Colusa County welcomes new members to hall

Johnny Pappa played in two Rose Bowls (1950 and 1951) under legendary Cal coach Pappy Waldorf, part of three straight for the Bears.

In 1951, Pappa's senior year, USC ended the Bears' undefeated run of 38 straight games, and with it, their hope of a fourth straight appearance in Pasadena.

But the year was not a total loss.

"That year Stanford went to the Rose Bowl," recalled Pappa, who received the Coaches Award Saturday at the ninth annual Colusa County Sports Hall of Fame ceremony held at the Maxwell Inn.

The Indians, as Stanford was known then, had not lost a game that year. They rolled into the Big Game with a 9-0 mark. Cal was 7-2.

When it was all over, Pappa had two touchdowns, the game's most valuable player honors and Cal had knocked Stanford out of the run for a national title with a 20-7 victory.

Pappa also was a standout sprinter at Cal, and before that, at McClatchy High School in Sacramento, where he finished sixth in the state championships in the 100-yard dash his senior year.

He never lost a conference race in the 100 or 220 his three varsity seasons at McClatchy.

And while Pappa enjoyed reliving memories of his athletic and coaching achievements that earned him his induction into the Hall of Fame — including leading Williams to five titles in 10 years — it was the recognition to the student-athletes that he said made the event most special.

"I'm really impressed that a county ... takes the time and recognizes the student-athletes in their high schools," Pappa said.

"I think this is neglected in the other counties in California."

Pappa also coached three years at Yuba College and 28 years at UC Davis, becoming a Northern California legend in the profession, and a member of the Northern California Sports Association Hall of Fame.

Vance Boyes, who was the driving force in forming the Hall of Fame, echoed the sentiments before he too was inducted for his athletic achievements at Williams High, Yuba College and Fresno State.

A member of several athletic halls of fame, including Yuba College and the Northern California Sports Association, Boyes said the Colusa County honor tops them all.

"I was just a small-town kid who liked to play sports," Boyes said.

Boyes was a four-sport athlete at Williams High, excelling in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. As a senior, Boyes was the league defensive player of the year and was first team All-Superior California at linebacker.

At Yuba College, Boyes was the fifth-leading rusher in California his sophomore season despite the final game of the season being canceled. He was named Junior College All-American honorable mention, and earned a scholarship to Fresno State, where he was named the team's most valuable player as a senior.

An injury ended his football career, but not his athletic endeavors.

Returning to Colusa County in 1976, Boyes joined the Colusa County Rugby Club and played with the team through 1985. The club beat collegiate powerhouse Cal 26-4 and lost to the national club team champions, the Old Blues, by one point.

Boyes said he decided to form the Colusa County Hall of Fame as a way to tie the athletes of the past to those in the present.

That tie includes more than a little story-telling at the event.

For Boyes, a single block against San Jose State stands out above all the rest — if only because he pancaked a future NFL star.

He said when the team watched the film, only one lineman seemed to notice what the Bulldogs' fullback did on the play, and that was like a badge of honor.

"I was always a team player," said Boyes, "so that meant a lot to me."

Pappa said that team attitude was always a critical part of being a coach, and when a team came together that way, is what made it special.

But he said that starts with respect — as an individual player, for each teammate, the coaching staff and everyone else associated with the program.

He does not think there is enough of that kind of selfless respect in today's athletics, and thinks hall of fame programs like this can be important.

"I think it is great," Pappa said.

The other inductees are Todd Matzka, Mert Lausten, Gary Gardner and Chet Geyer.

The 1937 Colusa High football team also was inducted.

In that spirit, the high school teams that won section championships during 2010-11 school year also were recognized during the ceremony.

The Maxwell High baseball, softball and football teams won championships, as did the Princeton High baseball team and Colusa High girls soccer team.