Pros

Frank Beede III graduated from Antioch High School in 1991 where he lettered in three sports: football, wrestling and track. He became the BVAL heavyweight wrestling champion in his senior year. Frank pursued football in college, playing on the offensive line as a guard for three seasons at U.C. Berkeley. He started in the 1993 Alamo Bowl and earned honorable mention for the All-Pac 10 Conference in 1994. Frank transferred his senior year to Oklahoma Panhandle State University where he was named to the NAIA All-America second team and All-Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference first team. Frank began his pro career with the Seattle Seahawks in 1996 becoming the first free agent rookie to become a starter in franchise history. Frank played five years with the Seahawks before joining the Arena Football League, playing center for the San Jose Sabercats for an additional six years. During his years with the Sabercats, he was part of a team that won three Arena Bowl titles: 2002, 2004, and 2007. Frank retired from football in 2007 and returned to East County to become a history teacher and football coach. In 2010 Frank was honored by the NFL as its Teacher of the Year recipient.

This Antioch High grad’s football career stretched from Stanford to Scotland and back to Antioch. Born in 1973, Mark learned his skills early as a player in Antioch Youth Football and later played football, basketball and baseball at Antioch High. The 6’4”, 215-lb. phenomenon was named an All-America pick after being ranked 7th best high school quarterback in the nation, grabbing the attention – and a scholarship – from prestigious Stanford University. As part of the Cardinal, Mark connected on 194 of his college career 333 passes. As a college senior, he passed for 2,533 yards, throwing 19 touchdowns – four of which were in one game against UCLA – and had only nine interceptions. He was named to the All-Pac 10’s second team his senior year and was the MVP of the Stanford team. In 1996, Mark signed with the Chicago Bears. Prior to Chicago, he was a member of the Arizona Cardinals practice squad as an undrafted free agent. Following his National Football League career, Mark traveled to Scotland. He played in the World Football League for the Scottish Claymores and also for the Frankfurt Galaxy where he played in the 1998 World Bowl VI against the Rhein Fire. Following his professional football career, Mark came back to his hometown and coached in the Antioch Schools.

Rich’s path toward a football career began as a standout player at Antioch High School and at the University of Arizona, eventually leading up to his current position as an National Football League game official. The 1972 AHS graduate has worked for the NFL since 2004 as an umpire (#49), earning the privilege of working his first playoff game by his second year – the Wild Card game in 2006 between the Carolina Panthers vs. New York Giants. He was chosen in 2007 to work the NFC Championship (New Orleans at Chicago) and in the 2009 wildcard game (Philadelphia at Minnesota), as well as the wildcard game in 2011 (Pittsburgh vs. Denver). Rich served as an alternate official in the 2008 and 2010 playoff games and was an alternate official for Super Bowl XLV in Dallas for the Pittsburgh vs. Green Bay matchup. Prior to 2004, Rich worked in the NFL Europe League for eight years, highlighted by officiating in the 2004 NFL Europe World Bowl played in Germany. Prior to his stint in Europe, Rich was one of the original officials hired by the newly created Mountain West Conference in 1999. During his five years there, he worked the Alamo Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl and Outback Bowl games. From 1985-1998 Rich officiated in the Big Sky Conference, where he was a umpire for 14 playoff games in Division 1-AA and the National Championship Division 1-AA Game in Tennessee in 1998. The former Panther’s officiating career started at the youth football and then high school level, progressing to the junior colleges, right after he graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in public administration in parks and recreation. Rich played for the University of Arizona Wildcats for four years on a football scholarship. He was a three-year starter at right defensive tackle, helping Arizona win the Western Athletic Conference Championship in 1974 and 1975. At Antioch High, the Panther football MVP was All-DVAL for both offense and defense and All East-Bay and played offense and defense in the Contra Costa-Alameda All-Star Game. Rich now lives in Tucson, and has three grown sons.

