlete. Peters went on to compete on College of Marin’s football team in 1969 and 1970. During his two-year stint there he was named COM’s Outstanding Athlete both years, and co-captained the team in 1970. From there, Peters played at St. Mary’s College in Moraga in 1971 and 1972. He was twice named his division’s Northern California Player of the Week in 1972. Peters also returned to Baseball at St. Mary’s, playing on the varsity team in 1972 and 1973. He was named St. Mary’s College President’s Scholar Athlete for 1973. Peters solid athletic career was capped in 1990 when he was inducted into the Marin High School Hall of Fame.
(2012) John Boro ’70 was an outstanding athlete in both basketball and baseball. In Varsity basketball, he was 2nd-team All-League his junior year, and 1st team All-League his senior year. He was part of the MCAL ’69and ‘70 Championship varsity baseball teams, leading the league in home runs and RBIs.
John played 3 years of basketball at USF where he led the team in assists and to the NCAA tournament two times. He received Honorable Mention all-conference his senior year. Sports Illustrated called him the best sixth man in the country! He’s a member of the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame.
(2012) Steve McGee ’72 played Varsity basketball for three years, and was recognized as 1st team All MCAL both his junior and senior year. He also played Varsity football (1st team All-MCAL) and Varsity track & field (1st team All-MCAL)
After Redwood, he played one year of basketball for the University of Hawaii, then transferred and played two years for Santa Clara where he was a starter. He then went on to play professionally in Europe.
(2009) Michael “Mike” Douglas Connor ‘73 was All MCAL in the three sports he played (football, basketball and baseball) from 1968 to 1973, earning a varsity letter in each of them, and at one time or another was team captain of each. His senior year was his “honey year,” especially in football when he was named to the All State team by Cal Prep magazine and several other periodicals. He played on the 1973 Northern California football squad in the Shriner’s Game against Southern California, and the San Francisco Examiner named him its High School Athlete of the Year.
In other all-star appearances, Connor played on the Marin County baseball all star team that faced off against a squad of its Sonoma County all stars in 1973, and he played on the all-star football team that represented southern Marin County against northern Marin County in the same year. He was named a Scholar Athlete in all three of his sports. That academic bent, along with his football abilities won him a full scholarship to Stanford University, where he lettered in varsity football for four years, 1973-76.
(2009) Darrel Keith Elder ‘74—The story goes that in 1973 track coach Doug Basham invited Redwood varsity basketball player Darrel Elder to try out in the shot put and discus. Elder was a big kid, whom his friends described as “a teddy bear.” Elder picked up the discus, which he had never before seen or tried, and threw it effortlessly and far, like a Frisbee. Basham was an immediate true believer and Redwood had a new track star. By the time he was a senior, Elder had notched the second longest high-school discus throw in the nation, 202 feet. Until 2002, Elder held the Marin County and NCS meet record of 194 feet 2 inches. Elder’s prowess with the discus earned him a full-ride track scholarship at USC, where as a freshman he set the Pac 10 freshman record of 192 feet, 8 inches at the 1975 U.S.-Russia Junior Dual Meet. That same year, he set a U.S. National Junior Record for athletes 19 years old or younger of 183 feet 3 inches. When he set it, he’d still not had much formal training in the event Elder later exceeded that distance, hurling the discus as a junior 195 feet, 2 inches, a performance that ranks seventh on USC’s all-time list. Darrel passed away in 1993, at the age of 37.
(2009) Buddy Biancalana ‘78 played baseball all four of his years at Redwood, 1975 through 1978, garnering local and national honors along the way. In 1977 he was named to the Mythical National Champion Team, a squad composed of the best high school baseball players in America. In his senior year, he was named simultaneously to the NCS and California State All-Star teams, and to the first team of the Worth All American squad. Weeks later, he was drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Royals of the American league and played in his first Major League game in September 1982.
Biancalana played shortstop for the Royals from 1982 to 1987, and finished his big league career with the Houston Astros in 1987. In the fabled 1985 World Series that the Royals pulled out against the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3, Biancalana, who had played only 35 regular season games, capped an error-free 14-game post-season effort with a .278 batting average and an on-base percentage of .435. Today, he participates as a partner in a sports consultancy that teaches athletes how to attain by designing the peak moments that they usually experience by chance. Clients have included the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and other professional and amateur athletes.
(2009) Rod Berry ‘78 is possibly the best distance runner Redwood ever produced. His school record of 4:12 in the mile still stands, as well as his Marin County records of 8:53 in the 2-mile and 29:13 in the 6-mile. In his Freshman year, he was Named Northern California Freshman Cross Country Runner of the Year; set the world 3-mle record for boys 14 and under, and was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.” He was then named Northern California Sophomore Cross Country Runner of the Year and named to the All Northern California First Team. The varsity Redwood team that year won the NCS championship and was ranked #2 in the United States. Berry placed ninth in the California State Meet in the 2 mile. Berry continued to lead the team to many championships, being recognized by with MCAL, NCS, State and National honors, breaking records at multiple distances. He was named to the All Northern California First Team in cross country, came in second at the National Junior Cross Country Championships, placed 10th in the World Cross Country Championships in Scotland (first American across the line) and was named to the first team High School All American. In track, he took second at the state meet in the 2-mile, and later placed first in that event at the International Prep Invitational in Illinois. He was named Redwood’s Athlete of the Year.
Berry attended Stanford University on an athletic scholarship, where he lettered eight times in cross country and track and field. In Marin he is especially noted for still holding the modern course record for the Dipsea race, which he set in 1981.
(2009) Caren Choppelas Horstmeyer ’80 participated in tennis, basketball, soccer and softball. Horstmeyer was named to either All League or All Northern California honors all four years that she played basketball. She also garnered All League recognition in soccer (1978, 1979) and softball (1980). Redwood named her its Female Athlete of the Year in 1980. Horstmeyer’s great basketball skills earned her a four-year ride at Santa Clara University on a full basketball scholarship. She played there from 1980 through 1984, and won MVP honors three years running, from 1982 through 1984. She was also named to the All NorPac Conference team in 1983 and 1984. After her distinguished college career, Horstmeyer played professional basketball in Greece for two years. Horstmeyer was also good at teaching others how to play the game, and inevitably gravitated toward coaching. Starting in 1989, she coached the women’s team at her alma mater, Santa Clara, where she twice won honors as West Coast Coach of the Year, brought home four conference titles and guided her teams to three NCAA playoff appearances. The culmination of her career was when she worked as the head women’s basketball coach at UC Berkeley from 2000 through 2005, where she won Pac 10 Coach of the Year honors in 2004.
(2009) Ken Flax ‘81 was the best field man in Redwood’s track history, a powerful young teen who hurled the shot 57 feet—second all-time best in the MCAL. He was also a starting tailback on the football team, averaging 100 yards rushing per game until sidelined permanently with a dislocated shoulder.
At the University of Oregon, he continued to excel. He was named All-American four times in the hammer at the University of Oregon. He was the 1982 U.S. Junior Nationals Champion and a member of the university’s 1984 NCAA championship track and field team. In 1986, he set the still-standing American collegiate hammer throw record of 257 feet, 7 inches at the NCAA Championships.
But it was after high school that Flax exploded on the scene, becoming a standout in the hammer throw participated in the Summer Olympic Games at Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. He won the U.S. Olympic trials in the hammer throw in 1988. He was the gold medalist in the event at the 1991 World University games. His teammates voted him as their captain in the 1991 USA/USSR/Great Britain Meet. Track & Field News ranked him as the number-one U.S. hammer thrower in 1988, 1990 and 1991. He currently holds the third all-time longest hammer throw by a U.S. athlete, 262 feet, 3 inches.
