Hall set to induct seven
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Lee’s Concrete matriarch Anna DaSilva stands in front of a wall full of plaques thanking Lee’s Concrete for their donations. The DaSilva family, including Anna and late husband Lee, will be inducted as contributors to the Madera Athletic Hall of Fame in November. Induction ceremonies are Nov. 5 at Peters Brothers Banquet Hall.
After a year off, the Madera Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame will induct its sixth class on Nov. 5. The eclectic class includes nine different sports, n Pan Am gold medalist, an NCAA All-American, a state champion and two-time All-Conference selection. In addition, the inductees won a Valley Championship, coached Valley Champions and helped build Madera athletics.
The induction ceremony will be held at the Peters Brothers Banquet Hall, beginning with social hour at 5 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with proceeds benefiting the Madera Foundation of High School Athletic Needs (F.A.N.). Tickets are $50 and can be purchased with Bill Dawson at Round Table Pizza or Tyler Takeda at The Madera Tribune.
The Hall of Fame committee selected members from four different decades to represent the sixth class.
All-Big West Conference football player Anthony Gallegos, NCAA All-American Javelin thrower Danene Guglielmana, Fresno State swimming record holder Art Ruble, two-time Valley wrestling champion Eric Philp and first time Madera South inductee Landon Guglielmana will represent the individuals.
“I’ve never done anything for awards, although I received my fair share,” Gallegos said. “The opportunity to recognize my family, that’s where the excitement comes from. The excitement to look at the people that have helped me, that’s great. For me, it’s an opportunity to honor them.”
In addition, the most successful boys soccer team in Madera Coyote history will be inducted. The team lost just two matches all season and defeated Bullard-Fresno 3-0 in the Valley Championship match.
Diving coach Bill McAlister will also get inducted after many years coaching Madera Coyote divers, including current Coyote diving coach Lisa Benett.
Last year, Tom and Dave Schoettler, representing Schoettler Tire, were inducted as the Hall of Fame’s first contributor. The DaSilva family, representing Lee’s Concrete, were selected as the contributors. Anthony Gallegos After getting kicked off the football team during the end of his sophomore season, Gallegos turned the corner and became a two-time All North Yosemite League selection and earned a full-ride scholarship to San Jose State.
When Gallegos left San Jose State, he held the record for most starts and was a honorable mention All-American.
“It’s a dream come true,” Gallegos said. “When you have an opportunity to look back, there were a lot of people to catch you when you stumble and it wasn’t always family. I hope I’m one of those people. I get to sit here and enjoy fruits of a career of lifetime of things like Hall of Fames and All-Leagues. Now, I get to help someone else find their Hall of Fame.”
Gallegos took a circuitous route coming back to Madera to coach football, although he wasn’t even thinking about that in college.
“In 1992, I never thought I would be a teacher or coach,” he said.
Gallegos began his coaching career in Madera, then went to New Mexico for a couple of years and then to Kansas to coach at a junior college. However, after a couple of years, he wanted to return home and has been in Madera ever since — coaching and teaching at Madera High for 16 years and at Madera South for three years, where he is a varsity football coach. Danene (Bishel) Guglielmana Guglielmana earned nine varsity letters at Madera High School — three for volleyball, two for basketball and four in track and field — and would have earned more if she had the chance. In track, she did the high jump, long jump, 100 hurdles, 4X100 relay, triple jump and shot put.
“I did as many as they would let me do,” she said. “That led me to junior college to doing the heptathlon and the javelin.”
It was the javelin that got Guglielmana a scholarship to Fresno State, where she earned All-American Status by placing fifth.
“I chose Fresno State because I wanted to be close to family and have them be able to watch my meets,” she said.
When Guglielmana graduated from Fresno State, she was third on the all-time javelin list and was a Big West champion.
She had an opportunity to throw in the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, but hurt her shoulder in practice and, essentially, retired.
“I realized I wasn’t going to be able to get back to where I needed to be,” she said. “At that time, I started teaching. It became something that I can’t work for another four years with what I had going on.”
Guglielmana began her teaching career, which is in its 26th year, 24th in Madera. She taught at Martin Luther King Middle School for 15 years and is in her third year as the principal at Eastin-Arcola.
“It’s humbling to be named to the Hall of Fame,” Guglielmana said. “I love that I’m from Madera. It was an exciting thing to go beyond high school, going into collegiate sports, representing Madera, was something I was very proud of. So to be able to come back and have this be something that is recognized, it’s exciting.” Landon Guglielmana When the Hall of Fame committee began considering athletes to induct from Madera South High School, the first name that came to everyone’s mind was Landon Guglielmana, who died in a car accident just eight months after graduating.
Guglielmana earned varsity letters in football and basketball, but earned his fame on the volleyball court, where he was an All-North Yosemite League selection.
However, what set Guglielmana apart from most high school seniors was his maturity level.
