Gust of wind

Roger Carlson

Scholar-athlete awards have been a tradition on the high school

level for a long time, and are one of the major ribs around the backbone

of the sport of football.

A good example is the National Football Foundation and College Hall of

Fame Orange County Chapter’s annual banquet, which honors excellence on

the field and in the classroom.

This year’s banquet comes Monday at the West Coast Anaheim Hotel in

Anaheim, and as usual, it will indeed be a class event.

Another event of considerable merit, but without a lot of the

trimmings and geared to just one school, is the John Gust Athletic

Scholarship at Newport Harbor, where one of the Sailors’ all-time

boosters, Marilyn Gust, continues an endeavor she and her husband, Ev,

began some 28 years ago.

She began this award for a Newport Harbor athlete in the memory of her

son, John, whose own story was that of a late-bloomer who burst on the

scene for one glorious senior year, only to have his life cut short

because of an auto accident when on a skiing trip after the football

season of 1973.

John Gust was like a lot of kids you know today. As a junior he was a

no-name on the junior varsity, hoping that his one last year as a prep

would find him a berth on the varsity, and in a manner which would make a

difference.

There are many, every year, in that boat. Only a handful make it to

shore.

Just getting a spot on the varsity was an accomplishment. But making a

difference, that was the trick. And he certainly did.

Also a wrestler for the Tars, he moved from guard to center in

football, won a starting role for the Sailors, and eventually was named

All-Sunset League, All-Orange Coast, All-Orange County, and perhaps his

happiest moment, the Sailors’ Most Improved Player.

A lot of major players have since been honored with the John Gust

Athletic Scholarship, which is a $500 scholarship toward (hopefully)

college expenses, and a commemorative plaque.

It’s no small thing. This year alone there were six candidates with

4.0 GPAs.

Jim Erickson, this year’s winner, is a 3.9 student. There were 37

candidates with a 3.0 or better.

It’s something the Gusts have kept going for more than a quarter

century, but there’s one thing the Gusts didn’t do, and I know, it’s one

of the hardest: Keeping track of the Long Gray Line.

And that’s really the point of all this. Many are unaccounted for at

this point in time and we’d like to catch up with them.

We know about Greg Steverson, now married with two children in New

Hampshire where he is a vice president and chief financial officer with a

bank in Hanover.

Alan Gaddis is married, has a couple of children and still lives in

Newport Beach.

Matt Burns ... most know he’s a current coach at Newport Harbor. And

‘99 recipient Kelsey Peterson is at Annapolis.

Tom Bazacas is the pastor at Lighthouse Coast Community Church here in

the harbor area.

I know all these things, because Marilyn told me.

But she doesn’t have the goods on many.

Let us know if you can help Marilyn out with the big list. And if

you’re one of them, hey, picture Marilyn, with that twinkle in her eyes,

waving you in with her right index finger.

Here it is:

1973 - Mark Duffy

1974 - Tom Bazacas

1975 - Steve Bruno

1976 - Greg Steverson

1977 - Doug Brockmeyer

1978 - Dave Thompson

1979 - Alan Gaddis

1980 - Robert Anthony

1981 - Jamie Kitchens

1982 - Bill Brown

1983 - Rich Powers

1984 - John Spangler

1985 - Scott Craig

1986 - Jason Granneman

1987 - Perry Mason

1988 - Sean Ellis

1989 - Don James 1990 - George Greenwalt

1991 - Darin Mangnall

1992 - Justin Ketcham

1993 - Matt Burns

1994 - Jack Hogan

1995 - Ramsey Allen

1996 - Ian Dorish

1997 - Garrett Govaars

1998 - Lance Chavez

1999 - Kelsey Peterson