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It is no secret that the East Bay Athletic League has a rich history of athletic accomplishments resulting in success up to the professional level.
So, when one of the schools breaks out an annual Hall of Fame ceremony, it always interests me as I have spent over 40 years covering and playing EBAL sports.
There are some schools that don’t have Hall of Fames that need them – come on Foothill, you’ve got a history of great teams and athletes who deserve the recognition.
This week we are focusing on the 2025 San Ramon Valley Athletic Boosters Hall of Fame Awards Dinner.
The event takes place this Thursday (Sept. 25) at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo. I will be attending the event as a guest of one of the people being inducted, and I am as excited as I have been to attend any school event.
The Wolves’ athletic programs have been as successful as any school around, and this year’s group brings a ton of memories, which should always be the goal.
This year’s inductees are coach Fred Houston, athletes Sam Keller and Omar Samhan, and the 2014-15 state championship boys’ basketball team.
I covered the exploits of Keller and Samhan, knew Coach Houston, and cheered on the basketball team during a break in my sportswriting career.
Here is the information on each of the inductees.
Fred Houston, head coach, 1960 to 1975
In 1960, coach Fred Houston took over a program that had not won a league game in four years. In his 16 years as head coach, Houston led the Wolves to a 91-51-2 mark with four league titles and five runner-up finishes.
During his tenure, 42 of his players earned football scholarships. Houston was also head coach of the wrestling team, including the 1965 squad that won the North State Wrestling Championship.
In 1975, Houston led the golf team to a North Coast Championship.
He was the first coach in the area to introduce weight training to off-season workouts.
His thesis for his master’s at Fresno State was about weight-training and the use of homemade or specialty weight systems for specific parts of the body.
Houston also became a member of the National Rules Committee for the American Football Coaches Association. He was an early advocate of postseason playoffs, precursor to the playoffs we have today was the interleague “Turkey Bowls”, which was played between the league champions of local conferences.
Finally, Houston initiated the Wishbone T, triple option offense in the Bay Area, changing and speeding up the game.
Before San Ramon Valley, Houston posted an undefeated championship season as head coach at Los Banos High School.
Houston is a member of the Shafter High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Tri-Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
Omar Samhan, basketball, class of 2003
Following a brilliant career at San Ramon Valley, the 6-foot, 11-inch Samhan elected to stay close to home and attended St. Mary’s College.
His first year he earned Freshman All-American honors. His senior year he earned West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament and an eventual spot in the Sweet 16 and was chosen Honorable Mention All-American.
His gentle giant persona, which I first got to know when he was at San Ramon Valley, carried into college and made him a media darling in the run to the Sweet 16 for the Gaels.
It was hard to do an interview with Sanham and not have a smile on your face – he is that entertaining.
Samhan played for 10 years in international basketball, highlighted by the 2011 Baltic League championship. Sanham was recently inducted into the 2024 St. Mary’s College Sports Hall of Fame.
Sam Keller, football, class of 2005
Keller formed half of the fabled 2005 quarterback class of Danville, along with Monte Vista’s Kyle Wright.
The duo were arguably the two best quarterbacks in the United States their senior years and will go down as the two best in the history of the EBAL for my money.
And they played mere miles apart.
Having gotten to know both of them during their high school careers, it was easily probably my favorite stretch of covering athletics in over 40 years.
Keller was a three-year starter for the Wolves and was a two-time EBAL First-Team Selection.
He was one of the most polarizing players I have seen as his confident demeanor put some off, but I was one who loved it and recognized that it was what drove Keller to a series of incredible numbers.
His senior year Keller threw for 3,282 yards and 38 touchdowns with just five interceptions. His high school career saw him throw for 7,388 yards and 80 touchdowns.
Following high school, he played for three years at Arizona State. As a sophomore he started in the Sun Bowl in 2004 and went 25-of-45 for 370 yards and three touchdowns, earning the MVP of the Sun Bowl.
His last year of college he played for Nebraska, and before getting hurt late in the season he sent a then Nebraska single-season 63.1% of his passes for 2,422 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 269.1 passing yards per game were a Husker single season best at the time.
2014-15 varsity boys’ basketball team
San Ramon Valley put together a postseason for the ages, culminating in a CIF State championship.
The Wolves finished third in a loaded EBAL that year before making the run. They lost in the semifinals of the North Coast Section D-I semifinals 43-35 to De La Salle but came on in the CIF NorCal playoffs, beating Woodcreek 49-45 for the NorCal title.
In the state title game, they took on future NBA starter Lonzo Ball and his Chino Hills team, with the Wolves winning the championship 79-71 in double overtime.
Keith Smart had 20 points, Christian Fuca had 18 points and Kyle Spackman had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Ball finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Wolves!
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation.
