Concord, CA Highlighted in When The Game Stands Tall

De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., enjoyed unparalleled dominance during football coach Bob Ladouceur’s 34-year tenure.

It included a 151-game win streak that stretched from 1992-2004. In his 34 seasons, Ladouceur’s Spartans compiled a record of 399-25-3 and wereundefeated 20 times. The story of the high school is being featured in the new movie When The Game Stands Tall, coming to theaters Aug. 22.

De La Salle is a relatively small Catholic High School in Concord, with an enrollment just over 1,000 students. The school was founded in Concord in 1965, during a time of rapid growth for the community.

As of 1948, Concord had a population of only 6,500 or so residents. But the city grew rapidly from the 1950s through the 1970s becoming the largest city in Contra Costa County with a population of more than 122,000 today.

Concord is located 29 miles east of San Francisco and near the spectacular views provided by Mt. Diablo. The Todos Santos Plaza provides a focal point for the community with events such as the Music and Market and the Farmers’ Market.

In 2000, Concord created its Families First campaign and adopted the slogan“Concord, Where Families Come First”. The program was meant to highlight the many family friendly events and activities in the town.

De La Salle’s incredible winning streak helped bring national attention to the community. De La Salle was ranked as the top high school football program in the country seven times during Ladouceur’s coaching career.

“It’s not just about getting better physically, it’s about how we’re getting better as people: in terms of courtesy, respect, how they treat their bodies, how they treat their teammates, and how they respect themselves,” Ladouceur said in a fastcompany.com story written during the 151-game winning streak.

In 2012 Ladouceur retired as head coach, becoming an assistant at the high school. As SFGate.com noted, Ladouceur, whose incredible run as coach is being chronicled in the film ‘When the Game Stands Tall,’ was not your stereotypical coach who gave rah-rah speeches or had a fiery temper that willed his team to victory.

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