Flax, who now lives in Los Gatos, Calif., is a charter board member of The USA Track and Field Foundation, an independent non-profit group that supports emerging elite track athletes and helps fund youth track programs throughout the country.
(2009) Laura Starrett Schmitt ’82 has a long history with Redwood, beginning with her cross country, track, swimming success while at Redwood. During her freshman year she joined the varsity swimming team, a sport she continued through her sophomore year, picking up co-ownership of the MCAL 4x100 meter county record along the way. But track and cross country were her strongest accomplishments.
In Varsity Cross Country (1980, 1981) she was voted Team MVP both years, all MCAL, fourth in Northern California among all runners, named to First Team All Northern California, and let the Redwood cross country team to third place in the Northern California Championships. She still holds the Redwood course record at Tennessee Valley of 16:49. In Varsity Track Varsity Track (1979-1982) she was team captain for two years, all MCAL for two years, and currently holder of the fourth fastest time ever in the MCAL for the 3200 meters: 10:57 (which is also the Redwood record) She ranked as the second fastest all-time at Redwood in the 1600 meters, with a time of 5:13. At UC Berkeley from 1982 through 1986, Schmitt continued as a powerful, inspirational runner. In Cross Country she was team captain in 1985 and a member of the first UC Berkeley cross country team to qualify for the NCAA national Cross Country Championships (1983). She was also team captain in track, and a leading collegiate distance runner with 5000 and 10000 meter times of 17:02 and 35:45, respectively. Starrett continues to run and coach both Cross Country and Track at Redwood. In 2007 she was the RRCA National Masters Cross Country Champion. She ranks 13th worldwide in the Masters 5000 meters on the track (18:37). She currently ranks as 1st Master in the short course in the Pacific Association of Road Racing, 1st Master in the Big Sur 5K in 2008 and 2nd Master in the Zippy’s 5K in 2008. She has been coaching at Redwood since 1986, with both boys’ and girls’ cross country teams winning many MCAL Championships, often having students and teams reach the California State meets each year. All three of her children attended Redwood and are runners as well.
(2009) Chad Kreuter ’82 played three years of baseball at Redwood (1980-82) and was named three times to the All MCAL team. In 1982, he was named to the Northern California All-Star team and the California All-Star team. He also played football and basketball during his three years at Redwood . In 1981 and 1982, he was named to the All MCAL and All CIF varsity football teams. In varsity basketball, he earned All MCAL team honors in 1982. He won a baseball scholarship to Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, and was a member of the Team USA that played in the 1984 World Games in Cuba. He spent 19 years as a professional baseball player, including 15 years as a centerfielder at the AAA level, playing for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He later became baseball coach at USC.
(2009) Patty Gibian Monge 84 lettered in four sports (basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer) and received one of the highest honors ever bestowed on a Redwood athlete: having a perpetual award, the Patricia Joy Gibian Award, named after her. The award is bestowed on that senior girl who has given the most to her teammates, classmates and community. She was named to the MCAL All League First Team in basketball in 1983, and received the California Interscholastic Federation Exceptional Achievement Award for the same sport in 1982. She has won more than 80 gold, silver and bronze metals in the California Police and Fire Games, and 15 medals in the World Police and Fire Games, held in such venues as Calgary, Canada, and Melbourne, Australia. She holds the record for her age group in the half marathon (2001), and has run the grueling 120-mile Baker to Las Vegas relay three times.
(2009) Kirsten McKnight Moore 94 lettered in basketball, soccer and softball during her years at Redwood (1991-94). She won all-league honors in all sports. By her senior year, McKnight, who remains Redwood’s all-time leading girl scorer, was named the MCAL’s Most Valuable Player and a member of the all-league team. The San Francisco Chronicle added a further honor, naming her to its 1994 All Bay Area team.
