Inductees made their mark on and off field

Never heard of them? That's because they attended high school during an era when women's sports were not supported. Regardless, they made their mark in their respective sports and are just two of the 2005 induction class of the San Mateo High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

"There were no athletics for girls. There was no Title IX (the law that forced schools to field women's' sports programs)," Rountree-Goodwin said. "I'm so glad there is so much more for girls (now)."

Mack-Johnson and Rountree-Goodwin are joined in the 2005 Hall of Fame class by Art Andrews (1965-2003), David Binn (1990), Jeff Brown (1996-present), Sal Campagna (1949), Jeff Fishback (1959), Michael Harney (1973), Joe Sweeney (1967) and the 1985 boys' golf team. A Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Dominic's at Poplar Creek.

This is the fourth induction class to the school's athletic Hall of Fame and it was started to recognize the athletic tradition San Mateo High enjoyed for more than 100 years.

"I just felt the school has a great tradition and it didn't have a Hall of Fame," said Charles Douglas, a former principal at San Mateo and the president of the Hall of Fame committee. "It's a great school that cares about tradition."

Mack-Johnson and her family is part of that tradition. Her father, Ozzie, was inducted in 2004 and her uncle Eddie is also in the SMHOF.

But not many athletes can boast the success Mack-Johnson enjoyed on the track. She started running at the age of 9 and despite not being allowed to compete for her high school, she went on to become one of the best sprinters in the world. In 1962, she was a member of the 880-yard relay team that set a national record. She also dueled with Olympic champion Wilma Rudolph, finishing second to Rudolph in the 60-yard dash at an indoor meet in Los Angeles. Rudolph had to run a world-record time to beat Mack-Johnson.

She was given a track scholarship to Tennessee State but she retired from competition in 1964.

She did not talk about her exploits for a long time until her children were watching "The Wilma Rudolph Story" on television. She said the family was watching the show when she started telling them that she was at that race that Rudolph won or competed against the athletes running against Rudolph.

"My son, who was about five at the time, just sat there with his mouth open," Mack-Johnson said. "Since that time, he's been involved with sports."

Neither Mack-Johnson nor Rountree-Goodwin thought much about not being allowed to compete for their high school. It's just the way it was. They still were part of a team outside of school. Mack-Johnson trained with the San Mateo Girls Athletic Association track Team while Rountree-Goodwin was a member of the Northern California Tennis Association. They also trained with the boys' squads on occasion.

They do remember that teachers and administrators were sympathetic to their situation. Rountree-Goodwin said her physical education teacher would let her skip class at the end of the day to go out and train for tennis. Both missed school days because of tournaments and track meets, but as long as they did their homework, teachers let them slide.

"You (played) because you loved it," Rountree-Goodwin said. "You didn't miss what you didn't have."

She said she was late to class one day and was sent to the dean of women. The talk soon turned to tennis and she went back to class without any punishment.

"It was nice to get that leeway," Rountree-Goodwin said.

Rountree-Goodwin was named Most Athletic Girl her senior year and was among the top-ranked junior players in the state, achieving a No. 4 ranking in the 18-and-under division in the NCTA. In 1980, she and her partner Ann Stluka were ranked as high as No. 3 nationally in the Senior 35-and-Over women's doubles.

While Mack-Johnson and Rountree-Goodwin make their mark on the field, Jeff Brown made his mark behind the scenes. Brown, former president and current treasurer of the San Mateo booster club, had two children who attended San Mateo High. One recently graduated from San Francisco State and the other is a senior at Chico State.

So why did Brown stick around? After his second child graduated from San Mateo, he wanted to step down. A replacement was found but suddenly moved to Eureka. Brown became president again because, "No one else came forward."

Now, Brown can't pull himself away. When his first child attended San Mateo, he saw the teams could use new uniforms. He took donations from parents in the stands to get the teams new uniforms.

"Eight years later, I'm still involved with boosters," Brown said. "My garage still has an orange hue from spray painting (the school's orange-and-black colors).

"The kids are so pleasant to me. It just makes me want to come back."

2005 San Mateo High Athletics Hall of Fame inductees

Art Andrews (1965-2003): Served as athletic director and department chair. Coached various teams at the school.

David Binn (1990): Three-year varsity football player, was named to the all-league team his junior and senior years. Currently a member of the San Diego Chargers.

Jeff Brown (1996-present): President or co-president of the booster club from 1998-2004. Currently serves as group's treasurer.

Sal Campagna (1949): Three-year varsity baseball and basketball player, 2-year varsity football player.

Jeff Fishback (1959): Cross country and track runner, won gold medal in the 1963 Pan Am games in the steeplechase.

Michael Harney (1973): Three-year varsity wrestler in three different weight classes: 98, 103 and 112.

Jackie Mack (1961): Track runner. Raced against Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph.

Roberta Rountree (1962): Nationally ranked tennis player

Joe Sweeney (1967): Four-year varsity member of the gymnastics team

1985 Boys' Golf Team: Team went undefeated in 1984, 1985 and 1986.