High School Hall of Famers Recognized

They may have graduated, retired or even moved out of the state, but five awardees came to the Milpitas Community Center on Friday to be inducted into the Milpitas and Samuel Ayer High Schools Hall of Fame.

They were legendary coaches Steve Cain, Don Rodrigues, former mayor Bob Livengood, retired NFL player Lenzie Jackson and Sandy Kantoniemi King, wife of varsity football coach Kelly King.

In its seventh year, the hall of fame recognizes the contributions of staff or graduates from Milpitas High or the former Samuel Ayer High School. 

Bob Livengood, former mayor of Milpitas said the hall of fame was a great way "to wrap up my career in Milpitas." He retired at the end of last year after serving three terms as mayor and seven as a city councilmember. But first, he served as student body president for Samuel Ayer High School (Class of 1973) and later ran for city council at the age of 20. He played on the basketball and baseball teams, and his coaches, Steve Cain and Bob Pacioni (also a hall of famer) were there to see him receive his award.

Varsity basketball coach Steve Cain, the "winningest" boys basketball coach in Central Coast Section history, thanked his other half, Gail, for being a coach's wife. "I was a pretty intense coach," he said of his 38 seasons at Milpitas High. She said in the beginning she thought basketball was just about having fun. "I didn't realize the impact on the boys' lives until many years later." Cain came out of retirement and joined one of his former players, Ralph Fields, as an assistant coach at Amador Valley High in Pleasanton. Fields said, "It's been a huge blessing" and instead of improving year to year, he's "skipping years" due to Cain's vast amount of experience.

Retired NFL player Lenzie Jackson (Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars) flew in from Arizona with his family for the dinner. Before he even played football for Milpitas High with coach Don Rodrigues (also a hall of famer), his mom Joyce Boyd said Jackson's first exposure to the game was as a mascot for . He was too young to play at the time, but eventually went through the program, following in the footsteps of his brother Stacey, eight years older.

Former principal of Milpitas High Chuck Gary said Jackson excelled both in the classroom and on the field. He still remembers Jackson won 300-meter hurdles in CCS track his senior year in 1995 because it came as a surprise, he said. Jackson said, "I remember my brother and I preparing for weeks...I was going against this guy...he ended up representing Nigeria in the Olympics."

"He was gifted and just excelled ... just one of the best players ever," said Coach Kelly King. "More than that, he's a great person."

Sandy Kantoniemi King (MHS Class of 1983) met the love her life, husband and varsity football coach Kelly King at Milpitas High. For the past 26 years, she has continued to give back to the football program, writing down stats on the sideline, transporting and feeding players, as well as fundraising and administrative duties. "It's definitely an honor," she said, and gave credit to the parents that help as well.

Coach Don Rodrigues said he missed the intensity of coaching, and gets a feeling in the pit of his stomach on Friday nights during the fall season when he knows there's a football game. Not only did he coach football (including varsity coach Kelly King), he covered baseball, softball, girls soccer and track and field during his years at Milpitas High (1980-87, 1994-2007). During the years he wasn't at Milpitas High, he taught at Randall Middle School. After retiring in 2007, he moved to Whidbey Island, Washington with his wife Cindy to "fulfill a life long dream," he said.

He shared an important lesson he had learned while coaching. At one time, he had to choose between two players of equal ability–only one could start. The player who was not chosen ended up quitting. "I should have gone after him and sat down ..." said Rodrigues. The player didn't come back until four years later and apologized." It made an impact on Rodrigues. "Any conflict in the field, any conflict in the classroom ... I got it fixed before the day was out," he said.

Nominations for next year (something to think about)

"This is really a celebration of high school teachers and students throughout Milpitas history," said John Ribovich, who is on the committee that includes ten teachers at MHS. The teachers on the committee don't nominate, he said, but judge the candidates on the qualifications, personal testimony, and how they gave back. "It's not just based on personal success," he said.

Teachers and coaches must have been retired for at least four years. Ribovich didn't name anyone specifically, but said he already sees some competition for next year between those who retired in 2008.

To see the nomination form, and to view previous hall of famers click here.