ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY

2008
In athletics, winning is important - even in an all-star game.

So it was no surprise to see running back Marcos Garces visibly disappointed moments after his South team had lost a 24-21 heartbreaker to the North in the 33rd annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game.

And yet, the experience went deeper than winning and losing for the Willow Glen graduate. To participate in the game was significant to Garces ... to prove that he belonged there made it even better.

It was a night that Marcos Garces had been waiting for for a long time.

"I've come to this game for the past seven years," said Garces on the nearly vacated turf at Spartan Stadium not long after the contest had slipped into all-star history. "It's been my high school goal to play in this game. Two days after the season ended I started training for this night."

"With our team playing the 'C' division, I just tried to prove that I deserved to be here," he added.

He did that. He was the South's leading ball carrier, and he scored a first-quarter touchdown on a 7-yard run that gave the South a 13-7 lead.

Still, it wasn't enough for the South, and it certainly wasn't the only touchdown that "felt good."

David Martini of Los Gatos and Kendall Hendon of Prospect each caught TD passes that helped the North claim the all-star victory. The North snapped a string of four South victories with a tight 7-3 victory last year, then added a second straight win this summer thanks to a 45-yard field goal by Westmont's Kevin Blakley that broke a 21-21 tie with 8:59 left to play in the game.

Blakley's boot out of the hold of Tyler Dimich of Milpitas gave the North the lead, just as Dimich had earlier in the game when he picked off a screen pass and raced 62 yards for a touchdown.

2006
Rich Scudellari took a "Chantz," and when he did, he hit the jackpot.

The Saint Francis quarterback's cross-field pass to Westmont's Chantz Staden with 1:19 left to play helped the North clinch a 7-3 victory over the South in the 32nd edition of the Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game.

The touchdown in the final minute-plus of play created an exciting end to what had been a rather dull summer All-Star classic to that point. And it touched off a celebration on the North sidelines that carried over into the post-game festivities.

Scudellari may have taken a chance by throwing a pass back across the field, but it was no gamble. When he rolled right, then threw back to the left, he had all the confidence in the world that Staden would be there, and that he'd make the catch.

"I saw the front-side blitz coming, so I stepped back and rolled out," said Scudellari, who gave his teammates credit for his protection, but took no credit even though he stepped out of a would-be tackle to avoid the sack.

"I was looking across the field for Chantz," added the quarterback. "I knew he would be there. Chantz never quits."

Staden was there, along with a defender. The talented receiver made the catch, sidestepped the defender and danced into the end zone for the only touchdown of the night.

A 22-yard field goal by Ben Hansen of Valley Christian had given the South a 3-0 lead with 5:19 left in the first half.

2005
Talk about the longest yard!

The South All Stars were facing one last July 20th with just over two minutes left to play in the 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All Star Football Game, and Burt Reynolds was no where to be seen.

What's more there was no scriptwriter dreaming up a Hollywood ending for the high school all-star football game - only South Head Coach Mark Krail on the sidelines trying to dream up a play that would get his club into the end zone.

The South needed to get in, too. There was precious little time remaining, and the North held on to a tenuous 16-12 lead with the South facing a fourth and goal just a yard away from the goal line.

It was a tense moment for both teams as the game hung in the balance - for everyone, that is, except South center Pat Walsh. "There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to get in," said Walsh, a three-year varsity veteran from Pioneer. "We had a lot of heart out there."

And Krail must have had a lot of confidence in Walsh and the other members of that south offensive line, because he called on Piedmont Hills running back Steve Pinon to go over the middle. And that's just what he did. Pinon blasted over for that final yard - running behind Walsh and right guard Sammy Guerra of Oak Grove - to give the South an 18-16 lead with just 2:12 left to play.

Los Gatos quarterback Erik Rollin attempted to lead the North to a comeback, but Dytanion Eley of Gunderson picked off a pass with 20 seconds left in the game and the South ran out the clock for the victory.

2004
All-star games are typically just a showcase. Great athletes will display the talents that made them great as individual players, but they don't always work well together as teams. And they are seldom good games.

But the All Star Game played last summer at San Jose City College was the exception.

