by Neil Hayes
They got the win they needed, trouncing Archbishop Mitty 49–0 the following week. Next came a shot at redemption against Mission Viejo, ranked number one in the state and number two in the nation. It was one of the greatest games ever played at Owen Owens Field and one of the grittiest performances ever by a De La Salle team.
“You have to play with passion and a love for the game,” Ladouceur told them minutes before kickoff. “I can’t give that to you.”
The underdog Spartans matched the physically superior opponents play for play and hit for hit. When Mission Viejo kicked a field goal to take a 17–14 lead with seventeen seconds left, the Spartans wouldn’t quit, responding with a 32-yard kickoff return and a perfectly executed pass that picked up the necessary yards to set up a potential game-tying field goal.
The 45-yard kick missed by a foot but it hardly mattered. His team had finally defined itself. The stigma of being the team that lost The Streak vanished for a night.
“How many times have I told you, it’s not about wins and losses,” Edison ranted afterward. “It’s about how you play.”
De La Salle had finally turned the corner, or so it seemed, which is what made a tie with Clayton Valley, coached by Herc Pardi, the former Pittsburg coach who defeated De La Salle in 1991, that much more mystifying. At 2–3–2, the Spartans were in jeopardy of failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1981.
It took an old rivalry to wake them up.
De La Salle defeated Pittsburg twice during the 2003 season, including a painful 39–0 loss in the 2003 NCS 4A title game, to run their win streak over their archrivals to eighteen straight. In 2004, however, Pittsburg had supplanted De La Salle as the preeminent team in the Bay Area.
Former De La Salle player and current Pittsburg coach Vic Galli always believed it was his destiny to defeat his alma mater. Not only had he lost his chance to bring Pittsburg football full circle by ending another Spartans streak, but in a cruel twist of fate there was little glory in beating this De La Salle team. Pittsburg was the prohibitive favorite. If Pittsburg won it would be because they should win. If they lost it would be an upset.
Pittsburg fans packed Owen Owens field to see De La Salle gets its comeuppance. They were sorely disappointed when a desperate Spartan team turned in a vintage performance. Benefiting from three Pirate turnovers, they pulled away in the second half for a decisive 35–14 win in front of a standing-room-only crowd.
“The tradition of the Pittsburg game pulled us through,” Danny Ladouceur said.
From that moment these Spartans were a different team—different in that they finally started playing like their predecessors. The season had been a struggle like no other. The coaching staff had worked harder than it had ever worked, but it was finally paying off. It wasn’t that they didn’t have good enough players to win; it was that those players didn’t understand what it took to win. They understood now. They finally understood what it took to reach the standard that defined the program.
“They learned it piecemeal, bit by bit, as the season went on,” Ladouceur said.
In the last six games of the season De La Salle played as well as it could possibly play, maximizing its potential and outscoring opponents by an average of 40–11.
They were awarded the number three seed in the playoffs and defeated Pittsburg for a second time, 31–6 in a semifinal game in Pirate Stadium. Then this once fragile, fractured team rolled over undefeated Amador Valley 41–0 to claim the North Coast Section 4A championship and accomplish the primary goal of the season.
The highlight was a gritty goal-line stand late in the first half that proved symbolic. This team had refused to give up on their season and now they refused to give up so much as a touchdown in what was becoming a lopsided game. Eidson ran out onto the field after a De La Salle defensive back knocked the fourth-down pass to the ground. Alumbaugh and Geldermann were jumping up and down, throwing celebratory punches in the air. Ladouceur just stood there, soaking it in with a satisfied smile.
“At the beginning of the season it was the worst football ever played at De La Salle, and at the end they were on par with the best teams we’ve had,” Ladouceur said.
Nobody could remember a season filled with so many emotional highs and lows, as evidenced by players jumping on one another and mugging for cameras while a huge banner bearing Terrance Kelly’s likeness stared down from above.
That’s when Ladouceur and Eidson noticed a refreshing change between this and previous postgame celebrations. For the first time in years, the revelry was fueled by the pure, unfiltered joy of winning, instead of a relief at not having lost.
