Big Blue alumni dinner draws crowd

Photo by Paul Robeson

COACH TO COACH: Head football coach at Anderson Union High School, Lance Gosch, right, congratulates former coach Bob Reid as he presents a fishing rod to Reid after several coaches pooled their money, bid on the auction item, won it and then gave it to Reid who coached the Cubs for 29 years.

Photo by Paul Robeson

FOOTBALL PLAYING BROTHERS: Some of the brothers who attended AUHS. From left are Randy Davis, class of ’77; Steve Young, class of ’77, and his son Nick, age 11; Clay Davis, class of ’79; Kyle Davis, class of ’78; and Garth Davis, class of ’82

Photo by Paul Robeson

SIX-MAN FOOTBALL: Charlie Moss, AUHS class of 1947, talks about his six-man football experiences when he played for the Cubs.

Photo by Paul Robeson

GOOD COOKIN: Members of the Anderson Rotary Club Kevin Kidd, in back, Bob Giles, middle, and Joe Kneer cook tri-tips and chicken for the Cubs alumni dinner Saturday night.

Some 300 people, Anderson Union High School football alumni and their spouses, met in Fusaro Hall at the Shasta District Fairgrounds on August l8. A complimentary dinner and no-host bar was hosted by the Anderson Rotary for all ex-coaches, players, and active boosters involved in the Anderson football program from the l940s to the present.

The dinner was used as a fundraiser for the current Anderson “Big Blue” football program and brought many of the football alumni together to reflect on the history of the Big Blue tradition.

The program was put together by Pat Reid and Mana Davis, wifes of coach Bob Reed and Al Davis.

The award winners that were in attendance and who had received the Harlow Magnussen award over the past 50 years came up to the podium to be recognized. The Harlow Magnussen award is the most prestigious award that an AUHS senior football player can receive. The award goes back to l952.

Magnussen was the person responsible for spearheading the campaign to raise money to have the original lights installed on what is now known at the Bob Reid Memorial Stadium playing field so night games could be played.

Laughter echoed through the hall as Charlie Moss, AUHS class of 1947, talked about the six-man football team he was on and his experiences while he played for the Cubs.

Moss told of the team having only two “large helmets” which had to be “stuffed with underwear and socks” so they would fit and of the “cone shaped leather football helmets” the others wore.

“We had a football that would no longer hold air so the coach told us to cut it in half so we could have two more helmets,” Moss said.

The l945 and l946 teams, both undefeated, posted 14 shutouts in l7 games. One year the team scored 283 points and only surrendered 32. The first eleven-man championship was in l953, under Coach Larry Brockman, and the next one after that was in l965, under coach Lynn Elliot.

Around $2,000 was raised for the booster club before they auctioned off two specially built fishing rods which brought in over $500 each.

Present head coach Lance Gosch and several of the assistant coaches presented Bob Reid the fishing rod after they had pooled their money, bid on the auction item and won it. The second rod was also presented to Reid by former football players. Reid had coached the Anderson Cubs for 29 years.

Many father and sons were there who had both played for the Cubs and some players brought their dads with them to see the program. The Davis brothers were there as were Scott Passmore Sr., class of ’77 and his son Scott Jr., class of 2007. Ryan Smith, class of ’87 was there with his dad Dave.