Throughout the years, there have been scores of exceptional athletes who have starred on the fields and on the mats, in the gymnasiums and in the waters at Los Gatos High School. And one of the greatest of them all was Bob Brannen, an excellent football player and track and field athlete at the high school from 1960 to 1964.
Sadly, Brannen passed away much too soon, in the prime of his middle-age years. His memory, however, will live on forever at Los Gatos High School—the newly created Athletic Hall of Fame committee has seen to that.
Brannen is part of the first group of athletes to have been selected for induction to the new Hall of Fame. He's part of what is truly an elite list.
Included in the initial class of inductees are such former Wildcat greats as former Olympic gold medallist Chris Von Saltza, former National Football League players Bill Fairband and Holden Smith and former Canadian Football League star Hugh Campbell. Rounding out the list of 14 Hall of Famers will be former Cats Brannen, Gary Lynn, Heidee Ruiz, the late Dave Anderson, Ken Spagnola, Suzy Meckenstock Seandel, Dave Bearden, Bob Chambers, Todd Mayo and Eddie Siracusa.
There will be a special dinner on May 1 at the La Rinconada Country Club to honor the inductees. Invitations have gone out to all outstanding athletes so they can attend with families and friends.
Invitations were also sent to the families of the two athletes who will receive their awards posthumously—Anderson and Brannen.
The committee is urging anyone in the community with information on how to reach a Brannen family member to contact the Los Gatos Weekly-Times at 408.354.3110, ext. 31, and provide a phone number or address. The committee is hopeful that someone can step forward to receive the award that Brannen so richly deserves.
The dinner itself promises to be a special evening when the cream of the Los Gatos crop is honored for athletic prowess. Never before has such a talented group of Los Gatos High School athletes been assembled in one room.
Some minor controversy surrounds the selection of the first group of Hall of Famers. While no one questions the talents of those selected, there is a concern that others have been left out. This is, however, just the first of such inductions, and deserving athletes will be added to the Hall in the years to come.
The event on May 1 will provide the opportunity for Los Gatos alumni and members of the community to nominate other athletes for future induction. Forms will be provided, and later this year the committee will consider those nominations for induction in 2005 and subsequent years.
The induction of the 2004 class of Athletic Hall of Fame members promises to be a fitting tribute to those athletes who have helped create the tradition of excellence in sports at Los Gatos High School.