The 2004 season was by far Ladouceur’s most challenging, which made the program’s thirteenth straight section title and twentieth overall his most satisfying. A season that began with unspeakable tragedy ended in ultimate triumph, and the season-ending victory ensured that losing The Streak wouldn’t be the 2004 team’s only legacy.
“You give hope to all teams that follow who are struggling and suffering through a season,” Ladouceur said at the post-season banquet. “You have set the example that hope is not lost, and growth is a constant through all times and situations.
“So did our season mimic life? Yes. Was it a classroom for life lessons? Yes. But just keep in mind, we are still playing high school football. Let’s keep it in perspective and be mindful of real-life trials and suffering.
“One year ago, I regained consciousness and found myself battling for my life.… Landrin Kelly battles to overcome the most unimaginable suffering, the loss of his beloved son, Terrance, and his beautiful mother, Bevelyn. There are so many that suffer all over the world, at De La Salle and everywhere. It is part of the human condition. There’s no escaping it. Not even Jesus could. We’re all going to experience suffering and trial.…
“It is my hope and prayer that the adversity you experienced as athletes this year will be seeds that will call you into growth and action when real-life trials come knocking at your door, and that you will respond like you did this season, with your soul strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
Afterword
Justin Alumbaugh called Bob Ladouceur’s decision to step down as head coach at De La Salle one win shy of a milestone 400th career victory “almost poetic” because the coach who retired with a 399-25-3 career record was never motivated by numbers.
“To stay and chase 400 wins would kind of be a lame thing to do. What difference does one more win make?” Ladouceur said.
The winningest high school football coach in history made the announcement in January, 2013, not long after the Spartans captured their fourth straight California Interscholastic Federation Open Division State Championship. Ladouceur’s thirty-four-year coaching career included twenty-nine North Coast Section championships and nineteen real or mythical state championships. His Spartans finished ranked number one in the nation in various polls nine times. His career winning percentage of .934 is the highest in history among coaches with more than two hundred wins.
“I didn’t want anything mentioned during the year about this being my last season because I didn’t want it to impact what [the players] were going to do,” Ladouceur said at the time. “I’ve always approached it that way. I wanted their season to be their own.”
Alumbaugh had taken on more and more responsibility and had earned the head coaching job, but Lad wanted to continue on in some capacity. He pondered coaching the freshmen before it was agreed that he would be a varsity assistant during Alumbaugh’s first season, working mostly with the running backs and defensive linemen.
Alumbaugh’s rookie season ended with a 20–14 loss to St. John Bosco–Bellflower in the 2013 Open Division title game. It was the most anticipated in-state match-up since the 2001 Long Beach Poly game and drew a crowd of 16,791, the largest in the eight-year history of CIF bowl games. It was the first game De La Salle had lost to an in-state opponent since 2008 and it ended a 40-game winning streak.
> Terry Eidson continues to run the defense and special teams for Alumbaugh.
“Every coach needs an assistant like me, someone who understands kids and is a good partner,” Eidson said. “If I were head coach, who would be me?”
Maurice Drew changed his name to Maurice Jones-Drew to honor his grandfather. Maurice Jones collapsed at the Rose Bowl while watching his grandson star for UCLA during the 2005 season and died soon after. Jones-Drew appeared in three Pro Bowls during the first eight years of his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Terrance Kelly was included in a ceremony honoring Oregon seniors before a game in Autzen Stadium in 2007. Landrin Kelly walked to midfield holding his son’s number thirty-two jersey. Landrin continues to operate the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation, which inspires and empowers at-risk youth in Richmond. A golf outing organized by Terrance’s former teammates serves as one of several annual fundraisers, and donations are always appreciated (www.tkyf28.org).
Mike Bastianelli, the former De La Salle quarterback who assisted Pittsburg coach Vic Galli during the 2002 season, and his former USC teammate Darrell Russell were killed in a high-speed car crash in Los Angeles in 2005.
Injuries plagued Cameron Colvin during his career at Oregon, which ended with a broken ankle during his senior season. He is currently CEO of his own company.