At the University of Oregon, McKnight played four years of basketball (1994-98), where, along the way, she appeared in four NCAA tournaments, was named team captain and received awards as the Most Improved and Most Inspirational player. After her graduation, McKnight stayed on at Oregon as the assistant women’s basketball coach, from 1998-2001. The team won two Pac 10 championships while she was there, and appeared in three NCAA tournaments. McKnight moved on the an assistant coaching position at the University of California at Berkeley (2001-2005), then moved on to her current job of head coach of the women’s basketball team at Westmont in 2005. Her current team is ranked 13th nationally. Since 2007, McKnight has also held the position of Associate Athletic Director for the school.
RAHOF COACHES:
(2018) Anne Zarraonandia… Coach: Anne is one of greatest HS Tennis coaches in Marin history. Anne played first team tennis at San Rafael HS then went on to play for COM and UC Davis. Since then she’s worked over 25 years as a teaching pro in addition to her HS coaching. She came to coach at Redwood in 1986 after three seasons as both boys and girls’ tennis coach at
(2016 Inductee) Gary Casassa - Varsity Girls Softball. Gary started coaching at Redwood in 1987 as a Frosh/Soph Softball Coach becoming co-head coach for the Varsity for the next three years (1989-1991). From 1992 until present Gary has assumed full Head Varsity Coach responsibilities, leading his team to MCAL Pennants in 1989, 94, 96, 99, 2006,7,8,9,10,11 & 2014. From 2008 to 2011 the Girls Softball Team went 75-5 against all MCAL Teams. He won two NCS Titles in 1996 & 2008 and placed second in the NCS in 2015. Redwood has sent three players to Division 1 Colleges and many to Division 2. He continues to coach the Girls Varsity Softball Team.
(2014) Doug Basham, Coach Track and Cross country, was head varsity track and field and cross-country coach from 1966 until 1992 and 2003-2005. He coached the Libyan and Philippine Olympic track teams, and was head coach of the track and field and cross-country teams at the University of Idaho. During his tenure at Redwood, his cross-country teams won two 34 MCAL championships and 4 NCS championships including national rankings in 1973(#3) and 1975(#2). In track and field, the teams he coached won 18 MCAL championships and 2 NCS championships. He has continued to coach in his retirement and is still often seen on the track which was named after him. Doug is also a member of the Marin County Athletic Hall Of Fame.
(2012) Stanlee J. Buchanan, Boy’s and Girl’s Tennis Coach 1965-1995
Stan was a Redwood teacher and coach, coaching Frosh Basketball (1965-68), Frosh Baseball (1966), B Basketball (1969) and then becoming the reigning head tennis coach for both boys and girls from 1974-1995. During that time he had 15 girls’ championships in 15 years, and 9 boys’ championships in 10 years. The Redwood Tennis Courts are named the Stanlee J. Buchanan Courts.
His other coaching experiences included the head varsity boys’ water polo (79-81) and head women’s basketball coach at College of Marin (79-81). He is a member of the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame, Galileo HS Athletic Hall of Fame, USF Athletic Hall of Fame, and the USF NCAA men’s basketball championship teams of ’54 and ’55. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to England in 1972 and Department Chair of the Redwood English Department ’91-’95.
(2009) Al Endriss 1958-1993) Baseball Coach—Endriss is the man who forever put Redwood High School in people’s minds as a baseball powerhouse. Although he coached football for 15 years, it was his 21-year stint as the school’s varsity baseball coach that he is know for. His record of 472 wins and 119 losses was equivalent to an astounding four wins for every game lost. His teams won 12 MCAL championships, including a remarkable eight-year run 1972 -1979.
