L.A. City Section athletics commissioner Barbara Fiege spearheaded a push for a Los Angeles High School Sports Hall of Fame in recent years, and the group has announced the inaugural class (55 people -- 30 living, 25 deceased), including the likes of John Elway, Gail Goodrich, Ozzie Smith, Don Drysdale, Marques Johnson, Bob Waterfield and Mike Garrett, etc.
The two South Bay members of the class are former San Pedro basketball standout Willie Naulls and Gardena football standout Ernie Smith (deceased).
Naulls, a 6-foot-6 power forward/center, was an All-American at UCLA, then played from 1956-66 in the NBA (mostly with the New York Knicks). He averaged 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game during his seven years with the Knicks (four All-Star selections). While with the Knicks, Naulls also was the first black player to be named captain of a major professional sports team.
Naulls spent his last three NBA seasons winning championship rings with the Boston Celtics.
Smith was a standout offensive lineman for Coach Howard Jones at USC, where he also handled the place kicking and kickoff duties. He played a prominent role in a pair of Rose Bowl victories, then played for the Green Bay Packers from 1935-39.
He briefly was an assistant coach at USC, served as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Football Foundation and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.
The criteria for induction: a candidate must be at least 35 years old and a graduate of an L.A. City high school. Collegiate and professional achievements also were considered by the selection committee comprised of L.A. Unified administrators and experts in sports history.
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