Cole Smith and John Chan received appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy, where both continued their football careers. They now have successful business careers. Britt Cecil joined the Navy after high school and was later stationed in Honolulu. His apartment overlooked Aloha Stadium, where he and his teammates had triumphed over St. Louis during the 2002 season. He now works for a general contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Erik Sandie played at Colorado State and is now a regional director at an information technology company. Parker Hanks played baseball at Vanderbilt and is now an attorney in Southern California. Damon Jenkins had a productive career at Fresno State and now works in the communications industry and gives motivational speeches. Chris Biller never played football after his senior season. Instead, he became an all-American rugby player at Cal and was a member of the U.S. National Team.
Danny Ladouceur and Matt Gutierrez are assistant freshman football coaches at De La Salle, which now has sixteen former players on the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity coaching staffs.
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is like playing football for De La Salle. It’s all about team.
This book would not have been possible if Bob Ladouceur hadn’t felt he had nothing to hide. Without his sincerity and cooperation, this project would not have made it past the planning stages. Terry Eidson put up with me all season and endured my tedious follow-up questions. Thanks to Mark Panella for diagramming plays over the phone.
I can never express my gratitude to all the coaches and players, past and present, for sharing their experiences. My heartfelt thanks to Cameron Colvin, Britt Cecil, Marlon Blanton, Mike Blasquez, and Landrin Kelly for their honesty and deeply personal stories.
I’d like to thank Marlys Gee and Jeffri Chadiha for their feedback, and Kathy Glass, Leslie Larson, Tim McKee, and Gary Peterson for their thoughtful editing.
Bob Larson’s photographs brought this story to life.
John Armstrong and Jerry Micco, my bosses at the Contra Costa Times, gave me the opportunity to pursue this project. I’d like to thank Jerry Southwick for his technical support and for the use of his dining room table.
Andrea Miller at the Christian Brothers San Francisco District Archives provided key documentation. Dr. David Flakoll’s videotapes were invaluable. Thanks to Brother Christopher Brady for access to school records, Erin Jones for providing alumni phone numbers, and Steve Dulas, Mitch Stephens, and Joe Stiglich for their careful research.
I pored over the work of countless prep writers and was impressed by their accuracy, detail, and insight.
Most of all I would like to thank my wife, Charlee, who believed in this project and, more important, believed in me. I will be forever grateful for her love and support. Thanks to Nicky and Riley for making me laugh, giving me perspective, and never complaining when I was wasn’t around.
About the Author
Photo by Cristiane Laird
NEIL HAYES was a sportswriter at the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, California, and the Chicago Sun-Times, during a twenty-six-year newspaper career. He wrote the script for the ESPN documentary 151: The Greatest Streak, which was inspired by this book. He was also part of the creative team and an on-set consultant during the filming of the major motion picture based on this book. He is the coauthor (with Brian Murphy) of The Last Putt: Two Teams, One Dream and a Freshman Named Tiger. Hayes lives in the Chicago area with his wife, Charlee, their two children, Nick and Riley, and two unruly dogs.
Index
Page numbers in italics refer to inserted photo pages.
