The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly athletics in the 2022-23 school year is sponsored by Poly alum Jayon Brown and PlayFair Sports Management.
The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation has just announced its inaugural class for the California High School Football Hall of Fame, which features 100 players and 13 coaches from across California.
Long Beach Poly had six former players recognized in this inaugural class–the most of any school in the state and twice the number of the next closest school. That group of distinguished Jackrabbits includes: Mark Carrier, DeSean Jackson, Marcedes Lewis, Willie McGinest, Morley Drury, and Gene Washington.
All of Poly’s inductees have enjoyed (or are still enjoying) lengthy careers in the NFL, except for Drury, who was an All-American quarterback at USC in the mid-1920s and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. He still holds the moniker of “The Noblest Trojan Of Them All.”
The other five Jackrabbits have played a combined 65 NFL seasons and counting, with Jackson and Lewis still active. Jackson is a three-time Pro Bowler who played for the Rams and Raiders last season, and is regarded as one of the best return men in history.
Lewis, meanwhile, is an ageless wonder entering 17th professional season. After a 12-year run as a Pro Bowl TE with the Jaguars, he’s spent the last four seasons in Green Bay and is one of the longest-tenured players ever at his position.
Carrier led the NFL in interceptions during his debut season in 1990, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with the Chicago Bears. That sparked a 10-year playing career with three Pro Bowl selections, and he spent another decade as an assistant coach in the league.
McGinest remains the highest draft pick ever from Long Beach as the No. 4 overall pick in the 1994 draft. He had a decorated 15-year career with the Patriots and Browns, winning three Super Bowls in New England while earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods. He holds the record for most career postseason sacks (16) and most sacks in a playoff game (4.5) and is a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Finally, Washington was four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, leading the league in receiving yards in 1970 and receiving touchdowns in 1972. After a decade playing in the NFL he transitioned to the league office, where he served as the NFL’s Director of Football Operations from 1994-2009.
The California High School Football Hall of Fame will open this November in Pasadena, in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the opening of the Rose Bowl Stadium. The Hall of Fame will be located within the iconic venue, which will host this year’s CIF-Southern Section Division I title game for the first time since 1944.
“The CIF Southern Section is truly grateful to be a partner in establishing the California High School Football Hall of Fame. In conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the Rose Bowl, there is no better time to celebrate the football excellence that our state represents than now,” said CIF-SS Commissioner Rob Wigod in a statement. “We look to further contribute to this celebration by hosting our 2022 CIF Southern Section Division I Football Championship Game at this iconic venue on November 25. Thank you to the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation for making it all happen.”
The inaugural class was chosen by a 26-person committee of administrators and media members from around the state.
For future HOF classes, a California High School Football Hall of Fame website is currently in the works, where the public will be able to submit players and coaches for consideration. The website is expected to be ready for launch on Nov. 1.
