Alumni reunited at the Redwood Athletic Hall of Fame banquet to honor inductees from 2015 and 2016 at the McInnis Park Club on March 5.

The Redwood Athletic Hall of Fame honors former athletes and coaches, giving Special Merit recognition to individuals who have made major contributions to the athletic experience at Redwood.

This year, the Athletic Hall of Fame introduced a Special Merit Team Recognition category, awarding the 1959 boys’ swimming team for being the first Redwood varsity sports team to ever win a league championship.

“In simple terms, it was awesome. I swam with some of the greatest guys that you could possibly be with,” said Bob Lewis, a member of the 1959 swim team.

He still sees his former teammates on a somewhat regular basis, and events like these help bring back all the old memories, according to Lewis.

“Its great to come back and see old friends. It’s really wonderful what everyone did to make this event happen,” said Buddy Biancalana, a member of the Hall of Fame.

Marilee Ellis Rogers, co-chair of the Alumni Association, helped put together the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 while preparing for Redwood’s 50th anniversary. Rogers was part of the 1961 graduating class, and returned to teach at Redwood for 32 years.

Redwood High School was founded in 1958. Rogers and the men’s swim team helped establish many of the school’s traditions, according to Rogers.

“We were involved in naming the school, coming up with the Giants, writing the school fight song, and we named things like the Redwood Bark,” Rogers said.

In the late 1950s, swimmers would take a bus to the Tiburon Peninsula Club to practice, and the football team would have to go to the College of Marin because there wasn’t a swimming pool or football field at Redwood.

“The school itself physically was just the front building facing Mount Tam and the wing that goes down where the English and the Bark room is. That’s all that was there, and the gym,” Rogers said.

Through all of her years at Redwood, Rogers has watched students and staff reshape the culture of the school.

“It was the late ‘50s. It was all very innocent. We would have poster parties to make posters for football games,” Rogers said.  

However, there was a particularly spirited crowd of Redwood students’ that called itself the Unknown Animals, according to alumnus Matt Brown, who was a prominent member of the group.

“We just liked to have some fun, cause a little trouble back in class of ‘87. We’d just show up, our faces painted, our hats backwards, wearing red and black, run around, and act crazy,” Brown said.

The Unknown Animals went to all of the girls’ and boys’ basketball games to support the teams, according to Brown.

“One thing led to another, and then before we knew it we had 50 to 60 people, just following the group around,” Brown said. “We would come in, and all of the schools would know who we were.”

A couple of the cheers the Unknown Animals had created caused controversy and led to a few class meetings with the principal, but it was all in good fun, according to Brown.   

“Some of the best times I had were back in high school. Our class was really close and very spirited,” said Christine Choppelas, who graduated with Brown in 1987.

Choppelas was inducted into the Redwood Athletic Hall of Fame this year. She played basketball, volleyball, and soccer during high school.

In addition to Choppelas, the 2015 and 2016 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees include James Connor, Aleco Preovolos, Hal Schelz, Mickey Meister, Dan Young, Greg Zunino, Gary Casassa and Michelle Isaak.

“I never knew I would get an award like this, but it is something that I will cherish for life,” Isaak said.