Sunday, October 24, 2021, GLC Richard Gonzales (DBHS Class of ’85) was inducted into the SANTA ANA COLLEGE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME! He still holds that school’s records for single season hits (95), hitting streak (30), and triples. Congratulations!

He had quite the journey as an athlete, first as QB at Oregon State, then playing baseball as a Santa Ana College Don, finally at CSUF, playing in the College World Series. He ended his experience playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and ultimately devoted his career as a coach, PE teacher and counselor at DBHS, the place that first empowered him to play.

Gonzales, a DBHS alumnus who was part of the second graduating class in 1985, made a name for himself in two of the biggest American sports: football and baseball.

On the football team, Gonzales played quarterback and was on varsity for three years at DBHS. He attended his freshman year at Walnut High School, where he also participated in football and even basketball.

One special memory from his high school football career was winning the CIF Championship undefeated his senior year. A specific standout game was the CIF Finals, where the team beat Baldwin Park High School, who was also undefeated.

Yet, Gonzales’s talent didn’t stop at football. He also had an impressive record in baseball, which he had been playing since he was eight years old. In high school, he was varsity for three years, playing shortstop and pitcher. He perpetuated his baseball career playing as an outfielder in college, even making it to the College World Series, and was subsequently drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. He played for the Cardinal’s minor league system for two years.

In addition, he was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from Oregon State University, where he played football his first year before transferring to Santa Ana College. He eventually received his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton, where he played baseball his junior and senior year.

Although Gonzales was a P.E. teacher and football and baseball coach at DBHS for many years, he eventually went back to college to become a Grade Level Coordinator. In 2011, he received his Pupil Personnel Services Credential for counseling at Azusa Pacific University. After subbing for his now colleague Sonja Burns during her pregnancies, he permanently became a GLC in 2013.