HALL OF FAME
Athletes, Coaches and Community Heroes
Lloyd Francisco
Lloyd Francisco
Class of 1937
Francisco lettered in Football and Track. He was a legendary football player. One of two halfbacks on Coach Brick Johnson’s All-Time Piedmont High School football team. The speedy “Rocket” Francisco was the star running back on the 1936 team that won the Alameda County Athletic League Championship and outscored its opponents 202-9.
Jack “Babe” Higgins
Jack “Babe” Higgins
PHS Class of 1942
Basketball, Track, Football, Basketball Optimo Award winner in 1941 and 1942; All-Conference both years. Basketball team won ACAL. Team captain and Senior Class president. Also played football and ran track as a senior. Wildwood playground legend, he invented Higgins Ball, a unique basketball game. Went on to play basketball and football at both Stanford and Cal. In 1948 he was captain of the Stanford basketball team.
Gordon Johnson
Gordon Johnson
PHS Class of 1989
Track, Cross Country. State champion in track in 800 meters in 1989. Golden West Regional champion, 1989. Track & Field All-American. League and North Coast Section champion 2 years. Optima Award winner 1987-1999. Member of PHS school record 4 x 400 meter relay team. Holds school record in 800 meters at 1:51.07. All-league in cross country 3 years. Led team to 2 ACCAL titles and 1 NCS championship. Won individual NCS in 1987. Optimo Award winner 3 years.
After high school, Gordon attended Merritt College where he won the State JC Championship in the 800 and the University of Oregon (where he ran a 3:55 mile). He also competed in two US Track Championships.
Track accomplishments include:
1989 State Champion in the 800
1989 Golden West Champion in 800 (this meet featured the best 800 meter preps in the nation... Gordon ran 1:51.07 to win the title... the time ranks him as #10 on the all-time NCS list for the 800 and of course is the school record)
1989 NCS Champion in the 800
1988 State 2nd place in the 800
1988 League and NCS Champion in the 800
1987 League Champion in the 1600 and 800
Cross-country accomplishments include:
1988, 87, 86 League Champion
1987 NCS Champion
Notes:
As a runner, Gordon was very versatile - he could compete with anyone in distances ranging from 400 meters (he ran 49.0 as a prep) up to 5,000 meters
(Numerous league and NCS championships) . His specialty was of course the 800 where he proved to be one of the finest preps in the nation in both 1988 and 1989.
Gordon is one of only three PHS athletes to win a state championship (the other two being Monte Upshaw and Jim Peters).
Bill Lanagan
Bill Lanagan
PHS Class of 1948
Track, Football, Basketball, Baseball. Lettered in 4 sports. Set state record for the 220 yard dash in track and was All-ACAL for 3 years. Competed in Olympic trials. In football, was part of the Langan-to-Weeks offense. Won Optimo Award in track and basketball.
Leslie Anderson Manwaring
Leslie Anderson Manwaring
PHS Class of 1990
Volleyball, Basketball, Softball, Track, Soccer. Lettered in 5 sports. 4-year volleyball starter. All-League 2 years. League MVP senior year. Played on BYU NCAA semi-finalist team. Starting guard 3 years on basketball team. Named to 1st Team All-League. Ran track in junior year. League and NCS 880 meter champion. Played soccer senior year and was named team MVP.
Irving Moore
Irving Moore
PHS Class of 1941
Irving Moore was an outstanding Track & Field pole vaulter who broke the league record three consecutive straight years, and was the top pole vaulter in the state in 1940 and 1941. As a senior he set the California pole vault record at 13’-7” and narrowly missed breaking the national record.
Peter Schneider
Peter Schneider
PHS Class of 2001
Football, Baseball, Basketball. Lettered in 3 sports. Football wide receiver with Drew Olson as quarterback. Named East Bay Offensive Player of Year by Oakland Tribune; S.F. Chronicle AU-Metro Receiver. Had 84 receptions, 1485 yards, 18 touchdowns. League championship.
First high school player to win Biletnikoff Award as best receiver in Northern California; 3 year varsity starter in baseball as center fielder. Led team in hitting and stolen bases in junior and senior years. Varsity basketball as freshman and junior.
Jack Stack
Jack Stack
PHS Golf Coach 1956-1985
Created golf as sanctioned sport in North Coast Section; founded first NCS championship events. Developed numerous golfers who competed in college. Team won ACAL championship in 1955-1956. Successfully led drive for school board to rescind its decision to cancel golf as a sport at PHS in 1978.
Joe Stuart
Joe Stuart
PHS Class of 1943
Football, Track, Basketball. Earned 11 Block P letters. Halfback on Coach Brick Johnson's All-Time PHS Team. Winner of Optimo Award as senior in both football and track. Named to All-County football team. First freshman to start as running back at Cal. Excelled in track in hurdles, sprints and relay. Considered best all-around athlete in school history by coach Johnson.
PHOTOS ABOVE: Joe Stuart at Cal (#69) Left and Piedmont (#37) Right.
In 2023 the family of Joe Stuart found his old Piedmont jersey at his home in Alaska and shipped it down to Piedmont High School. The beautiful original purple jersey is a prized acquisition for the Piedmont Football Archive.
Don Weeks
Don Weeks
PHS Class of January 1948
Football, Basketball. Halfback and quarterback under coach Jimmy Hole (1946) and Brick Johnson (1947). Played on 1946 ACAL championship team. Led league in scoring junior and senior year. Optimo Award winner as senior, All-ACAL in football 3 years. Also ran track and shared basketball Optimo Award with Tom Adams.
Jean C. Witter, Jr.
Jean C. Witter, Jr.
PHS Class of 1938
Jean graduated from PHS in June 1938. He was a stand-out quarterback for Piedmont's single and double wing system on coach Brick Johnson's All-Time team. Football Optimo winner for the 1937 season. He was also on the basketball team and member of Student Body government. He starred on Cal’s undefeated rugby team just before enlisting on the Navy during WWII. In 1942 Jean was killed in action on the Bridge of the USS San Francisco by a Japanese shell in the Battle of Guadalcanal. On October 17, 1943, the USS Witter (DE-636) Buckley-class destroyer escort was launched and named after Ensign Jean C. Witter.
https://www.ussslater.org/history/slaterhistory/history_sanfrancisco.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Witter_(DE-636)
