Granada Hills Has a Canton Connection

Picking out a future major leaguer among a group of Little Leaguers is a dubious task.

Picking out a future Hall of Fame quarterback from a group of high school players is even more improbable, unless the player is John Elway.

On Saturday in Houston, the board of selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will vote on 15 finalists. Elway is a cinch to receive the 80% approval required to be elected on his first attempt.

When the news is announced, Elway’s former coach at Granada Hills High, Jack Neumeier, will take a moment to reflect on a player that was one of a kind.

“You feel great about having somebody you coached in the Hall of Fame,” said Neumeier, who turned 85 on Jan. 18.

Elway’s expected induction on Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio, will make Neumeier the rarest of individuals.

In 1936, Neumeier was the quarterback for Van Nuys High and the tailback was Bob Waterfield, who would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

That means Neumeier played in the same high school backfield with a Hall of Famer and coached a Hall of Famer.

“You never expect things to turn out the way they do, and I was fortunate to be with both of them,” said Neumeier, who lives in Camarillo.

Waterfield was the NFL’s most valuable player as a rookie quarterback in 1945 when he led the Cleveland Rams to a 15-14 victory over the Washington Redskins in the NFL championship game.

Elway played 16 years in the NFL, won two Super Bowls and passed for 51,475 yards.

Anyone who played with or against Elway from 1976 to ’78 at Granada Hills probably predicted his greatness because there was no teenager before and few since who could match his passing velocity.

“I always thought he had potential because of his strong arm,” Neumeier said. “I never thought he’d be able to run as well as he did. He became an All-American at Stanford, got picked No. 1 in the draft and you saw right away he could be potentially [a Hall of Famer].”

Six years ago, Elway came back to Granada Hills to participate in a ceremony renaming the Granada Hills football stadium in his honor.

“Everybody has dreams, but this is something I never thought of,” he said.

Later, he reminded the students, “Chase your dreams, because dreams happen.”

Neumeier coached at Granada Hills from 1960 to ‘78, then spent several years coaching in the San Diego area before retiring in 1988. He was credited with helping to develop the five-receiver spread offense that many high schools and colleges use today.

For the last three years, he has been battling cancer. He receives radiation treatments twice a day. But his mind remains strong and his memories of Elway haven’t faded.

“Why he did so well was not only his ability but his tremendous leadership,” Neumeier said. “He was willing to do anything.”

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Wednesday is a tough call for those who enjoy watching high school basketball. You have to decide which of four outstanding boys’ games deserves your attendance.

The toughest ticket will be the 7:30 p.m. rematch of last year’s City Championship game between Fairfax (16-2) and Westchester (17-2) at Westchester.

If you don’t want to arrive more than an hour before tipoff to get a seat for Fairfax-Westchester, try one of these three games: Santa Margarita (19-2) vs. Santa Ana Mater Dei (17-2) at Santa Ana College; L.A. Loyola (11-7) at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (13-6) or Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley (18-1) at Lake Forest El Toro (16-4).

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Perhaps the UCLA marching band should play the Bellflower St. John Bosco fight song before football games next fall because seven former Braves will be on the Bruins’ roster.

Quarterback Patrick Cowan committed last weekend. He’ll be joined by incoming freshman defensive lineman Kenneth Lombard. Other Braves already at UCLA are receiver Joe Cowan, Patrick’s older brother; running back Derrick Williams; offensive lineman Paul Mociler; cornerback Marcus Cassel; and long snapper Riley Jondle.

“I think they should give me some undergraduate credit,” St. John Bosco Coach Kiki Mendoza said.

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Don’t look for a Southern Section Division I semifinal football doubleheader on a Saturday this fall or in 2005. That’s because the USC-UCLA game is scheduled for Dec. 4 this year and Dec. 3 next year. The Southern Section would take a financial beating trying to compete with the Trojans and Bruins.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected].