2013 Distinguished Kearny Komets Hall of Fame Inductees
1963 Football Team
The 1963 football team was the first team to win CIF, actually the team was the first team in San Diego to win CIF two years in a row. This team included several Division 1 players, a future NCAA head Coach, the first Kearny player to be a First Round draft choice. The following members of the 1963 teams were able to attend the Hall of Fame Ceremony during the Homecoming Game on November 8, 2013:
Gary Arvin
John Erguiaga
John Levi
Dan Mahlum
Frank Oberreuter
Dan Fulkerson
Dennis Santiago
Alex Samaniego
Larry Shepard
Elton Pollock
Elton Pollock
Elton was also on the 1963 football team. Elton graduated from the Air Force Academy, and his Masters from USC. Elton was instrumental in developing the Air Space System that is still in use today. He served in the Pentagon. His military career lasted 25 distinguished years. He worked the next 16 years in the aerospace industry.
John Shaw
John Shaw serves as Senior Advisor/Owners' Representative for the St. Louis Rams. In this role, Shaw advises and consults with team owners and represents the Rams on virtually all league matters as well as other affairs significant to the team. Under his leadership the Rams won a Super Bowl and appeared in two others.
John Yato
John Yato is a world recognized water color artist and is well known for other types of painting as well. One of his paintings created while a student at Kearny was presented to President Johnson and is in the Smithsonian.
The Founders of the Comic Con
Richard Alf, Mike Towry, and Bob Sourk put together the first San Diego Comic-Con International in 1970. It began simply with a group of comics, movie, and science fiction fans banded together to put on the first comic book convention in southern California. Comic-Con started as a one-day "minicon," called San Diego's Golden State Comic-Minicon, The first event was at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.
Bill Peterson
Coach Pete is the winningest coach in Kearny history where he worked and coached basketball from 1981 - 1995. He coached several championship teams and has been also inducted in the Brietbard Hall of Champions in Balboa Park.
1956 and 1957 State Championship Wrestling Team
The coach was the late Lee Bogle who was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011. His teams were something special. These two teams were the most special. They won the true state championship (North and South) in wrestling. The following members of the 1956 and 1957 teams were able to attend, or were represented at, the Hall of Fame Ceremony during the Homecoming Game on November 8, 2013:
Johnny Nunez - individual SCIF champion for both years (56 & 57)
Dennis Burchett, (AKA Shurtleff)
Morris Akers - Morris Akers was SCIF Champion in '57
Bob Werts
Richard Anaya
Frank Cantrell
Roy Riesgo
Lawrence Talamantez
John Youngs (represented by his Brother Ty Youngs)
Elmer (Eddie) Walker
Wes Johnson
Class of 75. Wes Johnson, the co-founder and president of Access San Diego, became a paraplegic during an accident in the Navy. He noticed right away that accessibility was a challenge. He founded the non-profit organization named Access San Diego to address issues confronting the disabled. Among his many accomplishments: he helped to build the first wheel chair that allowed disabled people access to the beach and he developed a travel agency geared to the disabled.