The 2007 Deer Valley High School graduate was the Contra Costa Times Player of the Year and selected by the San Francisco Chronicle for its First Team All-Metro honor. The two-way starter set a Wolverine single season record of 19 touchdowns and rushed for 1,466 yards, averaging 9.3 yards per carry. He had 37 tackles and led the Wolverines to a 10-0 regular season record and the Antioch school’s first Bay Valley Athletic League title since it first fielded a varsity football team in 1997. Taiwan received a scholarship to Eastern Washington University, but did not play until his sophomore year. He had an 87-yard touchdown run on his first collegiate carry as a junior in 2009 and set a school record in 2009 with a 96-yard TD run against Idaho State. He suffered a broken foot that kept him from playing in the semifinal and championship games but managed to have a banner year in 2010, rushing for 1,742 yards and 14 TDs in 12 games. The season ended on a high note as Taiwan was selected to several all-star teams: NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America as selected by the American Football Coaches Association (first team), Associated Press (first team) , College Sporting News (first team) , and was the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He currently holds the EWU school record for all-purpose yards per game (162) and has a college career high of 5,021 all-purpose yards. Twelve times in his career he eclipsed the 200-yard mark in all-purpose yards and had a career high 230 yards in a 38-31 victory over North Dakota State. In April of 2011, more than four dozen NFL scouts, coaches and executives migrated to the Los Medanos College stadium in Pittsburg, Calif. to watch a solitary Taiwan prove he had the raw talent to make the NFL. San Francisco 49er coach Tom Rathman described the gathering as the biggest attendance for a private workout he had ever seen. Taiwan did not disappoint, running the 40-yard dash in a dazzling best of 4.33 seconds. The 6-0, 195-pound running back was chosen by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the NFL 2011 draft, the 125th overall pick, allowing him to return to the Bay Area to wear the silver and black as a Raider. In a preseason game, Taiwan scored a 22-yard touchdown and rushed for 81 yards on 13 carries against the New Orleans Saints. His NFL running back debut in the backfield came on September 18, 2011 against the Buffalo Bills with a four-yard carry. Taiwan, playing on special teams and specializing in kickoff returns, recovered his first NFL fumble in a victory against the New York Jets one week later. In an emotional game on October 9, 2011, one day after the death of Raiders owner Al Davis, the 23-year-old recorded a solo tackle in a 25-20 win over the Houston Texans.

Mike Lucky’s performance as a high school senior in 1993 was so spectacular that he was recruited by every college in the Pac 10, but picked the league champions – the University of Arizona. While at Antioch High, Mike’s varsity career included 53 catches for 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a senior, the tight end was named First Team All-State and earned a spot on the All-America team, the 18th best prospect in California prep sports. Mike made his mark with the Arizona Wildcats, finishing his college career with 46 receptions for over 500 yards and four touchdowns. He was a key member of the 1998 Wildcat team, ranked fourth in the nation at 12-1. He played in the Hula Bowl and Florida Gridiron Classic. The Dallas Cowboys drafted the 6’6”, 280-lb. college senior in the seventh round in 1999. He played four years in Dallas, starting 18 games and finishing his pro career with 19 receptions and a touchdown. Mike served as a blocking tight end and was part of the historic game when Emmitt Smith broke the all-time rushing record. The Ed Block Courage Award was given to Mike for overcoming a devastating knee injury prior to his second season. Knee injuries ended his pro career in 2002.

Gino is arguably the most successful professional athlete to call Antioch High School his alma mater. He played varsity football for the Panthers under Coach Jack Danilovich between 1941-1943. Gino graduated in 1944, at the height of WWII. Following service in the U.S. Army, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Gino was on the 1947 Antioch Hornets semi-pro team prior to playing at Modesto Junior College and then the University of San Francisco from 1949-1952. During 1951, the Dons were undefeated. He began his illustrious pro career with the 1952 New York Yanks, which became the Dallas Texans, and eventually moved to Baltimore to become the Colts in 1953. Gino spent 13 seasons with the Baltimore Colts, wearing the famous #89 jersey from 1953-1966, helping them win NFL championships in 1958 and 1959. The 1958 game is best known for Gino’s refusal to leave the field after breaking his leg. As team captain, he insisted on staying on the sidelines to support his teammates against the New York Giants. His broken leg left him out of the Pro Bowl that year, interrupting his string of nine Pro Bowl appearances. The Associated Press named him the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1958. Gino played in 10 Pro Bowls and was the 1963 Pro Bowl MVP. Gino ranks among the greatest NFL defensive ends; elected to the NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1969), the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1972), the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team (1994), ranked 15th to the Sporting News’ list of 100 Greatest Football Players (1999), All-Madden Millennium Team (2000), and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team (2019).