The 30th Annual Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer High School All Star Football Game had it all - the great players, drama and a thrilling climax. And when a final North pass fell incomplete in the end zone on the last play of the night, no one wanted it to end. No one, that is, except the South Squad that pulled out a 20-15 win.

The game was dedicated to the late Pat Tillman, who represented Leland in the 1994 All Star Game, went on to star at Arizona State University and with the Arizona Cardinals before giving it all up to join the elite Army Rangers. He was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. The game last summer was dedicated in his memory, and his No. 42 jersey was retired and presented to his father, Pat Tillman, Sr.

The game went right down to the final play when Hasani Houston of Piedmont Hills knocked down a pass in the end zone and the South clinched the win.

2003
It was an uneventful game for Willow Glen's Doug Dionne. Sure, he'd made a couple of tackles on special teams, but otherwise there was nothing statistically to set his performance apart from anyone else's in the 29th Annual Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game last summer at San Jose City College. At least, not until the second-to-the last play of the night. That's when Doug Dionne took his place in All Star Game History.

The North trailed 27-25 but was driving toward possible victory in the final moments of play. On third and six from the South 19, Mountain View's Sean Manson dropped back to pass. His tight spiral was hauled in at the 7-yard-line - by Dionne. The interception came with just 5.8 seconds left to play in the game and helped the South clinch the thrilling two-point victory.

"This is the best feeling in the world!" said Dionne moments after making the game-winning catch. "Right before the play, [cornerback] T. J. Monroe said to watch the tight end. The quarterback looked left, then he threw it."

The rest, as they say, is history. And Dionne found his place in that history with the interception that sealed the South win.

Oregon-bound wide receiver Phil Ghilarducci of Gunn was the receiving star of the game with 10 catches for 186 yards for the North. Alex Rollin of Los Gatos, now a pitcher for the baseball team at UC Berkeley, hooked up on 6 of 12 passes for 115 yards. Mountain View's Sean Manson completed 11 of 18 passes for 135 yards.

2002
Tony Barba was making memories for a lifetime. The 275-pound defensive lineman from Prospect was a member of the North squad in the 28th Annual Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game last summer at San Jose City College. And it was an experience the recently graduated senior will not soon forget.

"It's a privilege just knowing that your're picked by someone to go out and play," said Barba, who has a quarterback sack among his game-high seven tackles in the North's 19-15 loss to the South. "I feel a little down because of the loss, but it was just great to play," he added. "This will be one of my grandpa stories."

Barba wasn't alone. "It was a very special experience," said linebacker Ryan Schaefers, Barba's teammate for the North squad and at Prospect. "I'll remember this the rest of my life."

And those were sentiments expressed by players from the losing club. Playing for the winning side in the Almaden Rotary Club sponsored game made the experience even that much more special. "It was everything I hoped it would be," said Pioneer's James Dunne, an offensive guard for the winning South team. "It was good to go out of high school with a win."

It was a win that didn't come easy for the South. The North scored first with a Los Gatos connection when Trent Edwards (now at Stanford) tossed to Chris Willard, and the North went up again when Edwards followed center Eli Ledesma of Milpitas over from the one on a quarterback sneak. But Tyler Silva (Lincoln) found Christopher Gengl (Valley Christian) alone in the end zone for a 10-yard TD toss with 12.9 seconds left in the half to put the South on top 19-15.

2001
There are no "Most Valuable Players" selected in the Annual Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer High School All Star Football Game. But if there were, Monta Vista's Justin Douglas certainly would have been walking home with the trophy last summer.

Douglas intercepted two passes that set up touchdowns, forced a fumble that set up a third TD and made a couple of key tackles. His performance sparked the North to an impressive 24-17 win over the South in the 27th Annual Wedemeyer Classic played last July at Independence High School in east San Jose.

The North opened up a 24-3 lead then held off the South comeback in what was arguably the most competitive summer high school all star game in 10 years. The North squad certainly showed off its talent - much of it coming from Douglas, Nick Skrabe of Los Gatos, and the rest of the North defensive squad. The defense gave North quarterback Jason Campbell and his offense a short field with five turnovers, four of them setting up scoring opportunities for the North.

It was the first of two interceptions by Douglas that set up the North's first touchdown, a 16-yard pass from Campbell to Paul Garces of Santa Clara. Dustin Steward of Gunn and Michael Collins of Milpitas each ran for touchdowns for the North.

