2007-08 Saunders, Connolly and Coaches Awards

05-07-2008

San Diego Hall of Champions

The San Diego Hall of Champions is pleased to announce the 2008 recipients of the Russ Saunders Award, Maureen Connolly Award and the Male and Female High School Coaches of the Year.

The awards will be presented Monday, May 12 at the High School Sports Association Spring Breakfast. The breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Scottish-Rite Center in Mission Valley.

Bonita Vista High’s D.J. Shields will receive the Russ Saunders Award and Mt. Carmel High’s Kelly Hansen the Maureen Connolly Award. Oceanside football coach John Carroll is the Male Coach of the Year and Cathedral Catholic’s girls soccer coach Dawn Lee is the Female Coach of the Year.

Shields, who carries a 4.0 grade-point average and is bound for San Diego State, receives the Russ Saunders Award as the CIF San Diego Section’s top scholar-athlete in football.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, who was named a first-team All-CIF tight end, plans to major as a civil engineer. It’s the second straight year a San Diego State recruit won the award, following El Capitan High quarterback Ryan Lindley in 2007.

“I feel honored to be recognized for this award, especially for the fact that Ryan Lindley got it last year,” Shields said. “I think it shows San Diego State is doing a good job of recruiting locally and of recruiting good student-athletes.”

The Saunders Award is named for one of San Diego’s first football legends. He played in the backfield on championship teams at San Diego High, the 1925 Coast League champions; at USC, the 1927 national champions and later the 1930 Rose Bowl MVP; and in the NFL, with the 1931 Green Bay Packers.

He also was the model for the Tommy Trojan statue that stands outside of Brovard Auditorium at USC.

The plaque's inscription reads:

“Presented by the San Diego Hall of Champions

“The Russ Saunders Award is awarded to the San Diego County high school football player who most typifies the high level of character and ability demonstrated by Russ Saunders, a Breitbard Hall of Famer, San Diego High School and University of Southern California football star and MVP of the 1930 Rose Bowl.”

MAUREEN CONNOLLY AWARD

Kelly Hansen, Mt. Carmel

Hansen, who carries a 3.76-grade-point average and is bound for Cornell in volleyball, receives the Connolly Award as the CIF San Diego Section’s top scholar-athlete in girls sports.

In addition to volleyball, Hansen led the Sundevils to the CIF San Diego Section Division II title in girls basketball. The 6-foot-4 center was recruited by Division I college basketball schools but opted to pursue a college volleyball career in the Ivy League. She plans to major in business.

“It’s one of the memorable moments of my life to be honored with such a prestigious award,” Hansen said. “Sports started as a hobby for me, and it’s changed my life. It was my dream to go to an Ivy League college and play sports.”

Connolly, who grew up learning the game on North Park’s public courts, was the first woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis in 1953. "Little Mo" won nine major titles in her career. She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and was the first San Diego woman inducted into the Breitbard Hall-of-Fame.

The plaque's incription reads:

“Presented by the San Diego Hall of Champions

The Maureen Connolly Athletic Award is presented to the San Diego County high school female scholar-athlete who most typifies the high level of character and ability demonstrated by Maureen Connolly, a San Diegan who was the first woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis in 1953 and is a Breitbard Hall of Famer.”

MALE COACH OF THE YEAR

John Carroll, Oceanside

In the second year of the State CIF Bowl games, Carroll’s Oceanside football team became the first San Diego school invited to a bowl and the first to win as Oceanside defeated Novato at the Home Depot Center.

Carroll, who completed his 19th year as the Pirates’ head coach, also led Oceanside to its fourth straight CIF Division II title and sixth in the last eight years.

FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR

Dawn Lee, Cathedral Catholic

Lee’s Cathedral Catholic girls soccer team won its fourth straight CIF San Diego Section Division III title and the seventh in the last nine years.

In the first year of the CIF Southern California Regional championships, the Lady Dons won the Division II title.

Lee completed her 10th year as head coach after succeeding her late father, Butch Lee. She played for her father at USDHS before the school moved to North County and was renamed Cathedral Catholic.

Russ Saunders Award

Recipients

2007-08 -- D.J. Shields, TE, Bonita Vista, San Diego State

2006-07 -- Ryan Lindley, QB, El Capitan, San Diego State

2005-06 -- Stephen Carr, RB-WR, Eastlake, Stanford

2004-05 -- Clinton Snyder, DE, Monte Vista, Stanford

2003-04 -- Aaron Smith, DB, Point Loma, Stanford

2002-03 -- Reggie Bush, RB, Helix, USC

2001-02 -- Jason Bash, RB, Ramona, Dartmouth

2000-01 -- Tyler Arciaga, QB, Bonita Vista, UNLV

1999-00 -- D.J. Busch, QB, Santana, Cornell

1998-99 -- Leon Oloya, WR, Marian Catholic, New Mexico State

1997-98 -- Chris Hakim, OL, Monte Vista, USD

1996-97 -- Matt Friedrichs, LB, Carlsbad, Stanford

1995-96 -- Andrew Ord, RB, Torrey Pines, BYU

1994-95 -- Chad Hutchinson, QB, Torrey Pines, Stanford

1993-94 -- Tony Faxon, DL, Mt. Carmel, Cal Poly

1992-93 -- Chris Buddin, WR, Orange Glen, Stanford

1991-92 -- Gary Taylor, RB, Morse, Arizona

1990-91 -- Teddy Lawrence, QB, Morse, UCLA

1989-90 -- Danny White, QB, Point Loma, Penn State

1988-89 -- John Louis, WR-DB, Point Loma, San Diego State

1987-88 -- Erik Bliss, OL, Helix, Dartmouth

Maureen Connellly Award

Recipients

2007-08 -- Kelly Hansen, volleyball, basketball, Mt. Carmel, Cornell

2006-07 -- Katherine Donner, field hockey, lacrosse, Serra, Stanford

2005-06 -- Whitney Spence, swimming, basketball, Mt. Carmel, Stanford.

Male and Female Coaches Awards

Recipients

2007-08

Male Coach of the Year -- John Caroll, Oceanside, football

Female Coach of the Year -- Dawn Lee, Cathedral Catholic, soccer

2006-07

Male Coach of the Year -- Bob McAllister, Carlsbad, football

Female Coach of the Year -- Laurie Berger, Serra, field hockey

2005-06

Male Coach of the Year -- Randy Wright, Santa Fe Christian, boys basketball

Female Coach of the Year -- Robin Blalock, Mt. Carmel, girls basketball

2004-05

Male Coach of the Year -- Wayne Branstetter, Poway, wrestling

Female Coach of the Year -- Ronni Olsen, Scripps Ranch, girls volleyball

2003-04

Male -- Ray Johnson, El Camino, boys basketball

Female -- Jane Morrill, Scripps Ranch, field hockey

2002-03

Male -- Zack Jones, Horizon, boys basketball

Female -- Diane Pascua, Santa Fe Christian, girls volleyball

2002-2001

Male -- Gordon Wood, Helix, football

Female -- Terri Bamford, La Jolla Country Day, girls basketball

2000-01

Male -- Sam Blalock, Rancho Bernardo, baseball

Female -- Carolyn Taetafa-Hudson, Bonita Vista girls volleyball

1999-2000

Male -- Herb Meyer, El Camino, footbll

Female -- Lisa Reis, Poway, girls volleyball

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.