Aaron was the smallest 12-year-old on the Northern California Championship Little League Team in 1989, but grew up to be the most successful baseball player in Antioch history as second baseman for the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, one of the five teams he played for in more than eight major league seasons. His journey began with playing for the Antioch Fireballs under the tutelage of veteran Little League coach Butch Felix. He played for the Dodgers in the Babe Ruth League, a premonition of three decades later when he would play for the “real” Dodgers in Los Angeles. He was a key factor of Antioch High’s North Coast Championship wins in 1994 and 1995. While playing varsity starter three years for the Panthers, Aaron was named to Baseball USA’s Top 100 Team and the All-State Team. He batted .538 his senior year with 34 RBIs, and spent three years as All-League. After his graduation in 1995 the Houston Astros drafted Aaron in the 19th round. Aaron spent eight years in the minor leagues working his way up, earning 2002 MVP in Double “A” League and Rookie of the Year in the 2003 Triple “A” International League. The call-up finally came in 2003 from the Chicago White Sox. The multi-tasker, who has played outfield, second, third, shortstop and pitcher, made his Major League Baseball playing debut on September 11, 2003. In 2004 the 5-foot-8 switch-hitter was voted All-Rookie All-Star Second Baseman and placed fourth in the 2004 National League Rookie of the year vote. The City of Antioch proclaimed “Aaron Miles Day” on November 20, 2004 and awarded a ceremonial key to the city now on display in the Sports Legends Hall. Aaron was traded to the Colorado Rockies that year and played for two seasons, the first player in Colorado history to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, and made key plays for the team in its World Series win. Although primarily a second baseman, Aaron made his pitching debut against the Washington Nationals on August 1, 2007, one of the five games in which he pitched relief in the majors, resulting in an ERA of 3.60. The following year was his best year yet as a hitter in the major leagues, posting a .317 average with the Cardinals. On December 31, 2008, he signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs as an infielder. He returned to St. Louis for one season in 2010 and hit .281. Aaron’s 2011 season was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, mostly playing third and second base and shortstop, appearing 454 times at bat, hitting .275 and driving in 45 runs, the second highest of his MLB career. The 34-year-old led the National League in 2011 with the highest hitting percentage with runners on base, batting .357. Aaron has already earned a spot in major league history: On April 3, 2009, he became the first batter at the new Yankee Stadium in New York in an exhibition game against the Yankees, and got a base hit. Aaron retired after the 2011 season with the Dodgers. His career stats were 932 games, 2,827 at bats, 793 career hits, 229 RBIs with a career .281 average. On defense, he carried a fielding average of .978.