Jason Harrison of Gunderson finished with one of the biggest nights in All Star history with 114 yards rushing on 10 carries, and he and Freddy Ramos of Santa Teresa each ran for touchdowns for the South.

The South had a great opportunity for a game-tying touchdown in the final second when Harrison runs of 21 and 32 yards, took the Rebels to the North 23 inside the final minute. But a pass was dropped in the end zone, and three more passes fell incomplete as the game ended.

2000
There's never been much love lost between the football teams at Willow Glen and Pioneer. The two schools enjoy a football rivalry that dates back to their early beginnings in the old Santa Teresa Athletic League.

But when Willow Glen quarterback David Macchi found Pioneer back Mike Wiens open in the right flat, there was no time to think about past rivalries. Macchi simply zipped a pass to Wiens, and the Pioneer back powered his way into the end zone for the touchdown that started the South on its way to a 16-8 victory over the North in the 26th Annual Silicon Valley Youth Classic Wedemeyer High School All Star Football Game. TD tosses from Macchi to Wiens and from Julian Jimenez of Andrew Hill to G.B. Wilson of Oak Grove sparked the South Stars to the win that gave them a 13-11-2 edge in the 26-year all-star series.

"We wanted to score first," said Macchi. "We wanted to shut them down, then score first." And that's just what the South All-Stars did. The defense stopped the North twice, then the offense pushed in a touchdown on its second possession of the night. The touchdown started the South on the road to victory. Macchi led the South offense by hooking up on 8 of 11 passes for 71 yards and the one touchdown. Jimenez completed 4 of 9 tosses for 37 yards in the win.

Andy Heiser of Santa Clara starred for the North offense, hitting on 6 of 11 passes for 65 yards and carrying nine times for 27 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown run.

1999
Bellarmine's Kyle Pilgeram's block helped the South to a 20-3 victory over the North in the 25th Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All Star Football Game.

"I was on a crossing pattern over the middle," said Pilgeram, describing his bone-crushing block that helped spring Larry Morris of Overfelt for a 39-yard touchdown run. "I saw the guy coming across the field, then he looked back at the runner. That's when I knew I had him." As soon as Pilgeram leveled the North linebacker, Morris turned the corner to go 39 yards for the touchdown that all but wrapped up the victory for the South.

But that certainly wasn't the only big play of the night for the South. Just a possession earlier, the south had scored on a double-pass with Willow Glen's John Fernandez on the receiving end of the TD toss. The South offense out-gained the North 200-160 in total yards on the night. And while the North managed to move the football, it couldn't punch the ball into the end zone.

A bend-but-never-break defense led by Grant Murdock (Pioneer), Cory Hare (Willow Glen), Val Sauao (Overfelt) and A.J. Lee (Gilroy) kept the North on its own side of the 50 most of the night.

Murdock got in on nine tackles to finish as the game leader and Hare, Sauao and Lee were in on seven each for the South. Jeremy Jones (Bellarmine) led the ground show with 65 yards on 11 carries, and Morris finished with 42 yards on two tries. Jones had a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up Morris for his 39-yard TD dash.

Jon Barragan (Oak Grove) completed two passes in five tries for 19 yards, going to his high school teammate Lee Robinson (Oak Grove) for both of them. But the big completion for the South came when Barragan flipped to Kenan Smith (Gunderson), who then found Fernandez for the 33-yard touchdown pass.

Quarterbacks Freddie Lewis, Jr. (Mitty) and Joe Ginanni (Palo Alto) threw for a combined 125 yards for the North. Lewis hit on eight of 12 passes for 86 yards and Ginanni completed six of 10 for 39 yards.

Defensive stars for the North included Jeff Roper, Darius Crowther (Del Mar), Brian Laatsch (Monta Vista), Chris Cavanagh (Los Gatos), Cedrick Dawson (Milpitas) and Adam Labare (Leigh).

1998
Mike Black of Saratoga tossed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Kiijuan Fuselier of Leigh for the only North TD of the night in a 9-7 win over the South. Bryan Beall of St. Francis ended up drilling a 37-yard field goal with 7:20 left in the game to give the North the 9-7 lead.

