Servite high school is an iconic institution deeply rooted in the traditions of academic and athletic excellence.  Last night, outstanding individuals who exemplify those traditions were honored during Servite’s first Hall of Fame dinner.

Steve Beurlein, my good friend and former teammate, served as Master of Ceremonies along with Steve Fryer of the Orange County Register.

As an inductee, I was honored to be introduced by Russ Pillar, my best friend and Chairman of NCSA, the largest sports scholarship matching organization in the world.

As I shared my story of athletic adversity and professional determination, I was moved to see so many familiar faces from my class of 1983 in attendance including Eric Andrade (our standout receiver who went on to play for Boise State) and Richard Russey (our star water polo player who went on to play for Brown University).

As each speaker shared stories from their life’s journey, we all felt the common chord of pride and determination.  We remembered as if it was yesterday the lessons of perseverance engrained into us as young developing men of Servite.

Needless to say, with such deep reflection came moments of emotion and often small tears of deep pride in the corners of many eyes.

As a capstone to the night, Jeffrey Sherer, the son of Jeff Sherer, who was my teammate and good friend, received the Sherer Courage award.  The Sherer award is presented each year to an athlete that exhibits pride, determination and courage in the face of great adversity.  The award was established in honor of his father who courageously battled ALS while always remaining, a positive, determined example of Servite pride until his passing.