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.