“We’re so proud of him because of his maturity level,” father and volleyball coach Steve Guglielmana said. “He understood what really mattered in life. It wasn’t about the awards. It was about the relationships from people.”
Landon attended Madera High School as a freshman and then moved to Madera South and was a member of its first graduating class.
“He said he wanted to set the standard for Madera South,” Steve said. “I think he did a pretty good job.”
Landon earned a scholarship to Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina, and was going to be a member of its first men’s volleyball team.
“God opens doors and he said the door opened to South Carolina and shut all the other ones,” Steve said.
Landon and his mother Danene will become the first parent/child inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“It’s a huge deal,” Steve said. “It’s a pay off for hard work and dedication.”
“That’s awesome to be going in with Landon,” Danene said. “I’m more excited for Landon than mine. For me to go in with him is awesome. I’m sure there’s not too many people that will get that opportunity.” Eric Philp Over his last two years as one of the top wrestlers in the Central Section, Madera Coyote wrestler Eric Philp lost just four matches, including one his senior season.
“It’s all a blur for me,” Philp said.
Philp won back-to-back Valley Championships and his season included a third place finish in the State Wrestling Championships in his junior season. He reached the top of the mountain in his season year with a state championship at 160 pounds in 1994.
“That was always my big goal,” Philp said. “It was amazing and a cool feeling, winning it. I don’t cry in front of people. I remember running up to my dad, hugging him and we were bawling. We grinded to get there.”
Philp concluded his high school run with a seventh place finish in the nation, earning All-American honors.
Philp began his run as a sophomore, advancing to the Valley Championship match, before losing in the finals.
“I pinned the guy who beat me at Valleys the week before at Masters,” Philp said. “In Valley, he turned around and beat me. It was a bittersweet thing.”
Philp also played football, but didn’t play his senior year.
“Not playing football in my senior year and not going a little harder when it came to studying were my biggest regrets,” Philp said. “Now that I’m giving back to coaching, I feel like I’ve rebalanced myself a little bit.”
After Philp graduated from Madera, his Fresno City College team won a state championship and hung up his singlet.
After a stint working in the Bay Area, Philp returned to Madera and has worked for the school district ever since while coaching the Madera Coyotes with former Coyote wrestler Joe Romine.
“For wrestling, it’s been my life,” Philp said. “Everything revolves around it. I get joy out of coaching.”
Philp is proud to continue the wrestling lineage into the Madera Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame.
“That was cool to tell my dad,” Philp said of his induction. “He was our biggest fan. He didn’t miss a match.” Art Ruble Swimming champion Art Ruble always knew he belonged into the Hall of Fame and now he’s grateful to be included with the best athletes to come out of Madera.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted,” he said. “I’m glad I’m there. Madera is my hometown where I developed into a swimmer who was able to go to the next level.”
Ruble won the 50- and 100- yard freestyle events in league, divisional and valley.
“My senior year, in the 50, I won them all,” he said.
Ruble’s marks he set in 1972 have stood the test of time. More than 40 years have passed since he swam for the Coyotes. His best 200 freestyle time is fifth, He is also fourth all-time in the 200 individual medley, fourth in the 50 freestyle, third in the 100 freestyle and his 400 freestyle relay team is still ranked fifth.
“I worked harder than everybody else,” he said. “There were two teams that worked out after school and I swam both of those all the way until high school. In high school, I swam high school and those teams. I got like a triple workout in.”
Ruble earned a full-ride scholarship to Fresno State and continued setting records.
“At one time, on the record board, I had all the records, including relays,” he said. “All the events, every distance, I held the record.”
Ruble said he swam 76 individual races at Fresno State and lost twice, both to future Olympic swimmers, including an 800-meter event against the reigning world record holder.
“I stayed with him for about half way and he pulled away slowly.”
Ruble was the fifth-fastest freestyler in the nation for a couple of years and earned a spot on the Pan Am games with a relay team.
“I only got to swim on the relay and we won,” he said. “I got a nice gold medal from that and it’s hanging in my mom’s house.”
Ruble also won the unofficial 50-meter freestyle, representing the United States.
He continued representing the United States for the next couple of years, but couldn’t get higher than No. 5 in the nation.
“I was able to see a lot of different places,” he said.
Ruble played water polo for a couple of years after finishing with swimming. He graduated with a geography degree and is working for Dave Wilson Nursery selling almond trees. Coach Bill McAlister- Diving Although Bill McAlister made his name in 31 years coaching at Madera High School, he is known nationally as the creater of the Master’s Diving competition in 1973.
Over the years, McAlister, who passed away at 90 in 2000, won more than 140 gold medals in national and world competition, competing at age 88.