His teams appeared in the North Coast sectional playoffs six times, and brought home NCS titles three times, in 1977, 1978 and 1980. At the height of Endriss’s tenure in 1977, Redwood was named “Mythical National Champion.” Perhaps the crowning achievement was when Sporting News named the Redwood High varsity baseball team as the “Team of the Decade” for the 1970s. He was named North Coast Section Coach of the Year in 1974 and 1975, and California Coach of the Year in 1976. That same year his peers nationwide named him to their highest honor, National High School Coach of the Year. From 1982 through 1987, Endriss coached the College of Marin baseball team to six league championships and 10 appearances at the junior college state tournament. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system for three years, 1949 through 1951, then came west in 1952 to play with the San Francisco 49ers before becoming a coach and teacher. After retirement, he coached both French and German national baseball teams in international tournaments, including a 1998 game against an American team at a competition in Spain.
(2010) Dick Hart, 1958-1985 Basketball Coach won six MCAL basketball championships. In addition to his basketball success, Coach Hart's golf teams also won eight MCAL golf championships. He was the California High School Coach of the Year and the runner-up National High School Coach of the Year in 1975.
(2009) Bob Troppmann, 1958-1984 Football, Basketball and Track Coach Troppmann not only created the school’s football program, but also a series of clinics and football camps that eventually earned him a spate of professional honors. His involvement with Redwood’s varsity and freshman football teams over a 38-year span that won district championships (Redwood, Drake and Tamalpais) in 1959, 1960, 1962, 1965 and 1969, and three MCAL championships, in 1959, 1960 and 1962. His overall varsity won-loss record was 60-40-1. Troppmann also mentored the freshman squad in 1970, 1972 and 1984, and from 1986 through 1997, leading them to three MCAL championships. He even found time to lend his expertise to the College of Marin football team, serving as COM’s head coach in 1980and 1981. After his official retirement from Redwood, he went on to work as the Athletic Director for the Tamalpais Unified High School District in 1986 and 1987. He also acted the same year as the Project Manager of the Community Fields Association. Between his teams, clinics (San Francisco Football Clinic for 30 years), start-ups, honors (7+) and Hall of Fame inductions (5), Troppmann also found time to write five books on football and athletic administration, as well as “The Master Defense,” a primer on how to play defensive football. In 1997, Redwood paid tribute to one of its “founding fathers,” named the football field “Bob Troppmann Field.”
RAHOF SPECIAL MERIT RECOGNITION MEMBERS:
(2017) Bruce Kreitzberg ‘86, Special Merit Recognition. As a student at Redwood Bruce was known for his spirit, his skills, and leadership in Tennis and Cross Country, however he was elected to the RAHOF for additional contributions to RHS just as Student Representative on the board of the Community Fields Association. While on the board he developed the idea to add an RHS outdoor amphitheater to the fields’ plan. He persistently petitioned the Fields Committee to add it to the project, as a new utility that would host RHS graduation ceremonies as well as other outdoor community events. As recipient of RHS’s Mike Kavanagh Scholarship, awarded to a senior for “outstanding service to team, school and community” Bruce donated the substantial cash prize to the Field’s and to the amphitheater under consideration. The Kreitzberg Family Foundation donated the rest of the funds necessary to complete the structure within the Community Field’s project timeline. Thanks to Bruce, RHS has an outdoor amphitheater! Ever since, Bruce has served on the Kreitzberg Foundation and comes to Marin each year to award grants to youth centered activities and projects. For his leadership and contributions to RHS Bruce was elected by students as a “Hero on Campus” and featured in the December ’85 issue of the Redwood Bark.
SPECIAL MERIT...TEAM AWARD (2017) The Spring 1977 RHS Varsity Boys Baseball Team.
Considered by many to be the greatest sports team in MCAL history, they posted a record of 33 wins / 4 losses and won both MCAL & NCS Championships. They were named the 1977 High School National Champions by Easton Bat Company in Collegiate Baseball magazine. They were named the ’70’s National HS Baseball Team of the Decade by Sporting News are listed in the all-time top 25 high school baseball teams by Student Sports Magazine. The ’77 Giants included five HS All Americans (Zunino, Connor, Meister, Biancalana & Jones) as well as the National HS Athlete of the year (Meister). Twelve players of the ’77 squad went on to play College baseball (Zunino, Meister, Myles, Jones, Travers, Hoffmeister, Gibian, Scott, Medrano, Parker, Hoffmire & Connor). Bud Biancalana was the first round draft choice of the KC Royals and four others also played baseball at the professional level (Zunino, Meister, Jones & Travers).