Fuselier led the ground attack with 63 yards on 11 carries, and Black completed seven of 10 passes for 53 yards and the one touchdown. Padia had one completion in seven tries.

An interception by Norm Amituanai of Ovefelt set up the South's only touchdown of the night, a four-yard TD toss from Jorge Nevarez of Independence to Adam Herzing of Leland.

1997
Hard-hitting linebacker Chad Purcell of Monta Vista helped hold the South running backs to just 60 yards rushing in a 27-19 victory for the North. The North offense ground out 258 yards on the ground on the road to victory. Running Back Charles Tharp of St. Francis led all ground gainers with 163 yards on 16 carries.

Milo Lewis of Mountain View ran back the second half kickoff 97 yards for a North touchdown. Tony Elam of Homestead scored two TDs and T.C. Everett of Wilcox ran for one.

Rossi Martin of Oak Grove also returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD, and Matthew Sonnick of Live Oak and Lemuel Adams tossed touchdown passes to Shawn Green of Independence and Chris Lacy of Oak Grove, respectively, to account for all of the South scoring.

1996
The North took a five-game win streak into the 1996 game, but the South snapped the string with a 28-14 victory.

Jason Sinatra of Silver Creek carried 13 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns to lead the South to the victory. Quarterback Tony Tognetti of Gilroy completed 6-of-8 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown, a 27-yard TD toss to Matt Chmelka of Valley Christian. Tognetti also scored a touchdown in the win.

Miguel Valdillez of Mitty and Errol Johnson of Palo Alto scored the touchdowns for the North in the game. Johnson's TD came on a 98-yard kickoff return.

1995
The North made it five straight with a lopsided 21-0 victory over the South. The Yanks scored two touchdowns in the first half to lead 14-0 at intermission, then added an insurance score in the fourth period.

Mike Jenkins of Monta Vista and Nick Pavlovich of St. Francis were the offensive stars for the Northerners, and Matt Martin of Mountain View and Matt Scharrenberg of St. Francis starred defensively. Jenkins carried 10 times for 85 yards and a touchdown, and Pavlovich hooked up on 4-of-8 passes for 50 yards and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Karriem Adams of Wilcox. Gus Farwell of Los Gatos hit Rene Bard of Cupertino for 13 yards and a final North touchdown. Martin led all Yankee tacklers with eight spots, including three quarterback sacks. Scharrenberg picked off a pair of Rebel passes.

The South had its defensive stars too, though. Jeff Ulbrich of Live Oak was in on 11 tackles to finish as the game leader. Edgar Alcala of Pioneer and Bryan Yeager of Oak Grove were other tackling leaders for the South. Ulbrich went on to star at University of Hawaii and is currently a linebacker with the SF 49ers.

1994
Erwin Reyes of Prospect rambled for 102 yards on just seven carries and scored a couple of touchdowns to help the North continue its dominance in the summer classic. Reyes led the North to a 26-9 victory, the fourth straight win for the Yankees.

Quarterback Mikey Smith of Palo Alto broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period with a 47-yard touchdown run, but Scott Matsuura of Leland tied it before the half with a 6-yard TD blast.

The South took a 9-6 lead on a 48-yard field goal by Michael Nedney of Santa Teresa, but then Reyes went to work. He scored on a 69-yard run, then scored from four yards out following an interception by teammate Jim Lombardi of Los Gatos.

The North clinched the win with one final touchdown. Tom Rodriguez of Mitty hit the quarterback to force a bad pass that Chad Nelson of Los Gatos picked off to set up a 4-yard TD run by Kwanzah Gomez of Wilcox.

1993
The North made it three straight with a dominating performance in the '93 battle.

Quarterbacks Bill Hagman of Saratoga and R.J. Hackett of St. Francis combined to complete 16-of-29 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns in this one-sided North victory.

Wilcox speedster Shon Lewis took off on a 27-yard touchdown run and hauled in a 45-yard TD toss from Hagman to join in the offensive heroics for the North, who opened up a 36-0 lead that stood until the final two minutes of play.

Only a short touchdown blast by Jack Beloney of Oak Grove with 1:26 left to play kept the South from getting blanked on this July night. The Los Gatos duo of Mark Cox and Ryan Marcos joined with Leigh's Tom Stone to spark a North defense that held the South to negative rushing yardage in the game.

