HOW IT ALL STARTED…
In April of 2003, Chris Lavdiotis, then the men’s head varsity basketball coach at Piedmont High School, walked into Principal Pamela Bradford’s office and suggested that Piedmont High needed a sports hall of fame. Mrs. Bradford immediately agreed, and told Lavdiotis to contact Ken Rawlings and some other citizens who might know how to get this organization off the ground.
Lavdiotis contacted Rawlings, who was also thinking about how to get a sports hall of fame started. Lavdiotis then reached out to Mike Herrerias, former long-time men’s basketball coach at Piedmont; Mark Delventhal, long-time Piedmont Recreation Department Director; and Mike Humphries, long-time Piedmont High baseball coach, frosh football coach and Athletic Director. Herrerias suggested that they include Rich Kitchens, former Piedmont High men’s basketball coach and a long-time teacher at the high school.
The group called a first, informal meeting at the high school on a weekday morning, discussed how they could get the organization started, and received the go ahead from Bradford. Rawlings grabbed his friend Pete Anderson, another former PHS student and athlete, and the group got to work, researching old high school yearbooks, calling folks who might know who excelled in athletics during various eras, and ultimately decided on a first class of inductees for the Winter of 2003.
From these very rough beginnings, the PSHOF was born and has progressed throughout the last two decades into its current status.