A
ABC, itr.1, 14.1
Abrams, Steve, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5
Abrew, Alli, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 23.1, 23.2, 23.3
Alatorre, Aaron
Alexakos, Steve, 12.1, 19.1, 23.1
Aliotti, Joe, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 6.1, 8.1, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, 18.1, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 20.1, 20.2, 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 24.1, epi.1
Aliotti, Nick
Aliotti, Wendy
Allen, Brother Laurence, 9.1, 11.1, 13.1, 23.1
Allocco, Frank, 6.1, 8.1, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 25.1, epi.1
Aloha Stadium, 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 8.1, 8.2, 10.1, 12.1, aft.1
Alston, Eric
Alumbaugh, Justin, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 6.1, 10.1, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 16.1, 21.1, 26.1, epi.1, epi.2, epi.3, epi.4, epi.5, aft.1
Amador Valley
Amemiya, Keith, 6.1, 6.2, 8.1
Amos Alonzo Stagg Stadium
Anthony, Ferris, 24.1, 24.2
Antioch High, 18.1, 18.2, 19.1, 20.1, 24.1, 24.2, 26.1
Archbishop Mitty, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 6.2, 12.1, 22.1, 24.1, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, epi.1
Arizona, USS
Arizona State
Ascatigno, Lou
Autzen Stadium
B
Bakersfield, 6.1, 14.1, 18.1
Balough, Kyle
Bastianelli, Mike, 12.1, 20.1, 20.2, 20.3, 20.4, 20.5, 23.1, aft.1
Bates, Jackie, 4.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 16.1, 20.1, 20.2, 22.1, 24.1, 24.2, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, epi.1, epi.2
Bay Meadows
Bay Valley Athletic League, 18.1, 19.1, 20.1, 20.2, 23.1, 25.1
Beil, Larry, 8.1, 8.2
Bellarmine
Bellevue (Washington), epi.1, epi.2, epi.3, epi.4, epi.5
Benicia
Berkeley High
Biller, Chris, 2.1, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 16.1, 16.2, 24.1, 26.1, epi.1
Biller, Sue
Bing, Darnell, 14.1, 16.1
Binswanger, Tony, 4.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 10.1, 16.1, 16.2, 24.1, 24.2, 26.1
Bishop O’Dowd, 3.1, 9.1
Bizot, Chris
Black Hawk Down
Blanton, Marlon
Blasquez, Bianca
Blasquez, Mary
Blasquez, Mike, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 8.1, 8.2, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 21.1, 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 23.1, 23.2, 23.3, 24.1, 26.1, 26.2
Block, Eric
Boise State
Bokamper, Kim
Bonnano, Al, 19.1, 20.1
Botelho, Don
Bradley, Aharon, 16.1, 22.1
Bradley, Alijah, 14.1, 16.1
Brady, Brother Christopher, 14.1, 21.1, 21.2
Brady, Tom
Brakes, Eddie
Branum, Schon
Briner, Andy, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 16.1, 24.1
Brooks, Brandon
Brown, Dalton
Brown, Darrin, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3
Brown, Dave
/>
Bruce, Tom, 4.1, 20.1
Bursey, Lorenzo
Butcher, Shane
Butler, Andre
Buxton, Jon
BYU
C
Calcagno, Danny, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3
Calcagno, Ron
Cal-Hi Sports
California High, 7.1, 9.1
California School for the Deaf
Callahan, Bill
Callahan, Brian
Callen, Atari
Cardinal Newman
Carlos, Javier
Carondelet, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 21.1, 21.2
Carrier, Mark
Carter, Tyron
Casteel, Brent
Castle High
Catholic Athletic League (CAL), 3.1, 3.2, 7.1, 7.2, 9.1, 9.2, 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 17.1, 18.1, 21.1, 23.1, 24.1
Catholic Voice, 7.1, 15.1
CBS Evening News
Cecil, Britt, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, 16.8, 16.9, 18.1, 20.1, 20.2, 21.1, 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 24.4, 26.1, 26.2, aft.1
Cecil, Paige, 12.1, 16.1, 16.2
Cecil, Rick, 16.1, 16.2
Championship Football Camp, 16.1, 21.1
Chan, John, 2.1, 6.1, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 13.1, 14.1, 14.2, 16.1, 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 22.4, 22.5, 24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 24.4, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, aft.1
Chan, Mike, 24.1, 24.2
Cheatham, Sam, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3
Christian Brothers, 1.1, 3.1, 9.1, 11.1, 13.1, 14.1, 21.1
Clare, Gene
Clayton Valley High, 19.1, 20.1, 20.2, 20.3, 22.1, epi.1
Clovis West–Fresno, 25.1, epi.1
CNN
Coakley, Jerry, 21.1, 22.1
Cobra
Coccimiglio, Steve, 15.1, 21.1
Cockerham, Bill
Coleman, Jim
College Park High, 23.1, 23.2, 25.1
Collins, Mel
Colorado State
Colvin, Cameron, 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 12.1, 12.2, 14.1, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5, 20.1, 20.2, 22.1, 24.1, 24.2, 26.1, epi.1, epi.2, epi.3, epi.4, epi.5, epi.6, aft.1
