California HS Football HoF
Awards
With each induction class, the voting committee, along with the project partners at the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, CIF, National Football Foundation and Pro Football Hall of Fame will select four award winners to appropriately represent key designations related to the history of high school football in the State of California.
Golden State Award
The Golden State Award is the highest individual award given by the California High School Football Hall of Fame and recognizes an outstanding Californian who has contributed significantly to the sport of football in our country.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Recipient must have achieved success in an industrial, business, financial, educational, professional or related career.
- Recipient must have an unblemished reputation for integrity, ethics, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship.
- Recipient must have “contributed notably in public service” either as a private citizen or as a government official or both.
Pete Rozelle
former NFL Commissioner
2022
Biography
A graduate of Compton High School (1944), Rozelle served as the Commissioner of the NFL for 30 years, oversaw the creation of Monday Night Football and the merger of the AFL-NFL in 1970. Pete was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame while still commissioner in 1985 and the Pete Rozelle Trophy was established in 1990 by the NFL to honor the Super Bowl MVP.
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Ronnie Lott
2024
Biography
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Dr. Carl Peterson
Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach
2026
Biography
The Golden State Award is the highest individual award presented by the California High School Football Hall of Fame. It recognizes an outstanding Californian who has contributed significantly to the sport of football nationally while demonstrating a record of professional achievement, integrity, leadership, citizenship and public service.
Dr. Carl Peterson’s football journey has deep California roots. A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Peterson went on to attend UCLA and build a distinguished career spanning coaching, football administration and executive leadership.
Peterson began his coaching career at Wilson High School before eventually entering the collegiate and professional ranks. His career included time with UCLA and the Philadelphia Eagles before he became one of the most prominent executives in professional football.
Peterson is best known for his two decades leading the Kansas City Chiefs, where he served as President, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer. His career represents a remarkable journey from California high school football to leadership at the highest levels of the sport.
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Terry Donahue Leadership Award
Named after the Hall of Fame record-holding coach from UCLA, the Terry Donahue Leadership Award is an individual award given by the California High School Football Hall of Fame that acknowledges and celebrates exemplary leadership by a California native that has a significant and positive impact on advancing the game of football through youth and communities.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Recipient must have an unblemished reputation for integrity, ethics, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship towards youth, peers and elders.
- Recipient must have “contributed notably without personal gain” in the leadership of young men or women through sports, particularly the game of high school football, within the State of California.
Pete Saco
former CIF Commissioner of the San Joaquin Section
2022
Biography
Saco spent 21 years as the CIF San Joaquin Section Commissioner (1993-2014) and overall 40 years in education. Pete proposed the return of regional and state football championships after a 79-year gap (1928-2005) and proposed the creation of an “Open Division” in state football. Saco served as the state football championships Event Director during the three years games were played at Hornet Stadium at Sac State University. He is a former high school teacher, coach, athletic director and vice principal.
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James Washington
2024
Biography
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John Beam
Skyline High School, Oakland
2026
Biography
Named in honor of legendary UCLA head coach Terry Donahue, the Terry Donahue Leadership Award recognizes exemplary leadership and a significant, positive impact on advancing football through California’s youth and communities. The award particularly celebrates those who have used sports and football to lead and positively influence young people.
The late John Beam spent more than four decades coaching, teaching and mentoring young people, establishing a legacy deeply connected to the Oakland community.
Beam joined Skyline High School in the early 1980s and served as its head football coach from 1987 through 2003. During his tenure, Skyline became one of Northern California’s premier programs, winning 15 league championships and 11 section championships while producing four undefeated seasons.
Yet Beam’s greatest impact cannot be measured solely through victories and championships. He became a mentor, educator and advocate for generations of young people in Oakland, helping student-athletes use football as a pathway to education and opportunity.
Beam later continued that mission at Laney College, where his program and commitment to his players gained national recognition through the Netflix series “Last Chance U.” Through every stage of his career, his focus remained on developing young people and strengthening his community through football.
Beam passed away in November 2025, leaving behind a legacy that continues through the countless players, coaches, students and families he influenced.
