Bay Area Inductees (2003)
TOM FLORES
Tom Flores, a gradate of Sanger High School, in his hometown of Sanger, California, was a three-sports letterman: Football, Basketball, and Baseball. Tom captained all three teams his senior year. The Sanger football stadium is named in his honor.
In 1956, Flores transferred to the College of Pacific (now University of the Pacific) in Stockton, California, where he competed in football and baseball. As a senior, he ranked fourth in the nation in total offense and sixth in passing efficiency. Flores was drafted and released by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian League in 1958. In 1959, he tried out for the Washington Redskins, but a shoulder injury spoiled the effort.
In 1960, Tom signed with the Oakland Raiders, and has spent 35 years in the National Football League. He spent 10 seasons with the Oakland Raiders (1960-61, 1963-66), the Buffalo Bills (1967-68), and the Kansas City Chiefs (1969-70-). He led the AFL in completion percentage (54.0) and fewest interceptions (12) in 1961, finishing second to the Houston Oilers’ George Blanda in passing.
In 1962, he led the Silver and Black to a 10-4 record. On December 22, 1963, Flores passed for six touchdowns against the Houston Oilers, a Raiders’ record that still stands today. Tom finished his six seasons with the Raiders, having thrown for 93 touchdowns. He played two s
Flores served for 12 years as NFL Head Coach with an overall record of 105-90-0. He was an assistant coach with the Buffalo Bills in 1971. and the Oakland Raiders from 1972-1978. Flores was appointed head coach of the Raiders in 1979 and stayed with them for nine years, where he captured three AFC Western Divisions titles (1982, 1983 and 1985). He served as President/General Manager of the Seattle Seahawks from 1989-1994.
Tom Flores is one of only two people in NFL history, along with former Chicago Bear player head coach Mike Ditka, to have a Super Bowl ring as a player assistant coach and head coach. His four Super Bowl Rings place him in the company of a prestigious group of NFL players and coaches.
RAY NORTON
Ray Norris, a native of the Bay Area, got himself noticed while he ran track for San Jose State in the late 1950’s. While he was there, he obtained 4 world records in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 100 yards, and 200 yards. And unlike the athletes of today, his career was finished at the age of 22. Ray held the title of the “World’s Fastest Human.”
He participated in the 1959 Pan American Games, where he won the 100 & 200 and anchored the leg of the winning 4/100-meter relay team. He was a member of the 1960 Rome Olympic team. He was the National USA Champion in the 100 & 200 for two consecutive years.
Upon his return to the United States, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and joined the team and made his mark playing professional football. He would stay busy throughout the year, by running track clinics in the off-season & eventually training several athletes.
The 1968 100-meter Champion Jimmy Hines and several Olympic athletes were his students over his wonderful career. He till works with athletes that have made the Olympics, Pan American and National teams. Ray Norton has conducted free track clinics throughout the United States to expose youths 7-8 years old of the importance of participating in sports. He feels the experience will create lasting impression while they build relationships.
He continues to conduct workshops in the Maryland, Washington D.C. area, the Midwest and other parts of the country. He also finds time to conduct workshops and seminars using athletes from UC Berkeley and Stanford to assist with the training.
Ray Norton resides in the Bay Area and remains active in his community. He works with youth organizations and the 49ers Alumni Association. Because of his love for Track & Field, he can’t leave it behind, so he is currently working with several Olympic track hopefuls, in hope that they can run 100 meters in Ray Norton’s shoes. He is also sought out for autographs and travels throughout the United States for that purpose.
WILLIAM (BUBBA) PARIS
William H. Paris Jr. better know to us as “Bubba” Paris, hails from Louisville, Kentucky, where he attended DeSales High School and was team captain and MVP. He attended the University of Michigan where he played for Bo Schembechler. While playing for Michigan they won two Big Ten Titles, a Rose Bowl Championship, and a Blue Bonnet Bowl Championship.
He was a four-time letterman, and All-American, two times All-Big Ten and Academic All District. He also played in two college All-Star games the Japan and Hula Bowls.
In 982 he was the San Francisco Forty-Niners first draft choice. He played with them for nine years, eight of which he started at left tackle. In those nine, years, they won three Super Bowl Championships, eight Western Division Titles, and played in five-NFC Championship games.
In the beginning of the 1992 football season, Bubba signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent. He played with them for thirteen games. The Detroit Lions were desecrated by injuries on the offensive line so they signed him to a contract to help shore up their offensive line and teach a young team how to stay focused and win the post season. They won the Central Divisional Title and played in the NFC Championship.
Paris formed his own marketing and promotional company, Paris Enterprises, in 1982, which specialized in motivational speaking, education seminars, and self-esteem workshops, promotional appearances and auctioneering.
He has distinguished himself as one of the nation’s premier speakers, addressing groups ranging from IBM executives to San Quentin Prison inmates, from Little League Teams to the California State Assembly.
He is presentably making extensive television appearances, and has served as a sports analyst for KGO TV in San Francisco, California. Paris has produced a special segment entitles, “Behind the Face Mask.”
Bubba has founded the Bubba Paris Friends of the Homeless, a non-profit organization to aide and assist the homeless in the Bay Area.
BRIAN SHAW
Brian Shaw was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (24th overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft, and was the first to play every game since Kevin McHale in 1980, and had the most starts by Celtic rookie since Larry Bird in 1979.
