San Diego baseball legend Floyd Robinson and San Diego motor sports legend Ivan Stewart have been elected to the Breitbard Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2009.
Robinson and Stewart will be inducted on Feb. 18 at the 63rd annual Viejas Salute to the Champions dinner at the Town and Country Hotel’s Grand Exhibit Hall in Mission Valley. Tickets for the Salute dinner are $250. For ticket information, call 619-699-2313.
Floyd Robinson
Robinson, a San Diego High alum, played nine seasons of Major League Baseball. His best seasons were with the Chicago White Sox in the early 1960s as one of the American League’s top hitters.
Robinson was a consistent .300 hitter at a time when batting averages were declining throughout Major League Baseball. Robinson placed in the top five three times in the early 1960s with an average that was around 50 points above the league average.
In 1962, he was second at .312 when the composite average was .255; in 1961, he was fifth at .310 when the composite average was .256; in 1964, he was fifth at .301 when the composite was .247.
Robinson compiled a lifetime batting average of .283 with the White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox. His final season, in a career cut short by a knee injury, was 1968.
Prior to his Major League career, he played for the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. He set a record for highest field percentage (.997) with the Padres in 1957.
He was a local legend for his time playing with the Marine Corps as a member of the powerful MCRD San Diego teams in the late 1950s on teams that included future Major Leaguer Earl Wilson.
In high school, he was the Co-Player of the Year for Southern California high school baseball as a senior when San Diego schools were members of the Southern Section with Los Angeles and Orange County schools. He played quarterback for the Cavers for legendary coach Duane Maley and was recruited by Arizona.
Robinson is the 17th baseball player elected to the Breitbard Hall of Fame, but the first from a San Diego high school since Alan Trammell (Kearny High, Detroit Tigers) in 1998.
IVAN STEWART
Stewart, a Grossmont High alum, was the “Iron Man” of Off-Road racing. He won 84 races in his career and is an icon in his sport.
Stewart’s 84 career wins included 10 season driver championships in truck and buggy racing. The SCORE “Iron Man” award is named for Stewart, and he was inducted into the Off-Road Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Stewart was the SCORE Driver of the Year four times, was twice the overall champion in 1990 and 1993 and was a three-time All-American driver.
His desire to race solo against teams of two and three drivers in all-terrain races of up to 1,000 miles in length and 24 hours in duration earned Stewart the nickname “Ironman.”
The victory in the 1973 Ensenada 300 was the start of a winning streak that resulted in Stewart signing a contract with Toyota. He as the first pro to sign with a factory for Off-Road Racing, and Toyota later named a truck for him.
Stewart earned his 17th Baja 500 win in 1999. His 84 career victories include 17 Baja 500s, eight Mint 400s, four Parker 400s, three Baja 10000s and four SCORE World Championships.
Stewart is the second motor sports inductee into the Breitbard Hall of Fame. Bill Muncey of Hydroplane racing was inducted in 1982.
ERIC ALLEN, Point Loma High alumnus
Eric Allen, a Point Loma High alumnus, was as six-time Pro Bowl cornerback in his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints.
He was a second-round draft pick in 1988 as the 30th pick overall. He was a starter as a rookie and made his first Pro Bowl in his second season in 1989.
Allen is tied for third with Marcus Allen and La’Roi Glover for most Pro Bowls by a San Diego high school product. Only John Lynch (nine) and Junior Seau (12) have more appearances.
At Arizona State as a senior in 1987, Allen was first-team All-Pac-10 choice and Associated Press honorable mention All-American when he intercepted eight passes.
Allen was an All-CIF running back and defensive back at Point Loma High who led the Pointers to a CIF San Diego Section 2A co-championship in 1982.
In 2007, Allen was named to the Philadelphia Eagles’ 75th Anniversary team. Allen also was recently named to the Arizona State Hall of Fame and will be inducted on Oct. 25 when the Sundevils play Oregon at ASU.
MARSHALL FAULK, San Diego State alumnus
Marshall Faulk, a San Diego State alumnus, was a three-time All-American and 1992 Heisman Trophy runner-up as a running back for the Aztecs from 1991-93.
He was a seven-time Pro Bowl pick with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. The Colts made him the second pick overall of the 1994 draft and he finished the year as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In 2000, when he was named the NFL MVP, he scored a then-NFL record 26 touchdowns despite missing two games. He led the Rams to NFC Championships in 1999 and 2001. The Rams won the Super Bowl title in the 1999 season but were upset in the 2001 season. Faulk retired after chronic knee problems had slowed him for several seasons.
He last played in 2005. He’s fourth on the career list with 19,154 combined yards from scrimmage, and his 6,875 yards receiving are the most ever by a running back. Faulk is a member of the Aztecs Hall of Fame and his No. 28 is retired. In December, 2007, the Rams retired Faulk’s No. 28 and a replica jersey hangs in the Edward Jones Dome.
Posted on February 2, 2009 by admin
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