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The Gold Nuggett

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Phil Smith
Phil Smith used basketball to get out of the San Francisco projects. Along the way, the shooting guard for the 1975 world champion Golden...

David Hegler
May 83 min read


Sam Chapman
Sam Chapman was a man of many talents. Whether he was running roughshod over his gridiron opponents at Cal, teaching fighter pilots how...

David Hegler
May 14 min read


Ernie Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi was one of the best catchers of his era. Hailing from the Oakland Oaks of the PCL, he made a name for himself in...

David Hegler
Apr 255 min read


Ed Brown
The 1951 University of San Francisco football team is one of the most legendary in all of the Bay Area. Nine members of that team went on...

David Hegler
Apr 184 min read


Santa Clara Baseball: The Taormina Years
Sal Taormina guided the Santa Clara University Broncos to unprecedented heights for 15 years. In that stretch, his teams won the...

David Hegler
Apr 46 min read


Marv Owen
Marv Owen was a baseball lifer. While he did very little statistically, he contributed in some very memorable ways in two World Series....

David Hegler
Apr 16 min read


San Francisco's Forgotten Mascots
There was a time in the 1950's when San Francisco was home to two mascots who have long been forgotten in society: a mule named...

David Hegler
Mar 262 min read


Howie Dallmar
Despite originating all the way in Philadelphia, the Golden State Warriors have had a connection to San Francisco since their very first...

David Hegler
Mar 204 min read


Gene Clines
Barry Bonds was nothing short of a beast. From 1997 through 2002, he lit the baseball world on fire by bashing 279 home runs. As his body...

David Hegler
Mar 136 min read


Mickey Cochrane
"I didn't want to be a catcher. It was thrust upon me, as they say in the classics." - Mickey Cochrane Wherever Mickey Cochrane went, he...

David Hegler
Mar 76 min read


Joe Cronin
Born in a San Francisco basement just months after the devastating 1906 earthquake, Joe Cronin rose to prominence in America's pastime by...

David Hegler
Feb 286 min read


Al Vermeil: An Overlooked Legacy
While Dick Vermeil is widely known as a hard-working coach who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams back in 1999, few know of his...

David Hegler
Feb 213 min read


Gary Plummer
NFL rosters are filled with players who never make the Pro Bowl yet provide invaluable insight and playmaking ability week in and week...

David Hegler
Feb 195 min read


George and Walter Brown: The Forefathers of Boston Athletics
While the city of Boston has a rich history in sports, none of it would have been possible without the father-son duo of George and...

David Hegler
Jan 144 min read


Homegrown Heroes: The 1946 Cleveland Browns
It is a well-known fact that most expansion teams run on local flavors. Whether they come from the local high school or starred in the...

David Hegler
Dec 18, 202410 min read


Jim Tunney- The Dean of Referees
Jim Tunney was born on March 3, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. He fell in love with sports early, standing out in football, basketball...

David Hegler
Dec 14, 20242 min read


Paul Wiggin
Paul Wiggin's timing in the game of football is truly remarkable. After playing with John Brodie at Stanford and winning an NFL title...

David Hegler
Nov 14, 20246 min read


Don Drysdale
Few in baseball could compare to Don Drysdale in the 1960s. From his record five All-Star Game starts to his 58.2 consecutive scoreless...

David Hegler
Jul 8, 20247 min read


Bill Cartwright
Bill Cartwright led a fascinating life in basketball. As one of the finest products to ever come out of the Sacramento area, he always...

David Hegler
Mar 20, 20245 min read


K.C. Jones
K.C. Jones lived a full life in basketball. As a collegian, he and Bill Russell led their team to two national championships as well as a...

David Hegler
Jan 11, 20245 min read
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