Brian played the 1989-90 season with I Messaggero of the Italian League and led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. Averaged 25 ppg and 9 rpg. He was named to play in the in the 1989 Italian All-Star Game. In 1988-89, he was named to the NBA All Rookie Second Team after averaging 8.6 ppg. 5.8 apg and 4.6 rpg.
He was signed as a free agent with Orlando Magic in 1994. He notched his 3,000th career assist, for the magic against the New York Knicks. In 1994, he was named the Magic’s “Subway Sub of the Year,” after leading the team in scoring off the bench in a team-high 30 games. He recorded his first career triple-double, with 11 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, against the L.A. Clippers in December 1995.
He scored a career-high 32 points, hitting 10-of-15 three pointers to set a Miami Heat franchise record against the Milwaukee Bucks in April 1993. He posted a 1997-98 season-high 24 pints (10-14 FG), 4 rebounds and 3 assists against the Clippers in February 1998.
Brian signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999 and was a member of the Lakers 2000 and 2001 championship team appearing in every game of the 2000 NBA Finals. He has appeared in 80 career NBA Playoff games, averaging 7.0 ppg, 2.9 apg and 3.05 rpg.
Brian is very committed to the Oakland and Orlando communities. Every year during his NBA career he took time out of his busy schedule to donate turkey dinners and gifts to less fortunate families. He has volunteered as a guest columnist for Florida’s “Fitness and Sports” monthly newsletter, urging teens to stay away from drugs and is very involved with the Parent Service project, which was established by his late mother, Barbara E. Shaw
Each year he makes a significant contribution to the Barbara E. Shaw Scholarship Fund. He also host an annual Brian Shaw Celebrity Pool Tournament, which benefits the Parent-Child Development Centers, Inc. lastly, he annually host The Brian Shaw NBA Basketball Camp in Oakland, California for boys and girls ages 8-14. The City of Oakland declared Auguest 10, 2000 as “Brian Shaw Day.”
GEORGE ATKINSON
During his 11 years with the Oakland Raiders, George was Rookie of the Year his first year, played in three Pro Bowls, nine championship games and one Super Bowl, beating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XL. He was known as the Destroyer.
During his career, he set the NFL record for most punt return yardage (205) in a single game. He was nominated for NFL Man of the Year in 1972. Atkinson holds the record as the 3rd leading interceptor and is number 2 in punt returns in Raider history.
George is the host for “Behind the Shield, a sports talk show on Fox Sports Net, he host the Oakland Raiders pre and post games shows, he is also the color analyst and co-host of the pre-game show for the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena League. He hosts his own radio talk show during the football season on the Ticket 1050-in San Francisco. George has television and radio experience as a host and producer. He was an assistant producer of the Ron Barr National Talk Show “Sports Byline U.S.A.” from 1990-1992
He was inducted into the Morris Brown College Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He is a board member of the African-American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame.
In April 1997, George was elected to the Advisory Board of the Character Counts Coalition, a consortium of educational and youth service providers. In 2000, he was inducted into the State of Georgia Hall of Fame.
George also is active in the community. He was a speaker for the United Way, served on the Oakland Mayor’s Drug Task Force; he worked for the Governor’s Sumner Youth Employment Program for three years, helping to develop jobs in California for youth.
Atkinson has a wealth of broadcast experience: Behind the Shield, Oakland Raider Weekly Magazine Show, Sideline Report, Oakland Raiders Pre-Season Television, and Game Analyst.
My education has allowed me to experience many things and I urge our young people to get an education because being a successful high school and college athlete does not guarantee you will be a professional. “Get that education,” says Atkinson.
SAM SKINNER (Wendell Smith Media Award)
Sam Skinner integrated Northern California press boxes as one of the first African American sportscasters, became confidant for many of the most recognized names in sports, and broke the biggest Olympics stories of his generation. Yet, it was Sammie’s style as an interviewer and press box presence that has been the lasting impression since his death in January 1996.
As a result, Sam Skinner was to sports press conferences what United Press Internationals’ Helen Thomas was to the White House press corps. Merely a raise of the hand would command the attention of even the most prominent of speakers. Sam, with his trademark extended microphone, became the confident to the likes of Muhammad Ali, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, John Madden, Martina Navratilova, Carl Lewis, Al Davis, and many more. “Sam was one of the biggest people in sports,” USA Today columnist Tom Weir once wrote.
It was the persona which ultimately set Samuel J. Skinner, Jr. apart from other members of the media: who else could call Deion Sanders and say in the San Francisco 49ers’ press conference room, “This is my house.”
Sam is known for being the first to report the Israeli hostage situation during the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and the first to learn of the Ben Johnson-steroids incident during the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. But it was his role in two other Olympics that is the most telling: During the Mexico City Games in 1968, athletes behind the Black Power Movement chose Sam as the only reporter with whom they would speak. During the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Carl Lewis refused to speak with the media-except Sam Skinner-while he captured four gold medals. True to form, Sam shared tapes of his Lewis interviews with the other journalist gathered from around the world.
“Sam Skinner was more than a journalist to me. He was a friend. He touched people both in and out of the sports. As a reporter, he treated everybody with respect. He truly cared about the athletes he interviewed. Professionally, he worked to work things out,” said Olympic champion Carl Lewis.
Sam provided his stories to Associated Press, UPI, Mutual Broadcasting and ABC, and also distributed his stories to many Black radio stations throughout the country through his own company, Skinner’s International News Syndication.