First Inductees Named To MVHS's Athletic Hall of Fame

DANVILLE, CA — Monte Vista High School has announced the first-ever list of inductees to its Athletic Hall of Fame. The impressive lineup of 2019 inductees includes two teams, three coaches, one sports contributor and eight individual athletes.

The inductees are recognized for their athletic achievements and for helping to bring honor, distinction and excellence to Monte Vista through their conduct both in and out of competition, according to MVHS athletic director Andy Popper.

This recognition will help maintain the spirit, pride and sense of community, as well as serving as a historical account to the great athletic traditions of Monte Vista High School, Popper said.

The inductees will be recognized at a banquet at Round Hill Country Club on October 10 and during the half-time ceremony at MVHS's homecoming football game on October 11.

The list of 2019 MVHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees:

Roger Crawford, class of 1978

Crawford was named by Sports Illustrated as "one of the most accomplished physically challenged athletes in the world." In recognition of his extraordinary athletic achievements, he was given the prestigious ITA Achievement Award, presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Crawford began his tennis career as a four-year letterman on the Monte Vista tennis team. He was a two-year team captain and had a career record of 47 wins and just six losses. After graduating, he went on to play Division 1 tennis at Loyola Marymount University. Following college, Crawford became a motivational speaker. His transformational message gives organizations the ability to decrease excuses, increase results, and break through self-imposed limitations. His remarkable life story is a powerful example that "challenges are inevitable, defeat is optional!" He is the host of the weekly feature Motivational Mondays with Roger Crawford, which can be seen worldwide on Tennis Channel.

Zach Ertz, class of 2009

Ertz listed as the fourth-best tight end prospect in the nation by Scout.com. He was a three-year varsity letter winner who caught 56 passes for 756 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. Ertz earned First Team All-State selection by Scout.com, and was a two-time All-Northern California First Team pick by NorCalPreps.com. Locally, he was selected first team All-Metro selection by the San Francisco Chronicle, a two-time Contra Costa Times All-East Bay selection, First team All-East Bay Athletic League choice as a senior. In 2008, Ertz was named Cal-Hi Sports North Coast Section Scholar Athlete of the Year. Coach Jim Harbaugh recruited Ertz to play at Stanford. While there, he was a unanimous All-American First-Team selection and led Stanford pass catchers and all FBS tight ends in receiving yards (898) and total receptions (69) broke school records for tight ends. As a senior, Ertz was named a finalist for the John Mackey Award for the most outstanding tight end in college football. He earned All-Pac-12 First Team as well as Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention and received the team's Outstanding Senior Award. In 2013, Ertz graduated from Stanford and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 35th pick in the NFL draft. One of Ertz’s most memorable highlights was catching the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots.

Courtney Jones, class of 2008

Jones was a captain of the Mustang soccer team in 2007 and 2008. She was an NSCAA High School All American her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Jones was a two-time Tri-Valley Player of the Year, was named Cal-Hi Player of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008, EA Sports NorCal Player of the Year 2006, 2007, and the EA Sports NorCal Scholar Player of the Year in 2008. During her senior year, Jones was named the NSCAA California High School Player of the Year, and was a Wendy's High School Heisman Recipient. She also starred on the Monte Vista Track and Field team in 2006 and 2008, where she set the school record in the 4x100 meter relay and the 100-meter dash. She accepted a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where she was a starting forward all four years for the Tar Heels (2008–2012). She won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2008 and 2009, two ACC regular-season championships, and two ACC Tournament championships. Jones was UNC’s second leading scorer her freshman year, and was named a first-team freshman All-America by both Soccer America and Soccer Buzz in 2008. Jones led the ACC in scoring her junior season (2010) and led her team in scoring her senior season (2011). She was drafted by the Boston Breakers in 2012. After the Women’s Professional League folded, a new league was formed (WPSL), and Jones was drafted to the Kansas City Blues for the 2013 season. In 2014, she returned to Boston for her last season, retiring in January 2015.

Bob Myers, class of 1993

Myers was a two-year varsity basketball player who earned 1st Team All-League honors and 3rd Team All-Metro his senior year. He walked on to the UCLA basketball team where he and the Bruins captured the 1995 NCAA Championship during his sophomore season and advanced to the 1997 Elite Eight two years later. This year Myers will begin his eighth season as General Manager of the Golden State Warriors and fourth with the additional title of President of Basketball Operations. During his tenure, the Warriors have enjoyed their most successful stretch in franchise history, posting a .732 regular-season winning percentage (420-154), which is the best record in the NBA over that stretch. The Warriors have earned seven straight trips to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since doing so in each of the NBA’s first six seasons in existence from 1946-47 through 1951-52. The franchise had qualified for the playoffs just once in the previous 18 years. Myers has assembled a roster that has won three NBA titles in the last five seasons (2015, 2017, 2018) and made five consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals. The Warriors (2014-19) tied the Celtics (1980-85) for the most regular-season wins (373) in NBA history over a six-season span, including an NBA-record 73 wins in 2015-16. Myers earned the NBA Executive of the Year award in both 2014-15 and 2016-17 and is the only executive in Warriors history to earn Executive of the Year honors multiple times and one of only five in league history to earn the honor twice in a span of three seasons.

Niveen Rasheed, class of 2009

Rasheed was a four-year letter winner on the women’s basketball team and lead as a team captain during her junior and senior years. Rasheed led the Mustangs to three consecutive EBAL Championships, in addition to helping the program earn its first NCS Championship, Nor-Cal Championship and State appearance. Rasheed currently holds the school record in career steals, rebounds, assists and points with over 1,700. After her senior season, Rasheed’s number 24 jersey was retired at Monte Vista. She was a unanimous selection for league MVP in 2007, 2008 and 2009, a unanimous all-league pick in 2006, a three-time All-Metro, All-Northern California and All-State selection. In 2009, Rasheed was named a Contra Costa Times Player of the Year, All-Bay Area Regional Player of the Year, the All-East Bay Player of the Year and Cal Hi-Sports Winter Scholar-Athlete, and a McDonald’s All-America nominee. During her four years at Princeton University, Rasheed led the Ivy League and her team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals. As a result, Rasheed led Princeton to new heights, including four straight NCAA tournament berths, four Ivy League titles and a 54-2 record in Ivy League play, and the Ivy’s first-ever women’s basketball national ranking in the final AP Poll of 2011-12 at No. 24. Rasheed was also named the program’s first AP All-American in 2013 and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, in addition to being honored as an Ivy League Basketball Legend in 2019.

Maggie Steffens, class of 2011

Steffens is considered one of the best water polo players in the world. She is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and MVP. She is the Team USA Captain and a Stanford graduate. During her years at Monte Vista, the Mustangs were league champions from 2007-2009 and NCS champions from 2007-2010. Her 2008 team was undefeated. She was awarded the NCS MVP in 2009 and 2010, was a Top-100 athlete from 2007-2009, and she was scholar-athlete award recipient in 2009 and 2010. After high school, Steffens went on to play Division 1 water polo at Stanford University, where she was a three-time NCAA Champion, two-time NCAA MVP, two-time ACWPC Player of the Year, two-time MPSF Player of the Year, and awarded highest honor at Stanford with the Tom Hansen Medal. She made the All-Academic team every year at Stanford. As an International player, Steffens has won three World Championships and is a two-time Fina Player of the Year. She is a three-time nominee for the Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year.

Mark Wilson, class of 1974

Wilson was a track and field phenom. His record high jump of 7-1 3⁄4 still stands and is the oldest track and field record at Monte Vista, and will arguably be the most difficult to break. This mark was also an NCS record from 1974 to 1978 and is currently the number two mark in NCS history. He was the ’74 NCS Champion, and finished second at the CIF Meet. Wilson’s record-setting jump currently stands at number 21 all-time in the CIF. Following graduation, Wilson was a member of the Oregon State Track Team, which at the time was known as “High Jump University." The OSU track program had three high jumpers who cleared 7-1 in 1975.

Kyle Wright, class of 2003

Wright was widely regarded as the nation’s top high school quarterback for the 2002-2003 season, during which he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and SuperPrep National Player of the Year. While at Monte Vista, he earned many accolades including #1 Bay Area Cream of the Crop, Gatorade State POTY, 1st Team Parade All-American, and 2002 ESPY Award Finalist-Top Male High School Athlete. Following his senior season, Wright was the starting QB in the 2002 U.S. Army All American Game. Entering the University of Miami, he was ranked the best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2003. A three-year starter at Miami, he earned All ACC honors in 2005 and was the team captain in 2005 and 2006. Following the conclusion of his Miami career, Wright signed free agent contracts with the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers.

Coach Craig Bergman

Bergman guided the Monte Vista varsity football team to three NCS titles, two undefeated seasons and two EBAL titles in his 20 years as head coach. The 2002 team was named State Champs by Cal High Sports. Coach Bergman is the all team leader in wins in Monte Vista football history with 150 wins. His former players have won one Super Bowl, three Rose Bowls and one Orange Bowl. His teams averaged above a 3.0 GPA in his 20 years as head coach. In addition to coaching football, Bergman was the varsity boys golf coach for 10 years. During this time, the team won five NCS championships and two NorCal championships. Bergman served as Monte Vista’s athletic director for 15 years. He has had a tremendous impact on the lives of his student-athletes and remains a prominent figure on Monte Vista’s campus.

Coach Patty Gross

Gross began coaching girls’ tennis at Monte Vista in 1996. Always an advocate for hard work and healthy competition, she began to build a program. She was the girls’ team head coach for eight years before she took over the head coach position on the boys’ side. During her tenure, the girls have won multiple EBAL Championships, participated in the NCS tournament 18 of the 21 years with 13 of them being the championship game. They have captured seven NCS Championships and qualified for the CIF playoffs in 13 seasons. Gross’s 2003 boys’ team were the undefeated EBAL Champs and their program took off from there. They were undefeated in EBAL play until 2016. They have won four NCS Championships and represented MVHS in the CIF playoffs 10 times. In her career as Monte Vista’s tennis coach, Gross has 697 wins and 128 losses. In 2011, she was awarded the NCS Honor Coach and was the Times Coach of the Year in 2003-2007 and 2010.

Coach Rob Stockberger

Stockberger graduated from Monte Vista in 1973. While attending San Jose State, he coached junior varsity football, soccer and baseball at Monte Vista. In 1981, at the age of 25, he was named as the head football coach of the Mustangs. Stockberger and assistant coaches Tom Ladouceur, George Cockerton and Richard Jones took over the program, which had never won an East Bay Athletic League Championship. The Mustangs, adopting the motto “If you believe it you can achieve it," successfully completed the 1981 season winning the EBAL and North Coast Section Championships, repeating as EBAL/NCS Champions in 1982 and 1983. An additional EBAL/NCS Championship was won in 1987 when the Mustangs defeated De La Salle 14-13 in the Oakland Coliseum, ending De La Salle’s 44 game win streak. Stockberger stepped down from his coaching position after the 1989 season having won seven EBAL and four NCS championships in nine years. His EBAL record over that period was 58-5 for a .921 winning percentage and his overall record was 87-19 for a .821 winning percentage. Monte Vista football in the 80s was often referred to as the “Decade of Dominance” in the EBAL. After his coaching years, Stockberger went into school administration where he worked as assistant principal at San Ramon Valley High School and as principal of California High School. He then went on to the SRVUSD district office as director of Secondary Education. After 27 years in education administration, he retired in 2017 from his position as superintendent of the John Swett Unified School District.

Sports Contributor, Jerry Grundhoffer

Grundhoffer was born in Palo Alto and later moved to Merced. After serving in the United States Marine Corps and attending San Jose State, Grundhoffer started his career in education as a teacher and coach at San Ramon Valley High School. He then moved into administration at Monte Vista, first as a dean and soon after as an assistant principal. In 1976, after the passing of principal Sam Zacheim (for whom the stadium is named after) Grundhoffer was named Monte Vista High School principal. He believed that Monte Vista, then a 10-year-old school, would need three things to bring the school the overdue recognition that it deserved: 1) a 100+ member marching band, 2) a quality speech and a debate program, and 3) championship athletic teams. Under Grundhoffer’s leadership, all three of those goals were accomplished. He was particularly proud of the accomplishments of the football program and the three consecutive North Coast Section Championships that were won with his support and leadership. Grundhoffer cared a great deal about the success of all Monte Vista students and would receive correspondence from former students years after they left MV thanking him for his support and direction. In 1987, Grundhoffer moved on to the SRVUSD district office where he served as director of Secondary Education until his retirement in 1998. He passed away in 2000 and the new Auxiliary Gymnasium at Monte Vista was named in his honor when it was opened.

The 1987 Football Team

The 1987 team completed an unprecedented undefeated 13-0 season by defeating the De La Salle Spartans 14-13 in the North Coast Section Championship at the Oakland Coliseum, ending De La Salle’s 44 game win streak and avenging a loss to the Spartans a year earlier in the 1986 championship game. The '87 Mustangs and Pittsburg High School remain the last two Northern California teams to have beaten DLS. The '87 Mustangs were a truly exceptional group of young men from top to bottom, including nine members who went on to the college football ranks. They are as follows: Stuart Hansen, QB, Utah State/Utah; Kristian Hansen, QB, Oregon; Shad Hansen, OG/LB, Air Force Academy Prep/BYU; Schon Branum, FB/DE, Air Force Academy Prep; Steve Abrams, RB/FS, Utah; Chris Swartz, WR/FS, Indiana; Trent Strickland, WB/CB, Idaho; Dave Zeising, OT, San Jose State; Grant Steunenberg, FB/LB, San Jose State. The 1987 Monte Vista Football Highlight Video, still available on YouTube was an “ahead of its time” production capturing every game (put to music), interviews with coaches and an iconic Oakland Coliseum halftime speech delivered by Defensive Coordinator George Cockerton. Thirty years after their storied season, the '87 Monte Vista Football Team is considered by many as the most accomplished football team in school history.

The 2009 Girls’ Basketball Team

The 2009 team finished the year with a 29-3 record falling to Long Beach Poly in the CIF State Finals. They reached the state final after smothering Sacramento Kennedy, 42-25, in the NorCal final. The team was led by senior Niveen Rasheed, a 6-footer who is listed as a guard but could be moved “where ever we need her,” according to Coach Ron Hirschman. “She’s the main focus of our team,” recalls Hirschman, “but we’re not just about one person. ... It’s been a group effort during our run to the State Championship.” They had everyone back from a team that lost in the NCS semis the year before and knew they could play with any team in the state. The 2009 team finished the year as EBAL and first time NCS and CIF NorCal Champions.