For 95 years Strathmore High School has been competing on the football field and on Saturday, Aug. 8, the Spartans’ gridiron history will be celebrated during the inaugural Strathmore Football Hall of Fame banquet.

Spartan head football coach Jeromy Blackwell announced that the first inductees into the Strathmore Football Hall of Fame will be Jerry Crawford, Matt Gartung, Joe McCowen and Dave McDaniel.

Strathmore has won two Valley championships — 1992 and 1993 — and played in the Valley championship game in 1998, 2009, 2010 and 2013.

Blackwell, who dug into the archives to come up with some history, added the Spartans have been league champs 14 times, most recently in 2011. They have played in the playoffs in 18 of the past 22 seasons, including 1995 through 2000 and 2006 through 2012.

The first head coach of the Spartans was Coach Wege (first name not available), who led the Spartans to a record of 4-3-2 from 1920-23. He was followed by Daniel Roy Lightner, who coached from 1924-42, guiding the Spartans to a 55-56-9 record.

DJ Conley coached only three years — 1943-46 — and had a record of 6-14-1. He was followed by ER Berryhill from 1947-50, who compiled a record of 8-25. Cecil Harris coached only one year, as did coach Hubbard. They were followed by Coach Lindgren in 1953-54, then Coach Bottoms from 1955-57, who had the first winning career record as a coach at the school, going 12-5.

From 1959 through 1962, Coach Jim Brinkman led the Spartans to a 29-7-1 record. Robert Falos followed, then coach Dan Neppel took the reins from 1967-75, posting a 31-47-2 mark.

Records were not known for Coach Breshahen and coach Steve Greybehl, but Marty Sipe was there one year, 1981-82, before he was replaced by coach David McDaniel, and although Sipe’s record is not known, he led the Spartans to five league titles and two Valley championships.

Coach Blackwell has led the Spartans since 2000 and has a 89-71 record.

In this Part I of the Hall of Fame story, Coach McDaniel and Matt Gartung will be featured.

Dave McDaniel

McDaniel coached the Strathmore football team from 1981-2000. He assisted Marty Sipe in 1981 and ‘82 and became head coach in 1983, inheriting a solid football program he built it into a dynasty over the next 18 years.

In 1988 the Spartans were suffering from the longest losing streak in the state. Coach McDaniel, with a lot of help from Jerry Crawford, Joe Vidrio and countless others, established Pop Warner football in Strathmore that would serve as a feeder program. The inaugural class went on to win the school’s first Valley Championship, but not its last. McDaniel skippered the Spartans to Valley Championships in 1992 and ‘98.

In 1992 the Spartans shocked the world when they rose to No. 5 in the state, according to Cal-High sports magazine, and went on to win the Section Title over Fowler. The following year the Spartans reappeared in the Section title game. Injuries mounted through the year and cost Strathmore the big game, but created an evolution in coach McDaniel’s offense.

His Spartans dominated the East Sierra League, winning League Championships in 1992, ‘96, ‘98, ‘99 and 2000.

McDaniel took the Spartans to the Section Title yet again in 1998. The Spartans trailed, but in the closing minutes of the game the Fowler Redcats scored a touchdown. It appeared the Spartans’ chances were nil.

But Strathmore executed a throwback on a kick return in the waning moments. When Jaime Garcia threw the ball to the completely uncovered returner Robert Tenorio and the sideline appeared wide open, the crowd began to hum, then erupted into a frenzy. As the Spartans scored the crowd noise reverberated throughout the local area.

Strathmore Assistant Coach Rick Anderson testifies that he heard the public address announcement of the touchdown by John Houy from his home in Porterville, 5 miles away. The echoes of this one play even found air time on CBS Channel 47 in Fresno in 2007, nine years later, when the Spartans were the team of the week after yet another victory over Fowler in the playoffs.

McDaniel left Strathmore in 2001 to teach and coach at Delano High School. He returned to the Porterville district as an administrator and recently retired.

McDaniel played quarterback at Porterville College and Monache High School. He resides in Strathmore with his wife. They are engaged in Christian Ministry and are beginning to travel the world.

Matt Gartung

The 1993 Strathmore High graduate is perhaps the most-heralded Strathmore Spartan of the modern age. He played football in Strathmore from 1990-93.

As Gartung began to grow and mature into his NCAA Div. I body, Coach McDaniel asked Rick Anderson if he thought Gartung had what it would take. After the 1992 season began, Anderson joined the staff and attests that the offensive line that he coached was equal to any that he had coached at Porterville College.

Gartung was the anchor of the line. Anyone who watched film from the ’92 season would agree that he was a man playing with boys. He was described as a beast to be reckoned with who could stick up a paw and decleat good defensive linemen.

He would earn a full-ride scholarship to play for the San Jose State Spartans. After the initial season he had his sights on higher levels and greener pastures. In 1996, he played his sophomore season at College of Sequoias, where he so impressed Head Coach Roger Kelly that he would often be moved to tight end to further dominate defensive ends in what coach Kelley called his Jumbo set.

Gartung anchored that O-line that went on to win the Central Valley Conference Championship, and played in a Bowl in Modesto versus San Bernardino Junior College.

From 1997-99, Gartung played for the Oregon State Beavers, where he excelled. Kelly Skipper, the running back coach at Fresno State, was so impressed that he asked “How did we let him get away?”

Gartung was invited to try out for the San Diego Chargers, yet chose to come home and assume the family business.

The banquet will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Joe Lopez ranch at 23798 Ave. 200. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased by calling Blackwell at 967-0847


Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2015 6:00 am

THE RECORDER recorder@portervillerecorder.com

Celebrating Strathmore Football

Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts on the first four inductees into the Strathmore Football Hall of Fame.