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Impact in Sports Journalism Award
The Impact in Sports Journalism Award is an individual or organizational award given by the California High School Football Hall of Fame that acknowledges those that utilize the reach and positive influence of the journalistic influence to promote and advance the sport of football in the State of California, particularly on the high school level.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Recipient must exhibit journalistic integrity in all media pieces, past or present in the journalism profession, including written, printed, digital and other newer mediums.
- Recipient whose professional actions and commitment have furthered the ideals of athletics, amateur and professional, particularly on the high school level.
- Recipient must have “contributed in a non-partisan manner” to promote the exposure of youth and community sports in the State of California, most notably through the sport of football.
- Recipient must have an unblemished reputation for integrity, ethics, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship towards youth, peers and elders.
Eric Sondheimer
Prep Sports Editor – Los Angeles Times
2022
Biography
As the Prep Sports Columnist for the Times, Eric has been honored seven times by the California Prep Sportswriters Association for ‘best prep sports column.’ Sondheimer joined the Daily News as Prep Editor in 1980 and spent 18 months as the West Coast Correspondent for the National Sports Daily. Returning to the Daily News from 1991-97, Eric joined the Times in 1997 to cover high school sports. He has covered California high school sports for more than 40 years and is a member of the CIF Los Angeles City Section Hall of Fame (2019).
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Joe Davidson
2024
Biography
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Mark Tennis
Cal-Hi Sports
2026
Biography
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Champion of Success Award
The Champion of Success Award is an individual or organizational award given by the California High School Football Hall of Fame that acknowledges an administrator, teacher, volunteer, official, community member or citizen that has demonstrated a commitment to the development, mentorship and advancement of youth and community sports in California, most notably through football.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Recipient may be an administrator, teacher, volunteer, official, community member, or citizen that demonstrated a commitment to the development, mentorship, and advancement of youth and community sports in the State of California, most notably through the sport of football.
- Recipient must have an unblemished reputation for integrity, ethics, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship.
Dean Crowley
former Commissioner of the CIF Southern Section
2022
Biography
Crowley spent 7 years as the CIF-SS Commissioner (1994-99) and 18 years as the CIF-SS Assistant Commissioner. Overall, Dean contributed 60 years serving the youth of California as an elementary, intermediate, and high school teacher, a high school coach, vice principal and an NCAA referee. As an NCAA referee, he worked several bowl games including the Freedom Bowl. He was the Championships Event Supervisor of the CIF State Bowl games during inception (2006) until a move to Sacramento State in 2014.
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Rob Wigod
2024
Biography
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Marie Ishida
Strathmore High School
2026
Biography
The Champion of Success Award recognizes an administrator, teacher, volunteer, official, community member or citizen who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the development, mentorship and advancement of youth and community sports in California, most notably through football.
Marie Ishida, a graduate of Strathmore High School, retired in 2012 following a trailblazing 41-year career in education and interscholastic athletics.
The final 11 years of her career were spent as the first female Executive Director of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), another milestone in a career filled with historic firsts.
In 1994, Ishida became the first woman elected President of the CIF. She served on the CIF Executive Committee from 1989 through 1998, including her two-year term as President from 1994-96. During her presidency, Ishida helped lead the formation and implementation of the organization’s Strategic Plan, an effort that helped reshape the CIF both philosophically and from a governance perspective into an organization increasingly focused on service to its member schools.
As CIF Executive Director, Ishida played an instrumental role in one of the most significant developments in the modern history of California high school football: the implementation of the CIF State Football Championships in 2006. Her leadership also helped establish the CIF Northern Regional and Southern Regional Football Championships, creating a statewide championship structure that continues to provide student-athletes and communities across California the opportunity to compete on the state’s biggest stage.
Ishida also played the leading role in negotiating a landmark 15-year agreement with Spectrum to televise CIF Regional and State Championship events across boys and girls sports, significantly expanding the visibility of California high school athletics.
Her 41 years in education, groundbreaking leadership and lasting influence on the structure of California high school athletics have created opportunities for generations of student-athletes throughout the state.
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