Back row: Coach Al Endriss, Buddy Biancalana, Brett Parker, Scott Sutton, Steve Travers, Micky Meister, John Jones, John Caito, Len Tallerico, Jim Connor, Bill,Scott. Trainer Blair Bavuso Front row: Gary Ferrari, Greg Zunino, David Hoffmeister, Mike Long, Jim Jones, Steve Hoffmire, Byron Myles, Howard Gibian, Cam Garrett, Kevin Wiltz, David Lui, Lindsay Gordon. Kneeling: Mary Slovak, Mary Alize McElroy, Sara Peggs
SPECIAL MERIT...TEAM AWARD (Inducted 2016) The inaugural Special Merit/Team recognition honorees are the Spring 1959 RHS Varsity Boys Swim Team which captured the first League Championship in RHS history.
Boys Swimming Team - Spring 1959
(2014) Lynn and Henry Moody, Special Recognition. The Moody's have had a long commitment to Redwood and the Community, and were parents of two Redwood grads. They were the volunteer force and "stick-to-itiveness" behind the eight year saga resulting in the community fields. Their vision and skills created the team that developed these fields. Henry was the fund raiser and Lynn was the facilitator with Redwood coaching staff and the many community people and businesses.
(2009) Donald Kreps, Principal, 1957-1979; Math teacher 1958-1983. As Redwood’s first Principal, he created a vision that fostered excellence in academics, athletics and life. He started at Redwood a year before it opened its doors in 1958, the leader who directed the immensely complicated process of launching a school from scratch. One of his most important contributions was the hiring of its staff and first coaches, Bob Troppmann and Al Endriss among them.
Kreps was a avid supporter of the coaches and athletic teams, encouraging them to be successful on the field and demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times. He attended many games, and was often known to join the school band on the drums once in a while.
Redwood first honored Kreps by naming its faculty lounge, now know as the Kreps Center, after him. He has been recognized by both Redwood Athletic Hall of Fame and the Avenue of Giants for his lifelong dedication to students.
(2009) Jim Hanretty, Community Field Special Recognition 1981-1986. Although Hanretty was a teacher and principal at Tam from1957-1981, he mad a lasting contribution to Redwood as Principal, Counselor and Coach.
As Principal during major flood in January 1982, he facilitated Army Corps of Engineers dumping mud on what would be come the site of the Community Fields behind Redwood. He spearheaded the Community Fields Association which raised money to build two softball, one baseball and two soccer fields that are used today by thousands of Redwood and community athletes.
(2009) Phil Roark, Teacher, Coach, Athletic Director 1964-1999 He mentored students in wrestling (started the school’s wrestling program), football (Varsity coach for 9 years) and baseball, and guided them to several league championships, including the 1968 MCAL wrestling championship, and the 1972 and 1973 MCAL varsity football championships. Roark was known as more than just a coach who was at home in several sports. Because of his administrative skills, he became the school’s athletic director, a role he carried out for the next 22 years until his retirement in 1999. He was a key player on the Community Fields Association. He was Chairman of the Marin and National Football Foundation High School Hall of Fame and Marin County Athletic League Commissioner until 2007. Roark received many honors along the way. The ones he treasured most were his induction into the San Francisco State University Football Hall of Fame in 1990, his 1996-97 induction into the North Coast Hall of Fame, his 1998 induction into the Marin County Foundation Hall of Fame, and, the same year, California State Recognition sponsored by Senator John Burton for his civic leadership and administration of athletic programs. The Redwood Gym is named in his honor.