Hall of Fame
BURLINGAME, Calif. — San Francisco State Athletics Hall of Famer Robert Keropian passed away on July 27, 2023 at the age of 94.
Born June 20, 1929 in Granite City, Illinois, he moved with his family to San Francisco when he was two. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was the Education Director for the Far East Command in Japan in the mid-1950s. Keropian was an alumnus of George Washington High School and San Francisco State, where he obtained bachelors and masters degrees. Keropian was inducted into the San Francisco State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982 and competed in baseball, men's basketball, football, and track & field. He was the Far Western Conference long jump champion four straight years; in a singular achievement, he was a four-sport letterman in a single year. In 1988, he received San Francisco State's Distinguished Alumni Award. Keropian is also a member of the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame.
Keropian went joined the teaching staff at South San Francisco High School in 1956 and worked there until he was named the first principal at El Camino High School in South San Francisco in 1960. He served in that role for 29 years, before retiring in 1989. In 1969 he was named Northern California Principal of the Year and he was honored as Citizen of the Year by the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
For well over a half-century, he was affiliated with the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame. He served as President of the foundation's Northern California chapter for decades and as the organization's Western Region Coordinator for nearly 20 years.
He is survived by his wife, Joan Keropian. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eva and Arshag Keropian, his brother and fellow SF State Athletics Hall of Famer, Michael Keropian, and his sister, Lillian Thrall.