Strathmore High School has a rich football history and on Saturday, Aug. 8, that history will be celebrated at the inaugural Strathmore Football Hall of Fame banquet

Spartan head football coach Jeromy Blackwell announced the first inductees into the Hall will be Jerry Crawford, Matt Gartung, Joe McCowen and Dave McDaniel.




Jerry Crawford

Crawford was a player, teacher, coach and major supporter of Strathmore Union High School for half of a century. He graduated from Strathmore High School in 1958.

He played four years of football. As a freshman and sophomore, he was on the B team. As a sophomore, the team won the league championship. He played varsity his final two years of high school and was all-conference his senior season when the team went 7-1.  He played both ways all four years as a running back and defensive back.  

After graduation, he played in the Valley All-Star Game in Fresno as a running back and defensive back.

He also played four years of basketball and was on four championship teams. He was all conference his senior season.

Because of athletic ability, and how high he could jump, Crawford played center on the C and B teams. He is 5-foot-9 and could dunk a basketball from a standing position under the rim.

He also competed in track and baseball all four years, earning all-conference in baseball his sophomore and senior seasons. He won the Valley discus title his junior year.

Crawford went on to Porterville Junior College where he played two years of football, basketball and baseball, earning second team all-league in baseball. He was starting running back his sophomore season and starting point guard both years.

He then went on to UC Santa Barbara where he played baseball for a year.

After getting his degree, he returned to Strathmore High as a teacher and coach from 1967-75. He coached football, basketball and J.V. baseball from 1967 thru 1975, including eight years as an assistant varsity football coach and nine years as head varsity basketball coach.

In 1988, when Strathmore High had the longest losing streak in the state, Crawford and Joe Vidrio got involved with the booster program. They started an annual golf tournament and a bingo program, and in 1988 they founded the town’s first-ever youth football program. Four years later in 1992, due in large part to the youth program and the funds raised by the booster program, the school won the Valley Championship.

Crawford will go down in infamy for when he was the announcer for Strathmore football and made this call in the 1992 Valley Championship game against Fowler, said his son Duke. 

“The lead went back and forth the entire game, and Strathmore was up by three with a couple minutes remaining. Fowler had the ball, fourth and long.  Fowler lined up to punt. The entire sideline and the entire town knew it was going to be a fake punt. It got quiet before the ball was snapped. Over the mic, he says: ‘Deep in their own territory, Fowler is lined up in punt formation, but guys, it’s going to be a fake.’

“I remember kneeling on my helmet next to Coach McDaniel on the sideline. We both looked at each other like ‘what the heck did he just say,’ then shrugged and went back to watching the game. I think everyone watching was a little stunned. The ball was snapped, and Traeger Cotton came off the end and tackled the punter. We took possession and three kneel downs later, the game was over.

“The next day in the paper, Fowler’s coach was quoted as saying something along the lines of: ‘We got homered, the fans were against us, the refs were against us, hell, the announcer was even calling our plays from the booth.’”

Crawford’s mother Maxine and father Floyd were diehard Strathmore fans. No matter how far away the games were played, Maxine never missed one of her kids’ or grandkids’ game.

He met his wife, Anneli Mittman, while teaching at Strathmore High School and they were married in 1971. Anneli was also a coach, leading the girls volleyball team to a Valley championship in the early 1980s. She went on to become principal and superintendent at Strathmore. The couple is retired and live in Morro Bay.

Their sons, Duke and Eric Crawford, both lettered in four sports each year in high school.

Joe McCowen

Joe McCowen played football for Strathmore High School in the early 1970s.  He was legendary as a defensive lineman, creating havoc for offenses. 

In 1973, he was voted All-Sierra League Conference on both sides of the line of scrimmage. He went on to play at Porterville College and was voted All-State and All-American. 

McCowen wasn’t just a great player. He was also a great example for the coming generation, Blackwell said.

Rick Anderson, a teammate of McCowen’s at Porterville College and a recent retiree from Strathmore High School, said McCowen was a great example of the type of person he modeled himself after as a player.

Another Strathmore Hall-of-Famer, Dave McDaniel, speaks highly of McCowen as a player, colleague and friend. “He was a big force to be reckoned with.”   

McCowen was highly recruited by Oregon State and Fresno State. He went on to manage his family’s very successful agriculture business, and founded McCowen Trenching.

He married his high school sweetheart, Darlene, and they have raised a family. Blackwell said McCowen is the very definition of Spartan work ethic and character.

The banquet will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the Joe Lopez ranch at 23798 Ave. 200. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased by calling Blackwell at 967-0847.


Posted: Friday, July 17, 2015 6:00 am | Updated: 9:20 am, Fri Jul 17, 2015.

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The Strathmore High School Booster's Club has recently founded the Strathmore Football Hall of Fame and will be inducting its very first members on August 8th, 2015 at 5pm!

A special congratulations to the very first inductees, Jerry Crawford, Matt Gartung, Joe McCowan and Dave McDaniel.  Congratulations to you all and thank you for your contribution to our community!

The Strathmore Football Hall of Fame Dinner is open to the public and the Strathmore High School Booster's would love to see all of you there.  Please see below for the details.


Date
August 8th, 2015

Time
5:00pm-9:00pm

Ticket Price
$35.00

*No Host Bar*

To Buy Tickets Contact:
Jeromy Blackwell
Phone: (559) 967-0874
Email: jeromyb@portervilleschools.org
or
Corey Hankins
via Harmony Magnet Academy
Phone: (559) 568-0347

Location
Joe Lopez Ranch
23798 Avenue 200,
Strathmore, CA 93267