Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Los Gatos senior Fred Luminoso was named as one of two scholar-football player scholarship winners from the Santa Clara County.

Luminoso wins NorCal 1997 scholarship award

By Dick Sparrer

Fred Luminoso was in the midst of an outstanding senior wrestling season at Los Gatos in early February when he had to take a short break--for a little football.

But Luminoso wasn't playing football; he was just reaping the rewards from the season that ended last December.

Luminoso was honored as one of two outstanding scholar-football players in the Santa Clara County when the Northern California Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced its scholarship winners for 1997.

The organization named Luminoso as one of 24 scholarship winners from Northern California. Two seniors athletes, a back and lineman, from each county were winners of a $1,000 scholarship presented at special banquet held in their honor at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel on Feb. 12.

Los Gatos football coach Butch Cattolico, who won the award in 1966 when he was an outstanding scholar-football player at Pittsburg High School, nominated Luminoso for the award and was there to see him receive it.

"Fred has been an integral part of the football team at Los Gatos for four years," wrote Cattolico in his nomination letter. He certainly was in 1997.

Luminoso was a two-way starter as an offenisve guard and defensive end for Los Gatos, helping the Wildcats to the Central Coast Section Division III championship. He moved to defensive end early in the year and led the Cats to 10 straight victories to end the season.

The Gatos senior earned all-league honors on defense and was named the team's most improved player and scholar athlete.

Luminoso, who will attend Stanford University in the fall, is also a star wrestler. He won a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League title two weeks ago, and last weekend placed fourth in the Central Coast Section to qualify for a berth in the state tournament.

But Luminoso's talents aren't limited to athletics. He boasts a 4.0 grade point average and is currently the student body treasurer. He served as class president as a sophomore and class secretary as a freshman. He is a member of the California Scholarship Federation and a National Merit Scholar. He is also an Eagle Scout.

Past winners of the prestigious scholarship award, along with Cattolico, include quarterback Jim Plunkett, who went on to lead Stanford to back-to-back Rose Bowl victories and who led the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl championship; Mike Holmgren, who went on play at USC and for the St. Louis Cardinals and is now the successful head coach for the Green Bay Packers; and Marty Mornhinweg, who played for the University of Montana and is now the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.

Cattolico joined Luminoso's parents, Mary and Fred Sr., at the scholarship dinner. Also on hand to support Luminoso were Los Gatos Principal Ted Simonson; Vice Principal Patricia Hughes; assistant football coaches Eric Van Patten, Mark Magagna, Mike Bond and Jeff Danasky; and Cattolico's son, Jon, currently the head coach at Overfelt.

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