Lost before their time- San Francisco Atheletes Struck down in their prime

In sports we hear about guys who have that “It” factor, that something special that comes around every once in a while.  It is always a privilege to get the chance to see that special talent blossom, and in the case of David Henderson it was no different. Henderson statistically was the best running back in San Francisco High School Football history, surpassing NFL hall of famers and SF natives Ollie Mattson and O.J. Simpson.  His illustrious high school career included a stat line that totaled 5,600 yards and led his Lincoln Mustangs to Turkey Bowl wins in 2005, 2006, and 2007.  He had a personality that lit up a room and the talent that lit up the field night after night. 

Henderson, (like former record holder OJ Simpson) after high school took the road up to 50 Phelan Ave to bring his talents to the City College of San Francisco in hopes of taking his career to the next level.  Upon taking the field with the Rams it did not seem like Henderson had missed a beat.  Upon taking his first touch of the football on a kick off against Cabrillo Junior college "Doom" (a nick name he coined while tearing up the AAA) brought the ball back for a 94 yard touchdown.  Henderson would continue to do well despite being benched his sophomore year for missing practices.  By the end of the season he would have regained his role as the starting running back and earned himself an offer to the University of West Georgia but due to off the field problems, it would be a short lived term there.  David Henderson came back to San Francisco and began playing for the semipro Pacifica Islanders in January after his failed attempts to play football at the University of West Georgia and the University of Arkansas, according to his mother. He was also set to try out with the San Jose Saber Cats arena football team this week.

On Thursday, May 26^th, 2011, David Henderson was shot in the head and spine and was critically wounded on the 1400 block of Kirkwood Ave. in the city’s Bayview district.  Upon reaching San Francisco General Hospital, the doctors put David into a medically induced coma. After struggling for more than a week, David died on Monday, June 6th from injuries sustained from the shooting. 

As any person who knew David or knew of him, this is a tragedy of epic proportions. After losing his cousin earlier this year Henderson had stated to the San Francisco examiner that he was focused on getting his life together.  A statement from Pacifica Islanders general manager Tom Piccolotti about how he was arriving early to practice smiling and ready to go would back that story up. Henderson was just steps away from reaching that next level he so desperately wanted to reach but in yet another terrible story he was struck down in the prime of his youth. 

David will never get the opportunity to play in the pros like OJ or Ollie, but he will nonetheless gain the honor of living on in San Francisco history as the single greatest running back to touch the field in San Francisco.  David Henderson will forever live on in the hearts of his family and teammates.

San Francisco's Home Grown (football players)

San Francisco as a whole is a culturally rich city which is seen by the rest of the country as the edge of progression in America. What it does not receive enough credit for is being a city that produces a plethora of talented football players.  When the average person hears San Francisco in a conversation, chances are they think of the city by the bay, cable cars, Fisherman’s Warf, the Golden Gate, and Rice-A-Roni.  When I hear the name, it spurs memories of great football, whether it is between professionally assembled teams or a between squads of home grown kids who are divided up amongst the city's high schools, with various schools getting a taste of  the best native talent San Francisco has to offer.

   It is a tradition of excellence that predates the current orientation of teams in the leagues in the city.  Before the days of the WCAL, the AAA (Academic Athletic Association) was the place to be.  This league at one point was inclusive of all city schools.  During the early 30's and 40's, the AAA was turning out quality player after quality player, something that has carried on to present day, although at a slightly more punctuated pace.  From the likes of NFL Hall Of Famers Bob St. Clair, Ollie Matson, OJ Simpson, and various other native San Franciscans who made it to the pros, a person with any knowledge of the AAA’s storied would past would recognize it as league with an impeccable pedigree.  Here is the breakdown of pro players from the various schools once in the AAA: 

BALBOA: Alvin Burleson, Paul Evansen, Wilson Faumuina, Calvin Jones, John Schiechl

*COMMERCE (1884-1953): Dick Stanfel

LINCOLN (1948-Present): Jamal Fountaine, Marsharne Graves, Zephrini "Zeph" Lee, Dupree Marshall, Carl Sullivan, John Sullivan

LOWELL (1858-Present): Dean Barnett, Gill Byrd, Mike Carter, William "Jerry" Dowd, Alex Eagle, Stan Holloway, Bob Lee, Jack Stroud, Milt Vucinich