The Antioch native’s trajectory from unrecognized high school recruit to Super Bowl XLVI in the span of five years makes Sterling Moore a “1 in 10,000 player” according to Deer Valley High Football Coach Rich Woods. “Football didn’t even enter my mind” until my senior year, Moore told journalists. His single varsity season in 2006 at DVHS resulted in 10 tackles, 12 assists and one fumble recovery in eight games. However, he was a member of the Wolverines’ 10-1 Bay Valley Athletic League championship team, playing alongside Taiwan Jones, a future Oakland Raider running back. Coach Woods said Moore wasn’t singled out for any league honors, but (was) “a smart football player. What he lacked in speed, he made up for in reaction time.” Moore continued playing football at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg in 2007 for the Mustangs before transferring to Laney College in Oakland, where the defensive back was All-Golden Gate Conference and an All-California First Team selection made by the Community College Football Coaches Association. Moore accepted a scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Texas as a junior, and had to prove himself once there. “I was a two-star recruit,” he said, speaking to a Boston newspaper, “I had to climb to the top.” And climb he did, making 46 solo tackles, 13 assists and three interceptions over a 19-game career, including SMU’s post-season victory in the Hawaii Bowl. The 5-10, 190-pound Moore remained undrafted following his college career, but signed with the Oakland Raiders on July 28, 2011 as a free agent. The next several weeks became a roller coaster: signed four times and cut a total of three times from two different NFL teams’ 53-man rosters, uncertain if pro football was in his future. He was released by Oakland on Sept. 26, then signed to the New England Patriots’ practice squad on Oct. 5, making his first League appearance 11 days later against Dallas. Three weeks later, Moore had his first start on Nov. 13 against the New York Jets at safety, playing the entire game and making his first tackle. He was cut on Dec.10. Four days later, the Patriots changed their mind, re-signing him to their practice squad, then promoting him to their active duty roster on Dec. 23. One week later, Moore had two interceptions, one resulting in a 21-yard touchdown return, in the New Year’s Day 49-21 victory over Buffalo. That effort earned Moore the AFC Rookie of the Week honor, the first to be won all season by an undrafted player. It was three weeks later, in the AFC Championship Game, that Moore performed 27 seconds of magic. In what football commentators considered the best moment of the entire NFL season, Moore stripped the ball from Lee Evans’ hands as the Baltimore Ravens receiver was about to make the game-winning touchdown on January 22, 2012. “I saw him catch it and for a second I thought, ‘Oh no, we lost and it’s on me’, ” said Moore in an interview. “But it was all instincts… I didn’t know I knocked the ball out until I saw it rolling on the ground.” Moore followed that incredible play by breaking up the Ravens’ next pass attempt in the final three seconds, earning the Patriots a ticket to Super Bowl XLVI (where Moore later made three solo tackles). “That was a great play by Sterling,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said of Moore: “He competes hard and he’s a tough kid. He’s got good ball skills.”

Jeremy, a 1994 Antioch High graduate, had the unusual opportunity to play professional football for both Bay Area teams – the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders – keeping his #62. The 6’5”, 315-pound offensive lineman was first drafted in the second round by the 49ers in 1998. His “Power, Toughness and Tenacity” won a place on two Pro Bowl teams in 2001 and 2002 as a center. Jeremy was a starting player in nearly every NFL game in which he appeared. He had a 107-game unbroken stretch of starts within the 120 games he played over an 11-year NFL career that ended with the San Diego Chargers. His work ethic earned the respect of his 49er teammates who chose him as a three-time recipient of the Bobb McKittrick Award as the team’s top lineman in 2000, 2003 and 2005. They also awarded him the The Ed Block Courage Award, given in 2003 and 2005 for playing with severe ankle and knee injuries. Jeremy was born in 1976, the same year his dad, retired Antioch police officer Dave Newberry, lettered at Cal as an offensive lineman. Jeremy was chosen for the All-BVAL, All-East Bay, All-Bay Area, All-Nor Cal and All-Far West teams. As a senior he recorded 11 sacks and was in the top five in the state as a heavyweight wrestler. He later played at U.C. Berkeley on a football scholarship. He had a 93% blocking consistency as a Cal lineman, the highest for any Cal player in the 1990s. On May 22, 2010, former teammates, friends and hundreds of fans attended “Jeremy Newberry Day” at the Antioch Historical Society Museum. Oakland Raider Coach Tom Cable, who was Jeremy’s line coach at U.C. Berkeley, told the crowd that the former Panther was “the best I ever coached… It’s Antioch’s day to honor him, but he’s always honored where he came from.”

John came up through the ranks of Antioch youth football, playing at Antioch High between 1970-1973. He was MVP and team captain on the league champion Panther team, and was chosen for both Offensive and Defensive All East Bay Teams. His prep football career was capped by playing in the North-South Shrine Game at the L.A. Coliseum. Before graduating in 1973, John placed first in the DVAL shot put and was MVP at the Stapleton Relays. Before earning a B.A. from Stanford in 1977, John was the only non-scholarship freshman elevated to the varsity team for the “Big Game” against Cal. At Stanford, John competed in shot put and discus, while playing inside linebacker and special teams in football. After graduation, John played linebacker for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes. He was a starter in the CFL Eastern Finals and played in the 1978 Grey Cup game. John came back home to Antioch in 1980 to play for the Antioch Hornets, earning MVP. The Kansas City Chiefs signed him in 1981 for special teams. In 1982 John played for the Chiefs during a strike-shortened season and was in the last game ever played at Metropolitan Stadium. John was inducted in 1988 into the American Football Association Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame.