Rarely has there been as much variety represented among Breitbard Hall of Fame inductees as was displayed by the five newest members at last night’s Salute to the Champions dinner at the Town and Country Convention Center.
A crowd of close to 1,000 enjoyed the evening’s festivities which saw former major league baseball player David Wells, four-time Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis, peerless sailor JJ Fetter, American Football League Hall of Famer David Grayson and legendary track/cross country coach Bob Larsen formally inducted.
Wells, who tossed a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins on May 17, 1998 while playing for the New York Yankees, entertained the gathering with his memories, pointing out that despite all of his travels, he never forgot his roots, starting when he pitched almost flawlessly for Point Loma High.
Wells’ booming voice lauded Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, recalled his youthful days when he’d go across the street to participate in numerous sports at Robb Field and his memorable times during two stints with the San Diego Padres.
Louganis dedicated his evening to his late adoptive mother, Frances, who he said would particularly have enjoyed seeing him inducted into the Hall of Fame and spoke of overcoming his shyness and inner-conflict to become the greatest diver in history.
Fetter, too, said the lure of the sport of sailing kept her involved even after she thought she had retired, only to come back and win a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Grayson and Larsen were unanimous selections from the Veterans’ Committee. While Grayson seemed to revel in the moment while recalling some of the people who helped make him an AFL star, Larsen was extremely humble at being honored despite enjoying success at every level of coaching track and cross country.
The evening also recognized Stars of the Year, which included Chargers Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates and Shaun Phillips; PGA golfer Phil Mickelson; New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi; pro basketball player Charde Houston; the Padres’ Adrian Gonzalez; Lakers standout Luke Walton; NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson; Master’s track athlete Rita Hanscom; USA water polo player Kelly Rulon; SDSU basketball player Paris Johnson; Aztec pitcher Stephen Strasburg; USD volleyball star Ali Troost; fellow Torero baseball player James Meador and Point Loma Nazarene’s two-time NAIA golf champion Sam Cyr.
Special recognition was given to the World Series Champion Park View Little League team for Significant International Achievement; to hand-cyclist Oscar (Oz) Sanchez as the year’s top Challenged Athlete; to longtime high school supporter and Morse High football coach John Shacklett; to tennis standout Dorothy (Dodo) Cheney for Lifetime Achievement; to Steve Scott’s Cal State San Marcos women’s national championship cross country team; and to Phil and Amy Mickelson, winners of the Ernest H. Wright Sr. Humanitarian Award for their work with youth through the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation.
Posted on February 23, 2010 by Steve Brand
Sorry, commenting is not available for this item
