SAN FRANCISCO – SThe San Francisco State Gridiron Hall of Fame will induct its 2020 class on Saturday, October 10 beginning at noon. This year's annual event was organized by Alumni Affairs and the Gridiron Club, a group of San Francisco State football alumni who have worked to preserve the program's history after its final season in 1994.
Due to the pandemic, this year's event has moved online. The inductees and their friends and families will gather on Zoom for an intimate presentation while the public is welcome to watch along the presentation on YouTube.
The Class of 2020 inductees, who distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements on and off the field:
- Greg Allen | Defensive Back, 1969-70
- Kermit Bankson | Offensive Lineman, 1965-67
- Dick Boyle | Coach, 1939-41 and 1946-49
- Jack Burgett | Coach, 1968-72
- Bob Celeste | Offensive Lineman, 1965-67
- David Cox | Coach & Director of Athletics, 1931-1953
- Larry Dito | Offensive Lineman, 1965-67
- Walt Filkowski | Defensive End, 1963, 64
- Tom Martinez | Coach & Mentor, 1963-67
- Jim Moore | Center 1970
- Dennis Pete | Defensive Back 1971
- 1965 Championship Team (8-2)
These Gators were elected from a list of 27 great nominees, representing players from five decades. Notable inductees include Tom Martinez, '66, who is best known as Tom Brady's quarterback mentor and coach. Three offensive linemen from the nationally ranked '67 Camellia Bowl team are honored this year — center Kermit Bankson, guard Bob Celeste, and guard Larry Dito. Two star defensive backs from 1970 and 1971, Greg Allen and Dennis Pete, had NFL tryouts. In all, this year's honorees include seven players, four coaches, and one team.
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Gator Gridiron Club was formed in the 1970s by Gator great Dick Boyd and Hall of Fame coach Vic Rowen. For nearly fifty years, the Gridiron Club board has selected elite players from every era. These include NFL stars like defensive back Bill Baird, linebacker Floyd Peters, and all-pro lineman Elmer Collett; and Super Bowl coaches Mike Holmgren, Gil Haskell, and Andy Reid. Three individual teams have been inducted: the record-setting Camellia Bowl team of 1967 led by quarterback and UCLA coach Bob Toledo, the undefeated 1959 team led by all-time great quarterback and UC Davis coach Jim Socher, and the rugged 1960 team led by nineteen Hall of Fame players.
The Gator Gridiron Club's mission is to bring together former players, coaches and fans to remember the championship football legacy at SF State; to identify and elect great Gator players to the Gridiron Hall of Fame; and to maintain and enhance the Vic Rowen Scholarship Fund and Allen Abraham Scholarship Fund, assisting and encouraging deserving student-athletes in men's and women's sports.
