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Mike Machado: A Coach's Legacy
When Saratoga High School beat Palma in the 1996 CCS Championship Game, coach Mike Machado knew that that would be his last as the Falcons coach. Although Saratoga's program was thriving in just his second year as the varsity head coach, Machado knew that he could never replace his predecessor, Benny Pierce, whose 269 wins, 16 league titles and four CCS championship triumphs from 1961 through 1994 still echo'd in Saratoga's hallways. Mike Machado knew that although he could s

David Hegler
Nov 18, 20257 min read


Nello Falaschi
Football is a gritty game where some of its biggest contributors almost never touch the ball. Back in the single wing days of the game,...

David Hegler
Aug 22, 20253 min read


Phil Smith
Phil Smith used basketball to get out of the San Francisco projects. Along the way, the shooting guard for the 1975 world champion Golden...

David Hegler
May 8, 20253 min read


Ernie Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi was one of the best catchers of his era. Hailing from the Oakland Oaks of the PCL, he made a name for himself in...

David Hegler
Apr 25, 20255 min read


Ed Brown
The 1951 University of San Francisco football team is one of the most legendary in all of the Bay Area. Nine members of that team went on...

David Hegler
Apr 18, 20254 min read


Santa Clara Baseball: The Taormina Years
Sal Taormina guided the Santa Clara University Broncos to unprecedented heights for 15 years. In that stretch, his teams won the...

David Hegler
Apr 4, 20256 min read


Marv Owen
Marv Owen was a baseball lifer. While he did very little statistically, he contributed in some very memorable ways in two World Series....

David Hegler
Apr 1, 20256 min read


San Francisco's Forgotten Mascots
There was a time in the 1950's when San Francisco was home to two mascots who have long been forgotten in society: a mule named...

David Hegler
Mar 26, 20252 min read


Howie Dallmar
Despite originating all the way in Philadelphia, the Golden State Warriors have had a connection to San Francisco since their very first...

David Hegler
Mar 20, 20254 min read


Gene Clines
Barry Bonds was nothing short of a beast. From 1997 through 2002, he lit the baseball world on fire by bashing 279 home runs. As his body...

David Hegler
Mar 13, 20256 min read


Mickey Cochrane
"I didn't want to be a catcher. It was thrust upon me, as they say in the classics." - Mickey Cochrane Wherever Mickey Cochrane went, he...

David Hegler
Mar 7, 20256 min read


Al Vermeil: An Overlooked Legacy
While Dick Vermeil is widely known as a hard-working coach who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams back in 1999, few know of his...

David Hegler
Feb 21, 20253 min read


Gary Plummer
NFL rosters are filled with players who never make the Pro Bowl yet provide invaluable insight and playmaking ability week in and week...

David Hegler
Feb 19, 20255 min read


Paul Wiggin
Paul Wiggin's timing in the game of football is truly remarkable. After playing with John Brodie at Stanford and winning an NFL title...

David Hegler
Nov 14, 20246 min read


K.C. Jones
K.C. Jones lived a full life in basketball. As a collegian, he and Bill Russell led their team to two national championships as well as a...

David Hegler
Jan 11, 20245 min read


Duke Snider and Pete Rozelle: The Pride of the Class of '44
Compton High School has enjoyed a long illustrious history of athletic excellence and it all began with the class of 1944. That year, two...

David Hegler
Dec 23, 20235 min read


Craig Morton
Craig Morton had always dreamed of the spotlight. Ever since his days starring on the baseball diamond and the football field at Campbell...

David Hegler
Dec 13, 20237 min read


Bob Melvin
Ever since their season ended, the San Francisco Giants have searched vigorously for their new manager. For weeks, numerous names have...

David Hegler
Oct 24, 20233 min read


Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd was one of the most decorated recruiting prospects to come out of the Bay Area in the 1990’s. Despite receiving a vast amount...

David Hegler
May 18, 20224 min read


The Legacy of Frankie Campbell
When the movie Cinderella Man came out in the Summer of 2005, audiences from all over the world were introduced to boxer Maz Baer, a...

David Hegler
Mar 19, 20223 min read
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