Former Santa Cruz High School athletes to shine again at Hall of Fame ceremony

Santa Cruz High School athletes and coaches from as far back as the 1920s will once again find themselves under the spotlight again.

About 80 through the year 1979 are set to be named Santa Cruz High School Athletics Hall of Fame members this weekend.

One of those folks is Larry Griffin.

“When I was playing baseball I always wanted to be like Willie Mays,” Griffin says. “To be the guy that caught the ball like a basket catch because he was such a unique player.”

Griffin was a four-sport athlete in his time at Santa Cruz High in the 60s. He was one of the top scorers in Santa Cruz Cardinals basketball history.

It’s going to be a special day for him on a personal level, not just for the recognition.

He will be inducted into the SCHS Hall alongside his former coach, Bill Dodge, plus his brother Glenn Griffin.

“He [his brother, Glenn] played on some of the teams I played on at Santa Cruz High School,” Larry says.

Former track and field coach Bryan Wall is also one of the year’s inductees.

He shared one of his favorite moments as a coach, which included his stint back from North County.

“I resumed the track program after being gone for two years,” Wall explains. “North County had a win streak at their meets of about 114 straight wins. When I came back, SCHS broke that streak at 124.”

He says it left a huge impression on the athletes he coached who still remembered it all even though it took place in the late 80s.