Below is a list of all 113 inductees into the inaugural Hall of Fame Class:
PLAYERS (100)
● Frankie Albert (Glendale)
● Marcus Allen (Lincoln)
● Jon Arnett (Manual Arts)
● Matt Barkley (Mater Dei)
● Steve Bartkowski (Buchser)
● Dick Bass (Vallejo)
● Gary Beban (Sequoia)
● Hal Bedsole (Reseda)
● Ricky Bell (Fremont)
● Tom Brady (Serra)
● John Brodie (Oakland Tech)
● Tedy Bruschi (Roseville)
● Reggie Bush (Helix)
● Mark Carrier (Long Beach Poly)
● Chris Claiborne (J.W. North)
● Randy Cross (Crespi)
● Randall Cunningham (Santa Barbara)
● Sam Cunningham (Santa Barbara)
● Anthony Davis (San Fernando)
● Glenn Davis (Bonita)
● Jack Del Rio (Hayward)
● Morley Drury (Long Beach Poly)
● Henry Ellard (Hoover)
● John Elway (Granada Hills)
● Nello “Flash” Falaschi (Bellarmine)
● Tom Fears (Manual Arts)
● Vince Ferragamo (Banning)
● Kai Forbath (Notre Dame)
● DeShaun Foster (Tustin)
● Dan Fouts (St. Ignatius)
● Mike Garrett (Roosevelt)
● Toby Gerhart (Norco)
● Frank Gifford (Bakersfield)
● Tony Gonzalez (Huntington Beach)
● Pat Haden (Bishop Amat)
● Michael Haynes (John Marshall)
● John Huarte (Mater Dei)
● DeSean Jackson (Long Beach Poly)
● Jimmy Johnson (Kingsburg)
● John Henry Johnson (Pittsburg)
● Maurice Jones‐Drew (De La Salle)
● Napoleon Kaufman (Lompoc)
● Lincoln Kennedy (Morse)
● Billy Kilmer (Citrus)
● Eddie LaBaron (Oakdale)
● Matt Leinart (Mater Dei)
● Marcedes Lewis (Long Beach Poly)
● James Lofton (Washington)
● Ronnie Lott (Eisenhower)
● John Lynch (Torrey Pines)
● Marshawn Lynch (Oakland Tech)
● Gino Marchetti (Antioch)
● Ollie Matson (Washington)
● Bruce Matthews (Arcadia)
● Bill McColl (Hoover)
● Tim McDonald (Edison)
● Hugh McElhenny (Washington)
● Willie McGinest (Long Beach Poly)
● John McKay Jr. (Bishop Amat)
● Mike McKeever (Mount Carmel)
● Freeman McNeil (Banning)
● Ron Mix (Hawthorne)
● Warren Moon (Hamilton)
● Don Mosebar (Mt. Whitney)
● Harold “Brick” Muller (Oakland Tech)
● Anthony Munoz (Chaffey)
● Ernie Nevers (Santa Rosa)
● Ken O’Brien (Jesuit)
● Carson Palmer (Santa Margarita)
● Joe Perry (Jordan)
● Jim Plunkett (James Lick)
● Les Richter (Fresno)
● Ron Rivera (Seaside)
● Jackie Robinson (John Muir)
● Jerry Robinson (Cardinal Newman)
● Aaron Rodgers (Pleasant Valley)
● Rashaan Salaam (La Jolla Country Day)
● John Sciarra (Bishop Amat)
● Junior Seau (Oceanside)
● Richard Sherman (Dominguez)
● Jeff Siemon (Bakersfield)
● Alex Smith (Helix)
● Dennis Smith (Santa Monica)
● Bob St. Clair (Poly)
● Lynn Swann (Serra)
● Amani Toomer (De La Salle)
● Gino Torretta (Pinole Valley)
● Norm Van Brocklin (Acalanes)
● Gene Washington (Long Beach Poly)
● Kenny Washington (Lincoln)
● Bob Waterfield (Van Nuys)
● Charles White (San Fernando)
● Russell White (Crespi)
● Ricky Williams (Patrick Henry)
● D.J. Williams (De La Salle)
● Roy Williams (James Logan)
● Ron Yary (Bellflower)
● Charles Young (Edison)
● Luis Zendejas (Don Lugo)
● Gary Zimmerman (Walnut)
COACHES (13)
● Bob Ladouceur (De La Salle)
● Marijon Ancich (St. Paul)
● Kevin Rooney (Notre Dame)
● Gene Vollnogle (Banning, Carson)
● Bob Johnson (Mission Viejo, El Toro)
● Herb Meyer (El Camino)
● John Barnes (Los Alamitos)
● Dwight “Goldie” Griffin (Bakersfield)
● Harry Welch (Canyon, St. Margaret’s, Santa Margarita)
● Dick Bruich (Fontana)
● Bill Redell (Crespi, St. Francis, Oaks Christian)
● Lou Farrar (Charter Oak)
● Mike Herrington (Hart, Bellflower)
