Bill Boyd and his 1971 Falcons were the feature honorees inside MacDonald Auditorium last week.

By Brandon HENSLEY

Each person who has followed Ed Goorjian as Crescenta Valley High School boys’ basketball coach has had degrees of success, most notably John Goffredo who enjoyed 19 years as CV coach and led his 1994 squad to the Southern Section championship game at the then-Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.

But last Saturday night in CV’s MacDonald Auditorium, Goffredo was more than willing to acknowledge the shadow Goorjian’s legacy still casts on the program, as he had the honor of inducting Goorjian’s 1971 team into CV’s Hall of Fame.

Along with the 1971 team, its standout member Bill Boyd was inducted individually as were Jeff Beck, Heather Lindstrom, Tara Gregory, Mary Jenkins Miller, Al Staie, Jim Jordan, Chris Troffer and the school’s first principal Dr. Bill Thomas.

The ’71 squad, which Goffredo called the school’s greatest basketball team, went 29-1 and lost in the CIF Southern Section Division 4A championship game to Verbum Dei 51-42 in front of over 11,000 people at the L.A. Sports Arena.

The Falcons’ starting lineup consisted of 6’, 9” Troy Jones, Bob Trowbridge (6’, 8”), Boyd (6’, 7”), Brian Goorjian (6’, 4”) and Scott Palmer (6’, 3”).

“That’s a college team right there,” said Goffredo.

Five players went on to play for Division I schools, including Boyd and Trowbridge (USC) and Jones (BYU).

Boyd was the Falcons’ missing piece. The team went 24-4 the previous season, and Boyd joined CV his senior season in 1970-71 as a transfer from Orange County. Boyd and Jones were All-League and All-CIF that year. Trowbridge, Palmer and Brian Goorjian were also named All-League.

Goffredo described how principled Goorjian was in how he coached his team, and said after the loss to Verbum Dei, “At the end of that game, just like the 29 that they won, they stood at attention with class and pride and tradition and honor.”

Boyd was emotional several times during his speech, especially when he talked about his teammates.

“I’m not eloquent enough to tell you how special they are and how important they are to me, and the sad thing is I didn’t say it at the time,” said Boyd.

Jordan was a cross-country star for the first class in CV’s history in the early 1960s. In 1962, his team won the CIF title and Jordan finished second in the championship race.

Troffer was also a cross-country star for the girls’ team and became the first CV athlete to individually win a CIF championship. She won it in 1975 and won the CIF title in the mile the next year.

Lindstrom was a standout softball pitcher for Coach Dan Berry in the 1980s. She made All-CIF from 1986 to 1988 and played at Cal State Northridge. She was a member of the 1986 CIF championship team, which was inducted into the hall of fame in 2012.

Staie was a running back for the football team, and captained the 1973 squad, which won the CIF title. He was named Foothill League Player of the Year that season.

Thomas is remembered for being a staunch supporter of Falcon athletics, and the night featured all former principals of the school to come onstage to be recognized. Current Principal Michele Doll was joined by Thomas, Ken Biermann, Sam Nicholson, Mike Livingston, Linda Evans and Gary Talbert.

Gregory was an All-CIF basketball player in 1998, as well as a track star, and ran track at Vanderbilt University where she earned All-Southeastern Conference honors from 1998 to 2002.

Gregory reminisced about her playing days on the court alongside teammates such as former WNBA player Michelle Greco.

“Our hearts would race and our palms would get sweaty, and I just remember waiting for those Friday nights because everything that we had worked for, all the people that had invested in us to be successful, would be manifested that night,” she said.

Fox made All-CIF in 1974 and 1975 in football, and was named 1975 Foothill League Defensive Player of the Year.

“I truly believe that athletics, competitive sports, bring out a lot of great traits in individuals: hard work, teamwork, practice until you’re perfect, commitment, and most of all, learning how to lose,” Fox said.

Jenkins Miller was the 1993 CIF swimming champion in the individual medley. She swam at the University of Washington, where she set school records in the backstroke three years in a row.

Jenkins Miller is the sister of James Jenkins, a 2001 CV grad who starred in swimming and basketball. James was hiking in 2002 near Yosemite National Park when he fell to his death. Swimming has always played a big part of Jenkins Miller’s life, and she said when she found out James had gone missing, she put her suit on and starting doing laps.

“It felt good on a day when my heart was breaking,” she said.

She credited her mother Mary as being the biggest influence on her life, and broke down when she addressed her in the audience.

“You are my best role model. This accolade is yours as much as it is mine,” she said. “She definitely belongs in the Mother’s Hall of Fame. Mary Jenkins.”