McAlister, who placed seventh in the Olympic Trials in 1932, began coaching at Madera High in the 1950s. His daughter Barbara was on the 1964 and 1968 Olympic teams and sons Rick, Dick and Bob each dove at Madera High. Barbara won seven national titles and won the three-meter springboard gold medal in the 1963 Pan Am Games. Son Rick was a 1974 NCAA three-meter champion. Son Donny was a four-time valley champion and son Bob was a junior college champion.
At Madera High school, he coached 10 team Valley champions and 12 individual Valley champions. He coached five male divers to All-American status.
He was one of seven charter members of the U.S. Masters and served as a national chairman. McAlister finished coaching in 1989 and Madera High School named the swimming pool after him. 1997-1998 Madera Coyote boys soccer team You talk to coaches and some of them say winning a Valley Championship requires dedication, teamwork and a little luck.
The 1997-1998 Coyotes had a combination of that, not to mention some of the best players in the Central Section.
Marco Gomez was named the Tri-River Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player while Jason Pasma and Garrett Perez led the Coyotes in scoring with 40 goals between them. Josh Bannister was a 6-foot, 7-inch beast that allowed less than a goal every two matches.
The Coyotes averaged 2.5 goals per game and only gave up 16 goals all season, a 0.44 average. In that season, the Coyotes won the Harold S. Young championship and the Garces Soccer Festival Championship. They also took home the Lemoore Tiger Tournament Silver division title after a tie to Redwood.
The Coyotes lost two matches all season, TRAC matches to Buchanan-Clovis (2-0), on a youth league field, and Clovis West (3-1). However, the Coyotes beat Buchanan (2-0) and beat Clovis West (3-1) in other matches.
Despite going 7-2-2 in the TRAC, the Coyotes were only a No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Madera opened the playoffs with a 3-0 victory over No. 10 Golden West-Visalia.
After No. 15 Edison-Fresno defeated No. 2 Tulare Union, the Coyotes defeated the Tigers in the first-ever soccer game played under the lights in Memorial Stadium.
Madera traveled two hours south to defeat No. 6 Centennial-Bakersfield, 1-0, in the semifinals to set up a match-up between the Coyotes and top-seeded Bullard.
Ben Dibble headed a ball towards an open net in the seventh minute and a Bullard player blocked the shot with his hands, which resulted in a penalty shot and a red card, forcing Bullard to play a man down the rest of the game.
Jason Pasma scored his 22nd goal of the season, knocking in the penalty kick off the crossbar. The Coyotes carried the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Pasma flicked a ball to the front of the net for Alex Ortega, who fired a shot to the net. The ball deflected off the keeper into the net for the goal.
With about four minutes left in the game, Gomez put back a Perez missed shot for the third goal of the game to ensure a victory.
“We kept our heads in the game,” Ortega said after the game, “They played us hard. We’ll take the championship back to Madera.”
“They played with heart and intensity,” said the late Bobby Gutierrez.
“This was a goal Bobby and I started when we saw their potential,” head coach Jim Bomprezzi said. “It took four years to achieve. Who would have thought, a 3-0 win?” DaSilva family- contributors Responsible for a number of sports in Madera, the DaSilva Family, led by Anna and the late Lee DaSilva, will become the second family of contributors inducted.
DaSilva began his work building Madera sports with a little league field when his son Tom was 10.
“We realized the minor leagues had one dirt field and the majors had two fields, one with lights and one without,” Anna DaSilva said. “The first project Lee got involved in was with Little League. They decided to move the lights from one field to the other and build new lights. That how the sports started with Lee.”
Before that, Lee and Anna bought Rogers Material Redimix and changed the name to Lee’s Concrete in 1962.
The couple, who were married in 1953, never stopped supporting Madera sports.
“Lee felt very strongly that sports should become a part of a child’s growing,” Anna said. “He said it was great discipline, it’s outdoor exercise, most of the time, it causes them to study harder and it creates a lot of self-esteem.”
Many older Madera football players, including Gallegos, remembers the Lee’s Concrete water truck before football games.
“Our water truck went there on the day of the home game to water the track,” Anna said.
However, the biggest project for the Lee’s Concrete was building Memorial Stadium where it sits now.
“Mark Barsotti was coming along and the big discussion with the supporters was that we never had a stadium large enough to have a playoff game here,” Anna said.
Well, Lee fixed that and he helped organize a group to install 2,500 more seats into the stadium.
“They got it done before the football stadium,” Anna said. “We got it done in the nick of time.”
The football field in Memorial Stadium was re-named DaSilva field in the fall of 2005, just after Lee’s passing on June 8.
“It’s really quite an honor,” Anna said. “Its very humbling. When we were doing all the stuff, we never anticipated doing it for anything except for the community and the kids. You never think of the end result after doing all this that you’re going to be honored for it.”
Tickets for the event can be puchased at either Round Table Pizza or at The Madera Tribune for $50. Social hour begins at 5 p.m. and inductions start at 6 p.m.
Silent auction will benefit Madera F.A.N., which assists both Madera and Madera South high schools.
