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Picture from the Past
LGHS coach Mathews
had sharp eye for sports
By John S. Baggerly
Local athletic aficionado Larry Mathews was known as "Eyes in the Sky" for his seat in a crow's nest high on a light pole, opposite the 50-yard line at Los Gatos High School's Helm Field. He also climbed the bleachers at opposing Leigh High School. From these lofty perches he phoned his game observations to local coaches Pete Denevi, Charlie Wedemeyer and Bob Skuse.
When recommending to the school board that the new field house bordering Helm Field be named in honor of Mathews, Horace "Butch" Cattolico, head of the LGHS athletic department and head football coach, wrote the following:
"Larry Mathews was a member of the Physical Education Department and coaching staff at Los Gatos High School for over 30 years. He served as both department head and athletic director.
"Mathews was an outstanding P. E. teacher during his entire tenure at this school. His coaching résumé is also very impressive. He was head football coach and won a league title. He was head wrestling coach and won a league title. He was head tennis coach and won a league title. He was head badminton coach and won a league title. He also served as assistant coach to the following sports: football, basketball, track, swimming, soccer and baseball.
"Larry is a member of the San Jose State football Hall of Fame. He has influenced the lives of many people in the community. Larry continues to help with the coaching of the varsity football team and the training of young coaches at this sport. For these and many other reasons, I feel that it would be an honor to have the field house called Larry Mathews Field House."
Signed, Butch Cattolico, athletic director, head varsity football coach.
Mathews' memory of playing football goes back to Monterey High School and Friday night games when the fishing fleet lay in harbor until midnight, instead of setting sail at mid-evening.
Many of the Monterey Toreador players had fisherman fathers, uncles and brothers, who watched the games end and thus did not set sail for their fishing until midnight, instead of at 9 p.m. When the Toreadors took the field, Mathews noted that the fishermen sat bundled in their overcoats in the top row of the stands.
Another Mathews memory was that "if we won, the next day (Saturday) the town was ours." Players were pulled into restaurants for breakfast or lunch. A sweater or pair of shoes might even be offered. "When we lost, no one knew us downtown," he adds. One of Mathews' teammates was Dan Albert, who later became mayor of Monterey, serving numerous terms.
When Joe Zanardi published the LGHS-Monterey football program, he dedicated the game to coach Mathews. Monterey Mayor Albert and party arrived, offering a photo opportunity for schools and public. Former San Francisco '49ers coach Bill Walsh sent a note for the program stating "I could always run faster than Larry." This was an inside joke, because Walsh was knock-kneed and pigeon-toed.
Mathews and Walsh were opponents in junior college and teammates at San Jose State. Walsh went on to coach at Stanford, where he won the Sun Bowl with the help of LGHS grad Gary Lynn. Then, it was on to greater success with the San Francisco 49ers.
John Baggerly came out of semi-retirement to write this column for the Los Gatos Weekly-Times.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
