Anyone go to high school with an athlete who eventually played in the pros?
Dave99B
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Mine: Floyd Bannister, out of Kennedy High School in Seattle.
MLB. Played 1977-1992. Solid lefty starter with a career 4.0 ERA.
He was fun to watch in high school...completely overmatching batters left and right.
Interesting note: He gave up 1 run in his Senior year (it was unearned!)
Dave
Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
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No but Walt Alston went to the same school that I did. Its a very rural area and I noticed it doesn't even list the name of the town on his Wikapedia page. "Lewistown"
Walt Alston. ML Totals: 1 AB, 1 Strikeout. HOF none the less, as a great manager. Very cool! Love stories like this!
Dave
Long before I graduated, Dave and Dick Sisler in MLB,
While I was there (but didn't know him), Jay Williamson, PGA
Long after I graduated, Scott Van Slyke in MLB and Ezekiel Elliott in the NFL.
some that were in the olympics , but for pro sports I went to school with Kevin Stevens I think thats all
teammate of Jean Michael Liles for two years. 12 year NHL offensive-minded defenseman, mostly with Colorado.
My daughter went to High School with Jason Werth.
I went to high school with Joe Barry Carroll who played in the NBA after being drafted #1 in the 1980 draft.
I also played high school hoops against Michael "Sugar Ray" Richardson, who played in the NBA after being drafted #4 in the 1978 draft.
Both became NBA All Stars.
I went to college with the late Joanie Laurer. She's more recognized by her name when she was a WWF superstar..."Chyna "
Bill Scherrer. Graduated in the same class. MLB pitcher, World Series ring with Detroit.
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Don
Mike Ford qb, decent stats with SMU , drafted by Tampa Bay. end of story.
several years after I graduated Dr. Robert Smith played his HS Football at Euclid High School.
Closest as a student for me was a classmate who was cut at the end of training camp as a kick returner for the Lions.
As a teacher:
My Graphic Arts Teacher won a Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympics. He played a short time with the Lions. They evidently were not used to really speedy receivers. I would see him outrun defenders by 10 yards but the QB would underthrow regularly. Glenn Davis . Not in my class but quite a few from my high school did ok. Paul O'Neill played for the Reds and Yankees. Terry Glenn and several more who my old brain can't remember their names were Buckeyes and went on to the NFL.
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Ralph
St Joe's Prep, I graduated in 71. My senior year, our school basketball team had a sophomore named Mo Howard, a forward who could jump out of the building. He led the basketball team to the league championship. He went on to college at Maryland and played in the pros for a few years.
moe could boink an eye with the best of them
Prior to me, Randall "Tex" Cobb. not the greatest heavyweight ever to live (i think he permanently disfigured Larry Holmes' hand with his face), but he was one tough SOB. only knocked out once in his career, iirc, and i certainly would never want to meet him in a dark alley where he could also use his legs (he started out as a kickboxer).
After me, John Lackey. i'm sure there are a lot of Red Sox fans who aren't fond of his tenure with the team (chicken & beer), but i know for a fact there was a lot of good in him. comes from a rock solid family, never forgot his roots (came back home A LOT), and was one of baseball's very best with kids (ask itzagoner if he ever returns). i'll never forget the day my mom called me and said, "guess who was at church this morning all by himself? John Lackey." she said she went up to him, gave him a hug, asked how he was doing, and his response was, "just trying to get my life in order, Mrs. ______."
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Also, Phil Martelli, former head coach at St Joseph's University for over 20 years, graduated from the Prep in '72, Was in a few classes with him. In the "small world" theme, when my daughter was in college, she was very good friends with a guy who was a student trainer for the basketball team. I got to meet him and asked how he got to be the trainer and told me that his uncle, Phil Martelli, was the coach.
I went to high school with Kenny Anderson of the Nets.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
he is still arguably the best HS point guard to come out of NYC. i assume you saw him play a lot, Tim?
https://www.maxpreps.com/news/s6vRpaQxhkGX5goss-dOfA/top-10--new-york-citys-greatest-point-guards.htm
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
I graduated HS with Sean Morey. NFL. He was named Sports Illustrated's special teams player of the decade in 2009.
His most famous play was probably this one, which was I believe the first time a game was won in OT on a TD scored on a blocked punt.
https://youtu.be/sZSG4SjqA38
He blocks the punt.
Wow. I’ve never seen that play. Incredible. Serious blown blocking assignment!
Dave
Just let the guy run right by him. Good grief.
I did. He was a year behind me in high school but quite a legend already by the time he got to Molloy. Jack Curran, the coach, was also quite a figure in high school varsity sports, both basketball and baseball, and coached for decades there.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I went to Xaverian High School with Chris Mullin, but he was a senior when I was a freshman. His brother John however was in my year.
One of my aunts went to HS while Rex Chapman was there.
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I have only a few distant connections to professional athletes.
Boxer Virgil Hill, 1984 Olympic silver medalist, and later light heavyweight champion, went to my high school roughly a decade before I did.
One of my best friends growing up became a professional rodeo rider in the 80s and 90s, bull and bareback. I've seen the trophies and belt buckles and prize saddles, etc., along with the newspaper clippings back in the day, but Google has very little record of his career.
I went to high school at the same time as the mother and aunt of current Orioles All-Star pitcher John Means. His grandfather owned the local sporting goods store, and let me use a spare 8 foot and a 4 foot glass display case to sell my cards there in his store for roughly 15 years. My first ever trip to Las Vegas, I went with John Means' grandfather and John's dad, and while there, we rented a van and drove to Los Angeles, and I attended my one and only Dodgers game with them. I recall keeping John entertained as a toddler, rolling a soccer ball back and forth to him while sitting on the carpet of the sporting goods store, and John's grandmother has provided picture evidence that I ate cake and ice cream during a party they had at their house for John's 8th birthday... While I follow his career with interest, John, of course, has no idea who I am. Ha!
My oldest daughter graduated high school with Michael Phelps. I can't remember if it was their junior or senior year, but he asked her out and she declined. I remember telling her that he already had a world record and was worth a $million (at 17 years old!) and she still wasn't interested. Not sure if that conversation reflects well or poor on me as a parent! LOL