From the Sidelines

It is interesting to note that one pro football coach who is

notching high marks in the big circuit has a past harbor area connect.

His name is Jim Mora, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

One high note arose recently when his Colts thumped the Dallas Cowboys

in their Indiana back yard.

After a pleasant scholarly turn through Occidental College many years

ago, Mora chose to find a home in Costa Mesa out on the west side toward

Santa Ana.

Two of his close pals at Occidental were Glenn Thomas, Harbor High

graduate of ‘55, and Jack Kemp, who advanced to quarterback the San Diego

Chargers, before moving on to the political scene.

Thomas always had praiseworthy things to say about Mora and Kemp. But

it’s fair to say Mora moved on after his career started shaping up on the

horizon.

Kemp came by the old Globe-Herald and Pilot once in the late ‘50s. He

requested an hour of time to express his words about a union need for

young gridders.

Pilot Hall of Famer Bob Woodhouse, a graduate of Harbor High in ‘51,

who is due for San Diego Hall of Champions honors tonight, once collided

with Mora, Kemp and Thomas when they were on the Occidental grid team.

Woodhouse was then playing at Long Beach State.

“Jim is doing a good job with Indianapolis this year,” Woodhouse said.

“I bumped into him years later at my office and offered him some

coffee,” Woodhouse said with a laugh. The coffee pot was in sad shape and

fell apart when Mora found it in the back room and tried to hook it up.”

It turned out to be a good deal for Woodhouse after Mora chose to buy

him a brand new machine.

Woodhouse is also an old friend of Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame coach

now tutoring the University of South Carolina football team.

He is disappointed that life has been so hard on Holtz this year. His

wife’s bout with cancer has been difficult and it is a bit edgy with

football since he didn’t have sufficient time to recruit and the losses

are a constant headache.

Woodhouse said, “It’s going to take awhile, but I can tell you one

thing. Holtz will outrecruit anyone.” He said that was always in evidence

at Notre Dame.

“I always followed his philosophy,” Woodhouse said. He was often

impressed by his personality. Holtz can also do magic tricks, which

surprised Woodhouse.

He spent two weeks at Notre Dame once observing Holtz laboring every

day trying to get Notre Dame ready for a Michigan game. Woodhouse said,

“I’m glad he is back in coaching. I don’t think he was happy with the

television work.”

Another Holtz angle that once connected with Harbor High was in 1965-69

when Wade Watts of Ohio was in charge of the Newport varsity football

team.

Watts, who resides in Laguna Beach, once coached Holtz in 1953 at East

Liverpool High School in Ohio. Holtz always admired Watts and honored him

with sideline passes every time his Irish came west to duel USC in the

Coliseum.

Bill Neth, a Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Famer and one-time star tackle

on the ’42 champ Harbor High football team, once had some interesting

looking-back notes on Glenn Davis, the Army All-American who guided

Bonita High past Newport to the small schools CIF championship in 1942.

Many often wondered how fast Davis was on the track. Neth recalled it

was 9.7 for the century, which was what everyone seemed to call the

100-yard dash. Legendary Harbor fullback Harold Sheflin was not that

fast, but he never had trouble catching Davis. He once asked why? Sheflin

replied, “I could always catch him from behind.”

David himself was always astonished by Sheflin’s speed and talent. He

once called him the best player he ever faced on the grid.

The ’42 Tar tailback Ed Miller once confronted Davis and his brother

Ralph, years later at Ivy League track meets.

Miller, who entered Dartmouth, was a hurdler. Davis was a sprinter,

and his brother, Ralph, was a shot putter at West Point.

Coincidentally, years later both Glenn Davis and Neth were working for

the Los Angeles Times.

Yesteryear Newport fans probalby didn’t know that Bonita High

officials came to re-name the high school stadium after Davis. The town

was cheered when Davis pledged to show up for the ceremonies.