Sentinel staff report–
Organizers say tickets are going fast for the first-ever San Juan High School Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and awards ceremony on April 14, featuring food prepared by the school’s culinary arts program, raffles, a silent auction, and opportunities for alumni to vote on nominating former athletes.
The Saturday event is hosted by the San Juan High School Alumni Association and is slated to begin with a 6 p.m. social hour at the Citrus Heights Community Center, followed by dinner and awards. Mayor Steve Miller is scheduled to be a guest speaker, according to a news release.
Charlie Ruiz, one of the event’s organizers, told The Sentinel the ceremony will be “very similar to the NFL Hall of Fame Ceremony, except for the fact we will have dinner provided by San Juan High’s award-winning Culinary.” He said Hall of Fame inductees will each have presenters consisting of former teammates or coaches, and each will receive a red Spartan blazer and a plaque, crafted by the high school’s construction class.
“Basically, it is a fundraiser for the High School Athletic Department to help with uniforms, travel, etc.” Ruiz said in an email. “Current Spartans serving Spartan Greats is the plan.”
Tickets for the event run $40 per person and will not be available for purchase at the door, but can be purchased in advance with a check, or online at www.sanjuanalumniassociation.org/hall-of-fame-dinner.
Document: click here to see event flier
Ruiz said all of the Spartan athletes shown on the flier for the Hall of Fame dinner will be present at the event, except for Dave Hajek, class of 1985, who has played for the Houston Astros and currently coaches for the Colorado Sky Sox. Additional information about the athletes is included below, as provided by the Alumni Association:
- Kareem Leary: Football, Class of 1990. 1st Team All Conference for the Utah Utes went to NFL combine.
- Ray Whalen: Football, Class of 1987. Played at Nevada Reno, and Professionally in Sweden.
- Rachelle Taylor: Softball, Class of 1990. University of Oregon ( In top 10 in multiple categories)
- Tracia Taylor: Softball, Class of 1988. Three-time All Metro selection by The Sacramento Bee. MVP on first League Title team for San Juan in Softball. (Older sister of Rachelle Taylor)
- Glen Cooper: Wrestling, Class of 1976. Three-time State Champion Scholarship to Cal Poly, and ranked #5 Wrestlers of All Time by The Sacramento Bee. 1976 Freestyle National Champion.
- Bill Doughtery: Wrestling, Class of 1969. Four-time Sac-Joaquin Section Medal winner. Won NorCal Championships three years. Ranked #10 by The Sacramento Bee for top 25 wrestlers of all time.
- Pat Gomez: Baseball, Class of 1986. Drafted by Chicago Cubs out of High School in 4th round.
- Barbara Weaver: Basketball, Class of 1996. Womens All Time Leading Scorer at San Juan.
- Adrian “Buttermilk” Hillman: Baskeball, Class of 1993. Three-time All Metro Player, League Player of the Year 1992 and 1993. San Juan All Time leader in scoring and rebounding, blocks. Played professionally in Spain.
- Javier Hernandez: Wrestling, Class of 1990. Three-time Section winner in 3 different weight classes, and three-time state qualifier.
Sentinel staff report--
Organizers say tickets are going fast for the first-ever San Juan High School Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and awards ceremony on April 14, featuring food prepared by the school's culinary arts program, raffles, a silent auction, and opportunities for alumni to vote on nominating former athletes.
The Saturday event is hosted by the San Juan High School Alumni Association and is slated to begin with a 6 p.m. social hour at the Citrus Heights Community Center, followed by dinner and awards. Mayor Steve Miller is scheduled to be a guest speaker, according to a news release.
Charlie Ruiz, one of the event's organizers, told The Sentinel the ceremony will be "very similar to the NFL Hall of Fame Ceremony, except for the fact we will have dinner provided by San Juan High's award-winning Culinary." He said Hall of Fame inductees will each have presenters consisting of former teammates or coaches, and each will receive a red Spartan blazer and a plaque, crafted by the high school's construction class...
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