Noted historian Bruce McIntosh, currently living in Rio Vista but formerly of San Pedro for decades, will be among those honored Wednesday as one of the CIFSS Hall of Fame and Distinguished Service Award winners at a luncheon in Long Beach.
We were able to get Bruce McIntosh out to a game in 2012 in Vacaville between the Bulldogs and Marin Catholic. Photo: Mark Tennis.
Bruce has been a longtime contributor to the Cal-Hi Sports state record book and was a lifelong friend of Cal-Hi Sports founder Nelson Tennis, who died in 2004. McIntosh won’t be able to attend the luncheon (he’s in his late 80s) but will be represented by Dr. John Dahlem, who also has been a friend of Bruce’s for many years.
Team records have been the focus of much of McIntosh’s historical research on California high school sports. He also typed index cards that include the scores of every California high school football game played from the early 1900s (some in the 1890s) to 2007. He worked hand-in-hand with Nelson Tennis on those cards, frequently trading letters and they helped each other on many projects for many years. One of the highlights of the year for Nelson was traveling once per year with fellow researcher Bob Barnett of Fresno to visit Bruce in San Pedro for three or four days of research. For those three, it was like Shangri-La.
McIntosh is not the only one we know getting a distinguished service honor on Wednesday. Steve Fryer of the Orange County Register, who has had a 38-year career at that paper, also will be honored. Fryer has been our go-to source for Orange County direction on many sports for many years, including football, boys hoops, baseball and more. In 2010, Steve was the first journalist to receive the Contribution to Education Award from the Orange County Department of Education and in 2015 he was inducted into the Santa Ana Unified School District Hall of Fame. We know Steve has dedicated much of his professional life toward following the example set before him by legendary former OC Register prep writer Dave Osterman, who died in 1999.
More CIFSS Distinguished Service Awards
Terry Conley (El Dorado, Placentia) — 36 years at school and worked for 25 years for CIFSS football and baseball championships in management for 25 years. Died in 2009.
Mel Gatson — Baseball umpire and basketball official for 44 years.
Bill Neessen — Basketball official for 36 years.
Sally Resclusado (El Dorado, Placentia) — AD there for 19 years and founder of Orange County Athletic Directors Association Women in Sports Conference.
CIFSS Hall of Fame Awards 2017
Robert Bonning (Cate, Carpinteria) — 39 years boys tennis coach with overall record of 527-190. Teams won 30 league titles, including 16 in a row (1984-1999).
Gary Bowden (Canyon, Anaheim) — 19 years wrestling coach with overall record of 212-41-1. Teams also won six CIFSS section team titles, 14 league titles and 87 straight dual matches. Later went to Thurston High in Springfield, Ore., and had Hall of Fame career there.
Mike Curran (St. Paul & Esperanza) — Final career record at two schools 751-358-6 with 19 league championships and three CIFSS titles at Esperanza. Former Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year.
Jeff Ehrlich (Villa Park) — Overall record of 483-179 in 26 years of water polo (including two years at Pacifica of Garden Grove.
Flo Fricioni (La Quinta, Westminster) — Longtime girls tennis and badminton coach.
Steve Gullotti (El Dorado, Placentia) — 28 years as baseball coach with 512-151 career record and guided numerous players to MLB careers.
Scott Hinman (Irvine) — Girls swimming coach 33 years; once won eight straight CIFSS titles (1997-2004).
Dwan Hurt (Serra, Gardena) — Tragically passed away from a heart attack right before the start f last season. Coached at Serra for 28 years with 544-214 recor and two CIF state titles.
Bill Mulligan (Long Beach Poly) — Only at Poly coaching boys hoops for five years, but mentored many other young coaches for many years, including his two sons.
Ken Sutch (Paramount) — Football coach for more than 25 years, most of them at Paramount, with nine league titles and two CIFSS titles.
Larry Welsh (Atascadero) — Our 1995 State Coach of the Year in football, Welsh also coached at Gonzales and ended with 262-55-7 career record.
Dave White (Edison, Huntington Beach) — Our State Coach of the Year in football from just last season. He was at Edison for 31 years. Career record 238-119-3.
Mike Williams (Alhambra) — Head wrestling coach for 45 years with career record of 572-224-4. Also had 18 leagues titles and 13 CIF state meet placers.