1992
Dominic Pucci of St. Francis kicked a field goal with 32 seconds remaining to break a 7-7 tie and lift the North to a second straight victory. Earlier in the game, John Cerda of Leigh had scored a touchdown for the North and Mike Morales of Gunderson had tied the score with a TD for the South.

Joe Cattolico starred at quarterback for the North - playing for his father, Butch Cattolico of Los Gatos. The Leigh QB hooked up on 9-of-15 passes for 141 yards. Joe went on to play football at Princeton, and Butch Cattolico went on to coach the North team in the prestigious North-South Shrine Game a week after coaching in the County All-Star game. Joe is currently the head football coach at Independence.

1991
The South hadn't lost in eight straight years heading into the summer classic of 1991, so Butch Cattolico and his North squad had something to prove that summer. And prove it they did.

Trevor Wilson of Los Gatos hauled in a 65-yard scoring toss from Jeremy Jordan of Los Altos with less than three minutes remaining to bring the North from a 22-21 deficit to a 27-22 victory.

1990
The South continued its dominance of the game for another year, pounding the North 43-3. Quarterbacks Jason Tyrus of Milpitas and Ryan Hancock of Monta Vista led the North team to the victory, but then went off in different directions as athletes at the collegiate level.

Hancock went on to continue his career as a quarterback at Brigham Young University, but switched his attention to baseball at BYU. He became a starting pitcher for the California Angels.

Tyrus took his talents to the basketball floor where he helped West Valley College to a conference title and into the State Championship Game.

1989
In the 1992 All-Star game, Butch and Joe Cattolico made up the father-son tandem of coach and quarterback. But in 1989 it was Lee and Brent Evans of Oak Grove.

Lee Evans, who went on to become the head coach at Oak Grove High School and is a veteran of many seasons as a coach in the area, was a member of the South coaching staff that season. His son, Brent, who had starred for the Eagles that fall, was a quarterback for the South team that turned back the North 22-6. Evans hooked up on 12-of-15 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Ed Buller, the head coach at Oak Grove who had played in the Classic in 1975 after starring for Leland, was the co-head coach for the South team along with Pioneer’s Dan Lloyd.

Lloyd was a star locally at James Lick and had an outstanding career at the University of Washington before going on to play for the New York Giants. He is now a member of the coaching staff at Leland.

1988
The 1988 game sent two stars on to later glory.

Jeff Garcia of Gilroy was a defensive back on the south squad who went on to greatness at San Jose State University and later with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. He was named the most valuable player in the Grey Cup championship after leading the Stampeders to a victory. Garcia went on to play quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

Joe Farwell of Los Gatos High School starred for the North squad in the '88 classic and, after redshirting a year, was a sensational four-year starter as a linebacker at the University of Oregon.

The North and South teams played to a scoreless tie in the '88 game.

1987
There was no winner in the battle of 1987. For the first time in the 13-year history of the summer classic, the North and South battled to a 14-14 draw.

1986
Probably one of the greatest players the area has produced participated in the All-Star game in 1986.

Tim Ryan of Oak Grove was a hard-hitting noseguard for the South that year, and he went on to collegiate greatness at USC. Ryan starred in the defensive line for the Trojans in the Rose Bowl and later joined the Chicago Bears.

1985
One player from the '85 All-Star game turned pro a couple of years later, but as a baseball player.

Todd Mayo, a great running back for Los Gatos, turned his attention to baseball at Cal and was a good enough outfielder to attract the attention of the Montreal Expos, who signed him to a professional contract.

Paul Marcy of Homestead was a tough fullback for the North that year and went on to stardom as a running back at Santa Clara University.

1984
Two players in the '84 game went on to star in the Pac-10... but in different sports.

Eric Volta of Santa Clara joined the defensive line at Stanford to continue his football career, but Bill Haselman of Saratoga bypassed college football at UCLA to concentrate on a successful career in baseball. It turned out to be a smart move for Haselman, who went on to play for the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers.

1983
Randy Kirk of Bellarmine and Greg Calcagno of St. Francis topped a talented field in the summer classic of '83.

Kirk doubled as a tight end and defensive tackle on the South squad that year. He has since gone on to greater glory. He went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers, starting as the squad's long snapper.

Calcagno was the quarterback for the North team and went on to stardom at Santa Clara University. Calcagno was a three-year starter for the Broncos, rewriting the Santa Clara record books.

The South pulled out a tight 10-7 win in '83 and wouldn't lose again until '91. During that eight-year span, the South won six games and tied two.

1982
Erik Howard of Bellarmine was a big, tough lineman for the North squad that year, and he proved big enough and tough enough to play his way into the NFL. Howard went on to play for the New York Giants as a nosetackle, playing for them in their 1987 Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos.

Tim Peoples of Silver Creek was a member of the South team that year and went on to play for the University of Washington in the Pac-10.

The North won this game 24-6, but it would be the last North victory until 1991.

1981
Santa Clara University reaped the benefits of the talents of the players in the '81 game with no less than six players going on to become Broncos.

One of them, John Faylor of Mitty, would keep the game's NFL connection alive. Faylor, an outstanding defensive back at Santa Clara, signed with the 49ers after his collegiate career and played a season with San Francisco.

Joining Faylor at Santa Clara after the '81 All-Star game were Jim Cranston of Leland, Steve Cisowski of Westmont, Todd Dal Porto of Homestead, Tom Havens of Los Gatos and Kevin Tanner of Saratoga. All six were starters for the Broncos.

Jacque Robinson of San Jose High was a standout running back for the South team that year who went on to the University of Washington. He played in the Rose Bowl as a freshman, and was named the game's most valuable player.

Kurt Heinrich of Saratoga, whose brothers Kyle and Mike had played in the game before him, was a wide receiver for the North and went on to stardom at the University of the Pacific.

Another Falcon, quarterback Rick Worman, played at Nevada-Reno and went on to play in the Canadian Football League.

Jeff Hendy of Wilcox played for the North team in the summer clasic and went on to play in the secondary for Long Beach State.

But the biggest star of them all in the '81 Classic went on to greatness in another sport. Ken Caminiti of Leigh, a fine defensive back for the South, went on to become the starting third baseman for the Houston Astros and later at third for the San Diego Padres. Caminiti was named to the National League All-Star team in 1982.

1980
It was a coach, not a player, who went on from the All-Star Classic to the NFL in 1980.

Mike Holmgren of Oak Grove was a member of the South coaching staff in '80, and he was the head coach for the Green Bay Packers, and is now with the Seattle Seahawks. Holmgren, who played at USC and for the St. Louis Cardinals, served as the offensive coordinator at Brigham Young University and with the San Francisco 49ers before taking the job with the Pack.

Ben Bennett and Rich Martig were players in that game who would get a taste of football in the professional ranks.

Bennett of Peterson went on to star for Duke for four seasons and played in both the NFL and the USFL. He went on to play Arena Football and was named the league's most valuable player.

Martig of Bellarmine was an outstanding football and baseball player at Santa Clara University, earning Little All-American honors as a Bronco football player. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks.

Marty Mornhinweg, the great quarterback for Oak Grove, went on to an outstanding collegiate career at Montana after playing in the '80 All-Star game. He would return as a South coach in 1983 and is now a coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

Two North players went on to become professional athletes, but as baseball players. Kent Cooper of Los Gatos and Lindsay Meggs of Saratoga would sign professional baseball contracts and play in the minor leagues.

1979
The memory of John Tuggle's performance in the 1979 clash was one we look on with happiness and tears.

Tuggle, a star running back from Independence High School, was a sensation for the South in '79 and went on to star at Cal. He was the last player selected in the NFL draft after his senior season with the Golden Bears, but through hard work and perseverance won a spot with the New York Giants, starting on their special teams.

Tuggle, though, was a victim of cancer, a disease that ultimately claimed his life. Tuggle was one of two South players in '79 who went on to play professional football. George Achica of Andrew Hill played for USC in the 1980 Rose Bowl, and eventually played for the Los Angeles Express in the now-defunct United States Football League.

Four other players from the '79 game went on to collegiate stardom - Dennis Engel of Santa Clara at Cal, Steve Aimonetti of Campbell at Stanford, Mike Shiner of Fremont at Notre Dame and Dan Craig of Oak Grove at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

1978
The tradition of all-stars moving on to the NFL continued in 1978. Carl Monroe was a great running back at Overfelt High School, and he brought his talents to the field in the summer of '78. Monroe would ultimately play for the San Francisco 49ers, scoring a touchdown for the Niners in their 1985 Super Bowl win over Miami. Monroe passed away in 1987, and his untimely death has left us with only memories of his greatness.

Another member of the South team that year, Greg Woodard of Silver Creek, would go on to play in the Canadian Football League, and Mark Stewart of Camden was a tight end for two Rose Bowl teams at the University of Washington.

1977
The connection between the All-Star game and the NFL continued in 1977... thanks to Rich Campbell of Santa Teresa High School.

One of the area's greatest ever pure passers, Campbell was lofting his aerial attack for the South in '77 and went on to star at Cal before signing with the Green Bay Packers.

Two of his teammates also went on to stardom as collegians. Pat Graham of Leland was Campbell's teammate at Cal, and outstanding running back Kyle Stevens of Yerba Buena went on to play for two Rose Bowl teams at the University of Washington.

1975
Jeff Toews of Del Mar, whose older brother Loren was already a starting linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, played for the South team in 1975 and later wound up in the offensive line for the Miami Dolphins.

Toews played in Super Bowl XIX for the Dolphins back in 1985 against the San Francisco 49ers after an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Washington. Toews was a member of the Washington Rose Bowl team in 1978.

Kyle Heinrich of Saratoga was another member of that Rose Bowl team in Washington, and he played for the North in the All-Star game of ‘75.

Paul Jones of Mitty went on to star at the University of California at Berkeley after the '75 All-Star game and Howard Meyer of Branham went on to play for Notre Dame.

Top-notch quarterback Larry Worman of Saratoga went on to have a good enough collegiate career at the University of Nevada-Reno that he was signed as a free agent by the 49ers.

A talented wide receiver for the South squad in the 1975 game went on to become one of the area's top high school football coaches. Ed Buller of Leland played in the game in '75 and returned as a co-head coach for the South in 1984 and '89 after leading the football team at Oak Grove High School to greatness.

1974
Doug Cosbie and Don Schwartz were two stars of '74 who went on to further greatness on the football field.

Cosbie, a tight end from St. Francis, would go on to star at Santa Clara University before becoming an outstanding tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. Cosbie was an All-Pro in Dallas and played for the Cowboys in the NFC championship game.

Schwartz, a defensive back from Mitty, was Cosbie's North teammate in the All-Star game of '74. He went on to play for both the St. Louis Cardinals and New Orleans Saints in the NFL.

But as good as the two players were, they couldn't lead the North to victory in the first game. The South had speed on its side.

A wide receiver from Silver Creek High School showed off his blazing speed when he returned a kick-off 94 yards for a touchdown to help the South to a 48-36 win over the North in that high-scoring affair.

Two years later, that wide receiver was in Montreal, Canada, for the Olympic Games and Millard Hampton was running to a gold medal as a member of the United States' 400-meter relay team. Hampton also won a silver medal in the 200-meters in Montreal.

And the list goes on.

Three players in that 1974 games went on to star as collegiate football players and wound up playing in the Rose Bowl.

Otis Page of Saratoga was a tackle for three victorious Rose Bowl teams at the University of Southern California and his North teammate, Pete Pele of Mitty, played for UCLA in its 23-10 Rose Bowl win over Ohio State in 1976.

Steve Bauer of Los Gatos was a star linebacker for the South team in '74 and went on to the University of Washington where he played for the Huskies in the 1978 Rose Bowl. Bauer, who later joined the coaching staff at Los Gatos High School, is one of a handful of players to return to coach the North-South All-Star game, assisting on the North staff in both 1985 and '87.

Gary Lynn of Los Gatos, who scored three touchdowns for the South team in that first game, went on to start at tailback at Stanford University.

Rick Foley of Leigh was another player from the '74 game to enjoy stardom in the collegiate ranks, but on the baseball diamond. Foley played both football and baseball at Santa Clara University, but really shined on the pitcher's mound for the Broncos where he earned all-conference honors for two straight seasons. He went on to play professional baseball and was recently named to the Santa Clara University Hall of Fame.