MISSION (1896-Present): Dick Bassi, Bobby Batton, Phil Dougherty, Greg Fields, Pete Franceschi, Cody Jones, Mike Klotovich, Andy Marefos, Bob McGee, Dick Mesak, Gonzalo Morales, Joe Scudero, Mike Taylor

*POLYTECHNIC (1884-1972): John Baker, Alyn Beals, Henry King, Gary Lewis, Tom McCormick, Bob St. Clair

WASHINGTON (1936-Present): Mack Burton, Ollie Matson, Stan Sheriff

**WOODROW WILSON (1963-1994): Michael Kirtman, Louis Neal, Antonio Warren

***ST. IGNATIUS: Dan Fouts, Igor Olshanski

***SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL: Kevin Gogan, Jason Hill 

***RIORDAN: Donald Strickland, Eric Wright

This year’s crop of hometown athletes who earned scholarships to 4 year universities suggests that the city has not slowed down:

OL Michael Franceschi, Rocky Mountain College

This offensive lineman is a product of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep.  An all metro player at Sacred Heart, Franceschi continued on to Menlo college before finding his home at City College of San Francisco.  In high school, Franceschi was a part of an Irish team which now boasts 6 players who were awarded 4 year scholarships, 3 of which were Division 1 scholarships: Kevin Greene (USC), Dasarte Yarnway (Cal),  Sua Tuala (University of Idaho).  Franceschi was the only player on the Fighting Irish from the Class of 2008 to receive a scholarship.

OG Jay Haro, Western Oregon (also from SCHP)

Haro, a speed guard for the CCSF, made quite a name for himself this year by winning and dominating the starting role for the national title runner up team.  Another alumni of SHCP, he was a part of their best team in years.  His class boasted 5 players including himself who captured the first CCS title the school had ever seen despite losing the Bruce Mahoney game against St. Ignatius (the rivalry between SHCP and SI is the oldest high school sports rivalry west of the Mississippi).  Nonetheless, he helped his class bring the trophy home for the first time in a decade and win the schools first CCS Football title.  Needless to say, this mauler is going to be interesting to watch as he continues his development at the next level.

OT Ian Maguire, Utah State (Lowell HS of San Francisco)

A product of Lowell High School, this offensive tackle is a well decorated home grown product.  As a two way player at Lowell, Maguire frustrated offenses and created grave problems for opposing defensive lineman, serving as a steel curtain of sorts for the Cardinals on both sides of the ball. While he never managed to oust rival Lincoln in the annual Turkey Day game, he did manage to win defensive lineman of the year in the Academic Athletic Association.  He then moved down just a few stops on the 29 bus line to the City College of San Francisco, where through his dedication to strength and conditioning and coachability allowed him to quickly earn the starting speed tackle position a few games into his first season.  From there, he never looked back; after filling out his 6’5 frame by going from 235 lbs to 275 lbs (and counting), the 2 year starter made a national championship appearance and received 1st team all conference honors before eventually accepting a full ride scholarship to Utah State.  The Aggies have been credited with assembled the best recruiting class in their conference and even flew out Maguire early so that he could be ready for their debut at defending national champion Auburn at the beginning of next season.

DB DeShon Marman, New Mexico (Lincoln HS of San Francisco)

Marman started off his career at Archbishop Riordan High School but ran into some troubles after his freshman year which would land him at Abraham Lincoln High School.  After becoming an instant impact player at Lincoln playing a multitude of positions (Tailback, Fullback, Receiver, Linebacker/Defensive End hybrid) while winning AAA player of the year senior year, he took the route of many San Francisco players aspiring to play at the next level and enrolled at City College of San Francisco after high school. As a Ram, Marman was a part of a secondary in which every starting member received a Division 1 scholarship.  Marman was part of a Lincoln team that dominated the AAA and won the city championship for 3 years in a row with help from his well decorated cousin, former ram David Henderson, who shattered Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson’s city rushing records.

LB Sua Tuala, Idaho (SHCP)

Tuala has been a gem to watch since he started his playing days at Sacred Heart Cathedral.  As a part of the most successful Irish team in recent memory which took home a CCS title in 2009, he turned heads and put fear into the eyes of the opposing offenses. At first glance, one may not see a player who made first team all conference on defense and first team All American by the Junior College Athletic Bureau.  Off the field, he is a carefree kid who (if coaches would allow it) would play the ukulele all day without a problem.  On the field, however, he is a man who plays much bigger than he is.  While Tuala barely reaches 6'0 with his hair out and cleats on, he plays like he’s 6'4 250.  He created nightmares for opposing quarterbacks by having the uncanny ability to time snap counts as if he were in the opposing huddle, allowing him to perform his signature hurdle of the offensive line as the ball is snapped into the quarterback’s hands.  While this sometimes resulted in a penalty, Tuala definitely helped his team by winning the mental game and making the other team’s backs aware of the punishment they would inevitably experience at his hands.  Sua will now venture off to the WAC, where he will play former teammates Maguire and Marman in regular season matchups and continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the middle.

*schools no longer exists

**became Philip and Sala Burton High School

***Moved to the WCAL

Bay Area Sports On The Rise

In recent months a number of Bay Area teams have begun to emulate the success of the recently crowned World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.   In the realm of Division I college basketball, The University of San Francisco had the opportunity against St. Mary’s of Moraga to take first place in the WCC for the first time since the 1981 season.  Although they fell short, The Dons demonstrated that they are a legitimate threat to not only create real problems in the conference tournament, but to possibly win their first championship since 1998.

Switching gears to college football, national signing day has come and gone and in its wake Bay Area community colleges boasted an impressive 31 athletes who have received scholarships to 4-year universities.  The City College of San Francisco Rams outmatched other schools in their conference with 11 Ram players from their national title runner up team earning scholarships:
CB Allen Chapman, Kansas State, 
OL David Garness, USC
OL Michael Franceschi, Rocky Mountain College (graduate of Sacred Heart Cathedral H.S. in San Francisco)
OG Jay Haro, Western Oregon (also from SCHP)
RB Kenny Haynes, Western Oregon
WR Aaron Horne, Iowa State
QB Steele Jantz, Iowa State
OT Ian Maguire,  Utah State (Lowell HS of San Francisco)
CB Nigel Malone,  Kansas State 
S DeShon Marman, New Mexico(Lincoln HS of San Francisco)
OG James Robinson, UTEP
LB Sua Tuala,  Idaho (SHCP)
With a lineup like this it was no surprise that teams in CCSF’s conference barely stood a chance against a Rams team infused with this much highly regarded talent.

This year’s team especially speaks to the strength of San Francisco football products.  Over the years, the City has produced a number of successful gridiron athletes, notably former Heisman trophy winning running back and NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson (Galileo High school and CCSF alum).  Other former Rams include Nebraska Cornhuskers QB Zach Lee (who once threw balls into the fog at the Sunset District’s St. Ignatius Prep).  In case you wondered, his father, Bob Lee, was once a signal caller for Lowell H.S. before eventually playing 14 years in the NFL and winning 2 Super Bowls.  

As for San Francisco natives currently playing on Sundays, one must look no further than the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay packers and their starting linebacker Desmond Bishop (born in the City, played for CCSF and then the Cal bears).  The City also boasts 2 ex-49ers in now-Jaguar receiver Jason Hill (SHCP) and CB Donald Strickland (Riordan HS) who is now with the Eagles.  Other big names include Browns CB Eric Wright (Riordan) and Cowboys DE Igor Olshansky (St. Ignatius).  San Franciscans with successful pro football careers can be traced a long way back to the likes of Kevin Gogan (SHCP), the aforementioned Bob Lee, Gill Byrd (Lowell HS alum and San Diego Chargers all-time interception leader) and Niners legend Bob St. Clair (alumni of the now defunct Polytechnic HS and USF) who was fortunate to spend his entire playing career in the same city playing on the same field (the one and only Kezar Stadium, one of San Francisco’s sporting gems).  Which such a prestigious list of notables, it is not very hard to see that this city has consistently produced a ton of talent and things do not seem to be changing. This year’s Rams squad featured 5 San Francisco natives receiving scholarships to play at the next level in Franceschi, Maguire, Tuala, Marman, Haro, with 3 of the five coming from the same high school (SHCP).  It would seem that the pedigree of player being developed and molded in this city is still very high and everyone should look forward to seeing these guys play on Saturdays and perhaps someday even on Sundays