Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
Over the course of 75 years, some amazing athletes have graced
Hoover High sporting venues.
Among those are Forrest Beaty, Joe Hillman, Nancy Evans and Anita
Siraki -- only a handful of Hoover's alumni who have left an
indelible mark on the local sports landscape.
The Tornadoes have a rich sports history, which began in 1929 and
will be commemorated at today's 75th anniversary celebration at
Hoover High.
It's a history that includes seven CIF team championships and 69
individual CIF titles.
Here's a look at Hoover's storied past.
ONLY THE BEGINNING
Even though the school was a mere four years old, the Tornado
boys' basketball team set the tone early.
Coach Howard Butterfield's Tornadoes defeated Santa Barbara,
28-24, in 1933 to become the first local basketball program to win a
CIF Major Division title.
The boys' tennis team was second in the CIF Major Division after
it lost to Hollywood, 21-4, in 1931.
And the doubles team of Bob Ralston and Bill Sherwin won the CIF
doubles championship in 1932.
LEAVING OPPONENTS IN THEIR TRACK
At the outset of World War II, the Tornadoes established
themselves as the premier boys' track and field school in the region.
Hoover started its unparalleled run with second-place finishes in
1932 and 1941. They won CIF championships in 1945, 1947 and 1949
under Coach Vic Francy, in addition to taking second in 1948.
George Pasquali sparkled for the Tornadoes in 1945, winning the
100- and 220-yard events in the CIF final in 10.0 and 21.8 seconds,
respectively.
Other CIF individual champions for Hoover included John Bradley in
the 100 (1947 and 1948), Don Williams (1942) and Jerry Borlin (1949)
in the 440 and Jack Davis in the 120 high hurdles and 180-yard low
hurdles (1949).
The Tornado boys' basketball team took its turn in the limelight
by capturing the 1941 Major Division title with a 23-20 win against
Long Beach Poly.
GLORY DAYS IN FOOTBALL
Yes, there was a time when the Tornadoes were one of the most
feared football teams in the area.
The era was the '50s, when buses replaced streetcars, drive-in
movie theaters became vastly popular and the world saw the birth of
Elvis Presley's music career.
It couldn't get much better than that, and there weren't many
quarterbacks better than Hoover's John Hangartner.
The 1955 graduate was one of the first quarterbacks to flourish in
the West Coast offense, passing for a state-record 2,187 yards in his senior season. Hangartner led the Tornadoes to their lone CIF
