San Francisco, CA Inductees (2005)
Johnny B. (Dusty" Baker
Most sports figures are thrilled if they distinguish themselves in one aspect of their sport. Dusty Baker, with many years still left in his baseball career, already has set himself apart from his peers in three different roles–as a manager, player and humanitarian.
Richard "Dick" Bass
Dick Bass may be the only running back in history who can boast that he worked his way "down" to producing two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the National Football League
One of the most dominant Northern California prep players of all time, he once ran the length of nearly three football fields with only eight carries, as he gained 274 yards against Drake High School
Billy Mills
Billy Mills is a Native American, U.S. Marine Corps Officer, Entrepreneur and Gold Medal Winner. An outstanding long distance runner, Billy Mills’ accomplishment at the 1964 Summer Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan, stands as one of the most shocking, upsets in modern sports.
Mills was entered in the 10,000-meter run, a race which no American had ever won in an Olympics. He was far from a high profile entrant. Many of the media hardly noticed that he was event in the race. The Lion’s share of the attention was going to Australia’s Ron Clarke, who at the time held the world record in the event.
Rosie Casals
Rosemary Casals’ nicknames, "Rosie" and "Rosebud", were cute; here 5-foot 2 height was disarming. But those short legs propelled a powerhouse of a game that brought Casals at berth in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Casals’ achievements in singles often are overlooked by here spectacular feats in doubles: four-time winner of the U.S. Open doubles title; five-time Winbledon doubles champion with Billy Jean King as her partner; and, with King, the only doubles team to win U. S. titles on grass, clay, indoor and hard courts.
Margaret Johnson Bailes
During the National AAU Women,s Track & Field Championships, at the age of 17, she tied the world record in the 100 meters timed at 11.1 and the 200 meters, winning with the time of 23.5 seconds.
At the 1968 Olympics Games in Mexico City, Margaret ran the second leg on the gold medal and world record-setting 4×100-meter really team timed at 42.8. And place fifth in the 100 meters and seventh in the 200 meter.
Thomas Fleming
Thomas Fleming, who is in this 90s, was the founding editor of the Reporter Publishing Company. In 1944, then San Francisco’s only black paper. He has been writing ever since. For over 55 years, his only absence from its pages was during the seven-month span in 1945, when he served in the U.S. Army.
He is one of the 100 most significant African -Americans of all time, as descried in Columbus Sally’s 1993 book, "the Black 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential African-Americans, "Past and Present".
Community Honorees;
Roscoe Lee Browne (Track & Field Achievement Award) was an international track star long before he became a renowned poet, short story writer, and stage and film actor. He twice was the U.S. Indoor 1,000-yard champion, winning that race in 2 minutes, 15.6 seconds in 1950 and 2 minutes, 14 seconds in 1951.
That same year in Paris, he set a world record for the 800 meters. ‘During his career,, Mr. Browne won events at the Melrose Games, Madison Square Garden, Berlin, Oslo, Stockholm Bologna, Dublin, Belfast, Canada and the West Indies.
Dr. Joseph Marshall (Youth Advocate Award) is the Co-founder of Omega Boys Club, emphasizes academic achievement and non-involvement with drugs. Through this organization, founded in 1987, Marshall has helped send more than 250 men and women to college supported by the Omega Boys Club Academic Scholarship Fund. Many gradated from college across the country.
Payton Jordan (Track & Field Coach Award), Payton is the former president of National Collegiate Track Field Association in 1956. Vice President International Track & Field Association and present Emeritus. He is a former member of US Olympic Track & Field Committee for 12 years, former member of National Collegiate Rules Committee for 8 years, former member of National AAU (now USATF) Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1967, inducted into the Occidental College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970.
Dr. Miles McAfee (Sports Pioneer Award), Dr. Miles McAfee’s collegiate sports career began in 1951 as a freshman an Tuskegee University when he started the first game of the season in football. In 1953 while at Tuskegee, he scored six touchdowns against Morehouse College.
During the same period Miles played both football and baseball and started four years for the team at third base. He beat Xavier University with a grand slam home run in 1954. Miles, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, says the was born colored, raised as a Negro, and grew up Black. He signed his first contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was sent to play in the Caroline League where Curt Flood integrated the league before Miles arrived.