By Staff Hakop A.

Football

Beat Glendale Day, or BGD, used to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year in the area. Thousands of fans would flock to the Rose Bowl the night before Homecoming to watch the football team take on the Glendale High Nitros for the Victory Bell.
The annual event brought students together with alumni and allowed for a great amount of school spirit. In fact, BGD allowed some of the school’s greatest athletes to showcase their skills in front of their peers and elders.
In one of the best performances by any quarterback on BGD, Hoover quarterback Scott Stevens (‘?) threw for 248 yards and completed 17 out of 23 passing attempts in 1972 which helped the Tornadoes defeat the Nitros 27-14.
In 2004, RB Shaun Kermah (’05) broke the record for most rushing yards by a Hoover player on BGD, as he rushed for 208 yards on 23 carries en route to a 42-28 Hoover victory.
In his senior season, Kermah ran for 1,520 yards and 23 touchdowns. Kermah went on to play for the Glendale Community College Vaqueros and now plays for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs football team.
In 1954, led by star quarterback John Hangartner, the school went on to play in the CIF championship game. For his brilliant play, Hangartner was named CIF player of the year and a Prep All-American. The school’s football program has also produced a starting NFL quarterback.
Former varsity quarterback Bob Gagliano (’75?) went on to play for the Glendale Community College Vaqueros and later played for the Utah State University Aggies. Gagliano was then drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1981 and went on to play for five other NFL teams until his career ended in 1995.

Track and Field

One of the school’s greatest athletes of all-time, hurdler Jack Davis is a former world record holder. Davis led the school’s track team to two state championships by winning two individual events as well as taking part in the relay. Davis represented the United States in the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics, each time winning a silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles. After high school, Davis attended the University of Southern California and was a three-time NCAA 120 yard hurdle champion and the 1953 NCAA 220 yard hurdle champion.
Davis was ranked first in the world on three separate occasions and was a three-time USA 110 meter hurdle champion and even held the world and American record in the event.
After his retirement, Davis was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame as well as the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.
Forrest Beaty, another great athlete, was the state champion in the 220 and was the fastest high school sprinter in the nation—as a sophomore!

Basketball

The school has also seen success in the development of players on the hardwood. Former student and basketball player Mark Hull (’98) put up great numbers while on the team. He averaged a double-double (27.9 points, 13.0 rebounds) and his 27.9 points-per-game average ranked him second in the CIF’s Southern Section. Hull helped the team win its first Pacific League Championship in 15 years in 1995-96.
Hull was then recruited by UCSB and played for the UCSB Gauchos up until his graduation in 2003.
Another great basketball player from the school is Joe Hillman (’85). Described as a “great student” and a “team player” who “made very few mistakes,” by economics teacher Alfred Teichert, Hillman broke numerous scoring records while at the school and went on to play for the University of Indian Hoosiers with legendary coach Bob Knight. It was there that he won a National Championship in 1987.