White helping Chiefs to 6-0 record

DON CANTRELL

The harbor area can still identify with a link to the NFL through

former Newport Harbor High assistant coach Mike White, now an

assistant to head coach Dick Vermeil of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs are 6-0 after rallying to defeat Green Bay Sunday.

White’s longtime friend from Irvine, Ed Mayer, believes KC has the

potential for a strong run toward the Super Bowl in Houston.

Mayer, who once helped lead Orange Coast College to a grid title

in 1951 under Coach Ray Rosso, feels the Chiefs are a positive and

dedicated outfit. He had a chance to visit White, Vermeil and many

players some months back.

White, a former head coach of the Oakland Raiders, and Vermeil led

the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.

Additionally, Vermeil once directed the Philadelphia Eagles to their

only Super Bowl appearance in 1981, and before that he guided UCLA to

a Rose Bowl win in the 1974-75 season.

They are all impressed with a superb breakaway runner named Dante

Hall. He had scored a touchdown on a punt or kickoff return in four

consecutive games this season before the streak ended Sunday.

They are also impressed because Hall is a solid team player and

one of considerable humility.

Mayer, who once teamed with former San Francisco Coach Bill Walsh

at San Jose State, is disappointed over the play of the 49ers, so far

this season.

Walsh is now the Niners’ team consultant. Last season, Mayer

visited Walsh and noticed a serious form of negativity with some

players that can infect the team atmosphere and behavior.

Mayer was always a highly disciplined player at Orange Coast under

Rosso and won the Rod Gould Memorial trophy at the end of the

championship ’51 season. He logged the most playing time that year.

White was a walk-on Newport assistant in 1989 between jobs and

felt honored to help Coach Jeff Brinkley and the ’89 Tars.

*

Incidentally, Rosso and his wife, Jean, recently returned from a

long summer visit to the mountains of Idaho with their motor home.

“It’s great to get back to the best climate in the world,” Rosso

said. “We sweated through the 100s most of our stay and travel, with

obvious slower adaptations. We were sorry to leave the mountains, but

pleased to get back to the ocean.

“Now, with the football season on, I’m pleased to see the Daily

Pilot really doing a great job of covering the high schools -- and,

especially OCC,” he continued. “It looks like a very promising season

ahead for OCC. The players and coaches are really dedicated and so

the future for 2003 looks good.”

Rosso has been excited about the season and continues to look

forward for the weekend.

“It’s satisfying to see our area really compete and of course the

Daily Pilot coverage is a primary factor in this effort,” Rosso said.

“I still enjoy high school football. Locally, Estancia is a making a

very strong move, Costa Mesa is greatly improved, Corona del Mar is

off to a good start and Newport is again heading for a championship

year.”

*

With baseball nearing a close, one recalls the late Eddie West,

who was a sports editor in Santa Ana, sliding gently out the

second-story window of the downtown Register building and placing

numbers in the inning slots for the World Series games.

There was no TV in those days and fans of the 30s and 40s would

have to catch the updates on the radio. There were no transistor

radios in the ‘30s, so downtown shoppers would count on West to post

the scoring on the building.

*

Boyd “Boggie” Horrell, a player on the only championship baseball

team the Harbor High Sailors ever had, may well have made history

when he slammed the only home run out of Lions Park in Costa Mesa.

The ’48 team, and perhaps, others rarely played at Lions Field. An

overflow crowd for the San Diego CIF playoff game in ’48 was

expected, so the school moved the game to Lions field.

Newport lost, 5-1.