HALL OF FAME
Athletes, Coaches and Community Heroes
Steve Humphries
STEVE HUMPHRIES
PHS CLASS OF 1985
Steve Humphries, PHS Class of 1985, joins the Piedmont Sports Hall of Fame as a rare triple-category inductee, honored for his contributions as an athlete, coach and community volunteer over a career spanning more than 35 years.
A standout multi-sport athlete, Humphries starred at second base for three varsity baseball seasons, serving as team captain in 1984 and 1985 and compiling a career .322 batting average and .946 fielding percentage. He earned the Optimo Most Valuable Player Award in 1984 and the Most Inspirational Player Award in 1985, was a unanimous ACAL All-League selection his senior year, and was named Oakland Tribune Prep Player of the Week. His success on the diamond earned him a walk-on invitation to play baseball at the University of California, Berkeley. On the football field, Humphries was a two-way starter at wide receiver and safety, leading the ACAL in receiving with 50 catches for 785 yards during his all-league senior season and earning the Robert Dewey Kurkjian Perpetual Award. During his high school athletic career he earned North Coast Section Scholar Athlete honors in both baseball and football.
Following his playing days, Humphries returned to Piedmont to build a lasting coaching legacy, coaching football and baseball while also competing in rugby at Cal. He served 16 years as a frosh football assistant, as head JV baseball coach, as head varsity baseball coach in 1990 and spent seven seasons on the varsity football staff from 2004-2011 in roles including special teams, offensive line and offensive coordinator, and assistant head coach, while also overseeing football operations, fundraising and team communications. Alongside fellow coach Kurt Bryan, Humphries co-created the groundbreaking A-11 Offense, an innovative spread system utilizing multiple quarterbacks on the field simultaneously. The offense drew national attention, appearing on the front page of The New York Times and the covers of ESPN TheMagazine and ESPN Rise magazine, with its introductory video amassing more than a million views within 24 hours.
Beyond coaching, Humphries has remained a steadfast volunteer and advocate for Piedmont athletics. For nearly two decades, he has managed the Piedmont Football Historical Archive, produced game-day graphics, playoff and senior posters, and new brand identities for Piedmont High Athletics, the PHS Boosters, the Highlander Classic and the Piedmont Sports Hall of Fame itself. He has served as Chairman of the Piedmont Sports Hall of Fame, board member of the Piedmont Baseball Softball Foundation, coached youth soccer and softball, and helped launch the Piedmont Oktoberfest fundraiser, which raises more than $50,000 annually for the Boosters Club. Humphries also led the design and installation of the Jean C. Witter Memorial at Witter Field and most recently launched PiedmontGear.com for Piedmont Athletics apparel, further cementing his role as one of Piedmont athletics' most dedicated and multifaceted contributors.
Doyle O’Regan
DOYLE O’REGAN
TEACHER & COACH
Doyle O'Regan has been a fixture of Piedmont High School since 1984, following a path that took him from California High School to Cal and finally to Piedmont as a Highlander. A dedicated Math teacher throughout his tenure, he continues to give back today as a volunteer supporting special needs students in mathematics at PHS.
In 1986, "Coach O" took the helm of the Cross Country and Track and Field programs, and for the next 22 years his teams defined excellence in Bay Area high school athletics. Opposing coaches marveled that a school with such a limited student body could consistently field such competitive squads—a testament to his organizational skill, unwavering focus, and genuine care for his student-athletes.
The results speak for themselves. Under Coach O'Regan's leadership, Piedmont's Cross Country teams captured so many league titles that the count was eventually lost, while the Track and Field program remained perennially near or at the top of the standings. His Boys teams won eight North Coast Section Cross Country championships (1988, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2005), and his Girls teams claimed five NCS titles (1989, 1990, 2001, 2003, and 2006), along with state titles in 1988 and 2005. Fellow coach Chris Puppione captured what made O'Regan exceptional: “he possesses an uncanny, intuitive ability to bring out the best in his athletes—coaching not through charts or science, but through artful instinct.” Even after stepping back from coaching, O'Regan remained deeply involved, directing NCS championship events and founding the Annual Piedmont Turkey Trot ton Thanksgiving, o help fund his programs during leaner budget years.
Beyond the trophies and titles, Coach O'Regan's greatest legacy may be the values he instilled and the athletes he shaped. Ever humble, he consistently redirected praise to his assistant coaches and athletes, and described his coaching philosophy simply: to teach his athletes to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat, striving always to "Achieve the Honorable." That philosophy carried many of his athletes to success at the collegiate level and beyond, including standouts such as Gordon Johnson, Steve Brown, Lauren Barbieri, and Heather Gibson—all four now fellow inductees in the Piedmont High School Hall of Fame—along with numerous others who went on to compete at schools including Oregon, Columbia, Cal, Brown, Rice, and Navy, among many more. For his decades of excellence, mentorship, and quiet integrity, Doyle O'Regan stands as deserving candidate for the Piedmont Sports Hall of Fame.
Rich Kitchens
Rich Kitchens
Basketball Coach
Kitchens contributed to Highlander Athletics in multiple ways over his 34-year career at PHS. First as a basketball coach, then as Athletic Director and finally as Principal.
He coached 20 years of basketball at various levels including 14 seasons as a head coach. He was the JV boys head coach from 1979-1982 and the Varsity head coach for 10 years (1982-1992). From 1982-1986 PHS won five straight Alameda County Athletic League (ACAL) Championships under the direction of Coach Kitchens. During his tenure, Kitchens coached four Hall of Fame members: Chris Roberts, Jim Stehr, Michael Stehr and Rich Watts.
He served as Athletic Director for three years while still fulfilling his full-time teaching duties. As Principal he supported all PHS sports teams at both home and away games and was always easy to recognize with his trademark hat. He also served on the Piedmont Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors and multiple Nomination Committees.
He currently is the director of the “Constitutional Law Education Project” and author of Constitutional Law, a high school textbook used in 10 states. He retired from PHS in 2013.
Neil Rothenberg
Neil Rothenberg
Tennis Coach 2001-2015
Rothenberg coached PHS tennis for 15 years (2001-2015) becoming the winningest coach in PHS sports history. His overall varsity match record stands at an impressive 501-103-4. He began as the JV girls coach in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 he moved to the Varsity girls head coach and stayed through the 2015 season. When the boys Varsity program needed a coach in 2004, he accepted that position as well. From 2004 through 2014 he was the head coach for both programs.
Under his guidance both Piedmont Tennis programs became dominant teams in the very competitive North Coast Section (NCS) of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). The boys program was League Champions every year from 2004-2014. They went undefeated from 2004-2012 and 2014 and lost just one match in 2013.
The girls program was undefeated League Champions 13 consecutive years from 2003-2015. In addition, he coached the boys and girls programs in 11 NCS Championship finals. Under Rothenberg’s direction, the PHS boys were 6-time NCS finalists and won 3 NCS titles. PHS girls tennis won three NCS titles (2013, 2014 and 2015) and were finalists in 2011 and 2012. He coached several NCS singles and doubles champions including Kaelli Thiel (2014-15), Jon and Matt Wang (2011-12), Matt Wang and Daniel Cooper (2013), Ashley Shuster and Aubrey Douglass (2011-12).
Rothenberg was selected as NCS Honor Coach for Women’s Tennis in 2007 and for Men’s Tennis in 2011.
Aileen Finney
Aileen Finney
PHS Class of 1980
Ms. Finney's tenure as the Piedmont Water Polo coach spans 18 seasons over a 20-year period. Prior to coaching, she played on the Cal Womens water polo team (2 times Nadonal Champions) as well as on the USA Women's National Team. In 1995, she launched the PHS Girls Water Polo program and alone managed both the Varsity and JV programs until 2008. In 1991 and 1999, she single-handedly coached all water polo teams (Girls Varsity, Girls JV, Boys Varsity and Boys JV). After a two-year break, she returned to coach the Varsity Team from 2010 - 2014.
In total, Finney coached over 500 games (378 varsity girls' games). Her teams were 5 time ACCAL/WACC Girls' League Champions with 12 appearances in the North Coast Section Championship Tournament. In 2002, Finney was selected as the North Coast Section Honor Coach of the Year/Water Polo. She was the first Piedmont coach honored and the first female water polo coach selected. In 2012, she was the WACC Coach of the Year. Finney served on the North Coast Section Sports Advisory Committee from 2001-2006.
Beginning in 1996, after noticing a need for a girls water polo program in the East Bay, Finney organized the competitive Oakland Water Polo Club. The ongoing legacy of Finney's coaching is exemplified by 28 of her former players who have played or, are playing, in college. Finney taught her teams the importance of winning with dignity, playing with passion and respect for the game. Finney currently teaches 4th grade at Havens Elementary School.
Mike Humphries
Mike Humphries
Coach & Athletic Director 1969-2004
Mr. Humphries taught in the Piedmont Unified School District for 45 years. During that time he served at the elementary school, middle school, and high school levels. He coached Frosh Football for 43 years. Baseball for 33 years, and Frosh Basketball for 6 years. He served as the Athletic Director at PHS for 25 years. He was honored by the community when the PHS Baseball Field was named "Coach Humphries Diamond." He thoroughly enjoyed every minute of teaching wonderful students, parents, teachers, fellow coaches, and administrators in PUSD.
Photo Gallery
Jimmy Hole
Jimmy Hole
Coach 1936-1948
Co-Head Coach with Brick Johnson on the great teams of 1940,1941 and 1942, all undefeated, Coach Hole was credited with running the offense of those teams. Coach Hole came from Berkeley High where in 1924 he was named High School Coach of the Year for football and basketball. He joined Brick as an assistant coach in 1936, and took over as head man in 1937 when Brick took a year to coach in Hawaii. Hole was appointed Co-Coach when Brick returned from Hawaii. He left Piedmont in 1948.
Glenn "Brick" Johnson
Glenn "Brick" Johnson
Coach & Athletic Director (1930-1960)
Coach Johnson was one outstanding football and track coach. He was the varsity football coach at Piedmont High School from 1930 to 1949, won many ACAL and FAL championships, and established a 36-0 record during the 1938-1941 seasons. He was also a teacher from 1930 to 1960. In 1942, Brick was awarded the California High School Coach of the Year honor. During his tenure, Piedmont High School was known as a consistent power in northern California.
He also coached the Piedmont High School varsity track team; winning several ACAL and FAL league championships, and helped develop many outstanding track and field athletes. He also established cross-country as a sport in the ACAL and the entire East Bay area. As a physical education instructor, he developed a strong, well-rounded program with minimum facilities, and then installed a boxing program, physical testing program, and a wonderful rainy day program. He held the positions of Department Chairman and Athletic Director.
Johnson was a veteran of both World War I and II, and was a lightweight boxing champion in the U.S. Navy during WW I. Brick lived in Piedmont with his wife and two children and was very active in the community. Helped establish chess in the physical education department. He was also an active kayaker and founded the Bag Pipe Band at Piedmont High School. Brick Johnson's name is synonymous with athletic excellence at Piedmont High School. His leadership skills and compassion make him fondly remembered by all that he touched during his time at PHS.
Robert "Bob" Muenter
Robert "Bob" Muenter
Coach & Athletic Director (1949-1983)
It has been said that Bob Muenter's life and his teams are synonymous with Piedmont High School's athletic prowess. He joined the staff in 1949 and retired in 1983 after coaching varsity football, baseball and swimming. He served as an assistant coach for track and field, "B" basketball and golf teams. In addition, he was also a Physical Education instructor, department chairman and athletic director during his career at Piedmont.
His teams won football championships in 1959, 1960, 1965 and 1972. Bob won individual honors as a Co-Coach of the East-West High School All-Star football game and served as an advisory coach for the Cerebral Palsy Alameda-Contra Costa game for 26 years. Bob has been recognized for a number of awards including the East Bay Coach of the Year on two occasions, the Joe Verducci Award for Northern California, the Pepsi Coach of the Year Award for Northern California and named to the University of the Pacific Hall of Fame.
The players on his 1952-1972 teams have also recognized Bob. Known as "Muenter's Boys", they have met for get-aways in Sea Ranch, hosted an annual golf tournaments and dinners to honor Coach Muenter and reminisced over old game films for years.
Archive of photos from Coach Muenter’s great career.
About This Iconic Photo:
It was our last game of the season, homecoming, and a hard fought battle. We were up 7 to 6 with a few minutes to play. We had stop Acalanes and I thought we were going to win. They lined up for a field goal, and made it. In our time field goals were a last ditch effort. I think most of us were still in some what of shock. Coach called us all over to the sidelines, grabbed the mike, and asked the stands to stay and listen. He thanked the fans for their support, and then announced that it was the last time that #22 would be worn. It was a bitter-sweet moment in time for all of us. In the locker room after the game he talked to us and said how proud he was of our effort throughout the season. That was the kind of man he was. He taught us not to gloat after a win, and if you gave it your all, not hang your head after a loss.
With regards,
Doug Duncan
PSHOF Inductee