Sorting things ouit

Don Cantrell

It may take years to gain a full picture of a local coach in the

world of sports, but it often becomes a most interesting one once one has

come to observe an in-depth portrait.

A writer sometimes reflects back and comes to accept the fact that he

didn’t move with a normal flow of questions initially.

Consider Ray Rosso, the chief grid coach at Orange Coast College from

1948-1955. In fact, he was one of the earliest football mentors to take a

team to the Junior Rose Bowl after World War II. His first grid task

after serving the U.S. as a Navy fighter pilot, was Chaffey College at

Ontario. He guided them to the bowl against an Oklahoma team and won.

In addition, he was offered another bowl game in 1949, his second year

at Orange Coast. He asked his 8-2-0 team if it wished to go after a long

season. Harlo LeBard, the team quarterback, said many may have loved the

idea, but the long season had taken a toll on the injury list, so they

bowed away.

Coast also won the Eastern Conference title in 1951, but found a bowl

offer going to San Bernardino, not Coast. San Berdoo was deemed the

conference title winner initially and cheered for the bowl offer. Then

the college had to forfeit four games due to two ineligible players and

OCC took the trophy. However, the bowl in question did not extend an

offer to Coast. No reason was given.

We once assumed that Rosso was born and raised in northern California

and attended Lafayette High School near Oakland. However, one day we were

informed of a message from Mrs. Rosso, his lovely wife whom he met at

USC. She kindly informed one staff member that her husband was born in

Italy. It was Turin, Italy.

Rosso was a short, stocky guard who came to play under Stub Allison at

the University of California, Berkeley. He never boasted about his

achievements, so few ever knew much about his prized accomplishments. In

1939, he became an honored member of the All-Pacific Coast grid squad. We

discovered recently that Rosso could also boot field goals, if asked. He

recalls making one for Cal before his career ended. It had to be a crowd

pleaser.

In the same light, we once learned about Al Irwin’s ability to boot

field goals in prep days at Harbor High. He was one of the best fullbacks

in Southern California in 1935 and had made goals before, but the one we

asked about in ’35 found him relating that the kick never got off. It was

strange, he recalled. He was a drop-kicker. He had dropped the ball for a

kick, but it never came up, which prompts one to figure it must have hit

a rock and bounced away.

Although he was one of the best backs in the Southland in ‘35, he did

not receive any top honors beyond the Orange League. There were no “CIF�

honors until 1937.

Interesting to note that one day at OCC, Rosso and Irwin, along with a

number of other coaches, competed often in handball during the noon hour.

They were all good, but the late Steve Musseau always spoke highly of

Rosso’s talent and thought he was a good No. 1.

At any rate, one might assume that Irwin was born and raised in

Newport Beach where his father later started work on an ocean front hotel

near the pier. Irwin once smiled and said he wished that was true, but

made it clear he was born in Irwin, Calif., a town founded by his father.

His love has always been centered in Newport Beach where he still lives

on the ocean front.

Another interesting note from Irwin’s years of Harbor football was the

appearance of a Cee football coach in ‘35, Irwin’s senior year on the

varsity under Coach Ralph Reed.

Reed coached numerous sports, but couldn’t handle them all so he

called on a young fellow named George Myers in ’35 to take charge of the

lightweight Cees. Myers was only 18 years old and still a student, but

Reed believed in his talent. The Cees would not be in a league, but Myers

could teach them fundamentals and prepare them physically for the

following season.

The Bee coach was a former University of Redlands grid coach named Lee

Trine. The Bees had an outstanding season in ‘35, losing only one game.

In ‘36, however, Trine coached the Bees to the first football

championship for Harbor. And the team was superbly led by fullback Rollo

McClellan and quarterback Glenn O. Thompson. The ’36 team included two

sterling Sheflin brothers, Bob and Frank. Their brother, Harold, would

become the legendary CIF fullback in 1942, leading the Tars into the

small schools CIF playoffs.

Frank Sheflin was named to the second unit All-Southern California

team in 1939 while brother Harold would be named to the first All-CIF

fullback slot in ’42 and the third All-CIF fullback spot in 1941.