Services for Jeff Staggs will be held at the Immaculate on the University of San Diego campus on Friday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m.

A celebration of life follows at the San Diego State Hall of Fame center on campus.

A legion of friends remember and mourn Staggs, who passed away at age 70 at his home on Mt. Helix Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014.

He was one of the all-time players to come out of Point Loma High and went on to be a third-round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers and to play eight seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Chargers, from 1967-74.

Staggs became a starting tackle and defensive lineman as a junior at Point Loma and made all-Western League at fullback as a senior in 1961.

Early in that season Pointers coach Bennie Edens had an idea.

He re-positioned Staggs but didn’t want Pointers opponents to know, especially when they were scouting the Pointers and watching their game film.

So Edens instructed that Staggs be given a different jersey and number each week during the season.

What Edens may not have considered was that it was impossible to hide a 235-pounder who could run with the fastest players in the Western League.

Staggs was an all-Pacific Southwest Conference tight end and Junior College All-America on San Diego City College’s 9-1 championship team of 1964.

The Knights, coached by Harry West, overcame a three-touchdown deficit in the second half to defeat Orange Coast College, 28-24, in the Elks Bowl in San Bernardino.

Staggs caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Berry that gave San Diego City a 21-18 lead.

Staggs moved on to Don Coryell’s team at San Diego State and, after his junior season in 1965, was selected as a “future” in the third round of the American Football League draft by the Chargers.

He was one of five Aztec players from the 11-0, 1966 national College Division championship squad that were drafted into the NFL.

Staggs became a starting linebacker as a rookie with the Chargers in 1967.

He was runner-up to Houston’s George Webster in voting for the AFL defensive rookie of the year.

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis once personally complimented Staggs for his play against the Buffalo Bills’ O.J. Simpson, who at the time was the leading AFL receiver coming out of the back field.

The rangy Staggs covered Simpson on at least eight plays and the Bills’ star caught one pass for eight yards.

Jeff also played for the Los Angeles Rams and St. Louis Cardinals before concluding his career with the Chargers in 1974.

Those who saw Staggs play on four levels of football for more than a decade in San Diego remember him as athletic, tough and pugnacious.

He was not afraid to mix it up.

Fifty-one years ago almost to the week, San Diego football players sweltered.

It was hotter in 1963 than in 2014.

Let’s try that again.

It was hotter in 1963 than in 2014.

Incongruous as its sounds given the recent scorchers, the weather this week was not as warm it was in that long-ago September.

Back then Hoover and Helix, the presumed best teams in the San Diego Section, geared up for an early-season, Friday night battle that figured to set the tone for the playoffs weeks later.

The temperature in San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 27, 1963, was a record-setting 111 degrees, with 6 per cent humidity.

On game day the high was 104.  I worked the sideline at Hoover that night and remember it must have been at least 95 at kickoff.

Hoover’s Rick Shaw drove the Cardinals 77 yards to the winning touchdown with 3:02 to play in a 14-13 game.

Shaw completed only 9 of 23 passes but they went for 228 yards and a touchdown as Shaw outdueled Helix’ Joe Lavage, who hit on 16 of 20 for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

FAST FORWARD HALF CENTURY

Helix is No. 1 again in this week’s UT-San Diego poll, although Oceanside gained a little ground on the Highlanders, idle last week.

Helix’ first place votes dropped from 16 to 14 and Oceanside’s went from 3 to 5.

Hoover, years removed from Roy Engle’s fine teams of the early ‘sixties, has prospered lately under the solid command of coach  Jerry Ralph.

Looking back, Hoover (7-2-1) was upset by El Capitan, 27-12, in the 1963 playoffs.

Helix, losing, 20-0, to Mount  Miguel in the regular-season finale, finished 6-2 and lost the league title to El Cap.

Kearny, shutout by Hoover, 25-0, in the season opener, defeated El Capitan, 20-6, for the championship.

3 LOCALS GAIN IN STATE

Helix (10), Oceanside (11) and Mission Hills (20) each moved up one spot in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports State Top 25.

The Scots should get tested this week by recovering Cathedral.  The Dons, after a 55-10 blowout loss to Cal-Hi No. 5 Folsom in their opener, have won two in a row.

Oceanside, building a resume for the San Diego Section and beyond postseason, topped a solid Temecula Chaparral squad, 33-0, and visits San Pasqual.

Mission Hills is home to Poway.

ELIJAH’S  SONG

The musiical piece of the same name was written in 1994, popularized by Neil Diamond, and essentially was one of hope.

Elijah Preston gives St. Augustine plenty of the latter, but his 295 yards rushing and five touchdowns weren’t quite enough as the Saints dropped a historic intersectional game to Los Angeles Loyola, 42-35.

The Cubs’ first home game since 1949 was a trial run for the school’s anniversary of 150 years in 2015.

St. Augustine was one of the teams to play at Loyola 65 years ago, but school officials, seeking to determine if the Saints were the last team to play a game on  the Los Angeles school’s field, could only determine that all home games were played on campus that year.

Still, it made for a gala night as a packed house of more than 4,000 in temporary bleachers gave Loyola priests an opportunity to guage the feasibility of constructing permanent seats for next season.

RUBBING IT IN?

Writer Kirk Kenney was alert to stadium sounds.

When Mission Hills kicked short after taking a 30-0 lead over host Bonita Vista with one minute left in the half, the home public address announcer peevishly took note:

“There’s that “Pursuing Victory With Honor” onside kick.”

The Grizzlies actually lightened up in the second half and cruised, 37-0. 

NORTH COUNTY HOPEFULS

San Marcos, 3-0 for the first time since 1984 and a resident of the top 10, takes on Fallbrook, 3-0 for the first time since 1999.

If the Knights top the Warriors, San Marcos will be in position to make a run at its 7-0 start in ’84.  Coach Ken Broach’s team finished with an 8-3 record.

QUICK KICKS

San Diego Section teams were 10-14 in major intersectional games after losses by St. Augustine, Valley Center (40-30 to Redwood City Sequoia) and Eastlake (17-16 to Los Alamitos) and Mar Vista’s 42-6 win at Santa Cruz Harbor…senior George Caragiannides never had played a down until two weeks ago, but was pressed into service and completed 18 of 31 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns in Grossmont’s 45-27 loss to Ramona…Cathedral scored on two field goals and a safety to defeat Torrey Pines, 8-7….

*Awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
NR: not ranked.
Others receiving votes: Otay Ranch, 14; Sweetwater, 9; Granite Hills, Eastlake, 8 each; Steele Canyon, 7; La Costa Canyon, 6; Christian, 2; Mount Miguel, Fallbrook, 1 each.

Nineteen sportswriters, sportscasters, and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Kirk Kenney, UT-San Diego;
Terry Monahan, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff (UT-San Diego correspondents);
Bill Dickens (eastcountysports.com);
Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions);
John Kentera, Ted Mendenhall, Bob Petinak, (The Mighty 1090);
Jerry Schniepp (CIF San Diego Section);
Rick Willis, Brandon Stone, (KUSI-TV);
Bruce Ward (San Diego City Schools);
Rick Smith (partletonsports.com);
Steve (Biff) Dolan, Rick (Red) Hill (Mountain Country 107.9 FM);
Bodie DeSilva (Sandiegopreps.com);
Drew Smith (sdcoastalsports.com).

Blown out 63-6 and 84-6 in its first two games, Calipatria appears to have given up more points in successive games than any 11-man team in the history of San Diego County and San Diego Section football.

History in this case goes back to 1893, when the first reported game was San Diego High’s 8-0 win over the YMCA and noted in Don King’s outstanding publication “Caver Conquest,” the history of San Diego High sports.

There have been almost 47,000 reported football scores since.

Several 6-man and 8-man football games have topped the 147 points the Hornets surrendered in losses to Silver Valley of Yermo (6-63), near Barstow, and CETY’s of Mexicali, Mexico (6-84).

But research indicates the closest any 11-man team has come is the 129 given up by Crawford to Lincoln (0-69) and Ramona (0-60) in 2008.  Montgomery  allowed 128 in 1970 in losses to Chula Vista (0-65) and San Marcos (0-63).

HELIX AND OCEANSIDE GAIN

Impressive performances in the Honor Bowl series last week elevated Helix from 15th to 11th in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports poll and Oceanside from 16th to 12th.  Christian is No. 1 in Division II in the South and El Capitan is third in D-III.

Mission Hills remained 21st in the State top 25.

Helix had 16 first-place votes and Oceanside the other three as the two big shots from opposite points of the County are beginning to separate from the rest of  the Top 10 in the UT-San Diego poll.

Helix gained only one point to 187 but Oceanside gained 41 to 174, while No. 3 Mission Hills dropped 35 points to 123.  St. Augustine was static with 120 points at No. 4.

A revived Cathedral picked up 28 points for a total of 97 and is No. 5.

Big game this week has St. Augustine at Los Angeles Loyola, which is installing lights, running bus shuttles from Pershing Square, setting up temporary bleachers for 4,000 persons, charging $15 for available parking, and celebrating its first home game since 1949.

Don’t make the trip unless you have a ticket. None will be sold at the gate.

Coincidentally, St. Augustine was the visiting team for a Southland Catholic League  game with Loyola on Oct. 22, 1949.

Whether that game was played at Loyola or at one of the Cubs’ other “home” playing sites is not known,  but it remains as  one of the final games  in the last 65 years on the near-downtown-L.A. campus located at Venice Blvd. and Normandie Avenue.

Other intersectionals send Mar Vista to Santa  Cruz Harbor, Eastlake to Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium to play Los Alamitos, and Oceanside to Temecula Chaparral.

*Awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
NR: not ranked.
Others receiving votes: San Marcos, 14; Carlsbad, 13; La Costa Canyon, Sweetwater, 7 each; Otay Ranch, 6; Westview, 5; Poway, 2; Steele Canyon, 1.

Nineteen sportswriters, sportscasters, and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Kirk Kenney, UT-San Diego;
Terry Monahan, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff (UT-San Diego correspondents);
Bill Dickens (eastcountysports.com);
Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions);
John Kentera, Ted Mendenhall, Bob Petinak, (The Mighty 1090);
Jerry Schniepp (CIF San Diego Section);
Rick Willis, Brandon Stone, (KUSI-TV);
Bruce Ward (San Diego City Schools);
Rick Smith (partletonsports.com);
Steve (Biff) Dolan, Rick (Red) Hill (Mountain Country 107.9 FM);
Bodie DeSilva (Sandiegopreps.com);
Drew Smith (sdcoastalsports.com).

Rick Jackson’s program at Madison took off in 2008.  The Warhawks are 66-9-1 since and success is noted everywhere.

The school, hard by I-805 and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, has a modern, aluminium stadium that hosted about 4,000 persons Friday night when the opponent was St. Augustine.

Multiple signage points out the Warhawks’ state division championships in 2010 and ’12.

The Madison logo is of NFL quality and stunningly displayed from both sides of the 50-yard line.

Electric scoreboards at each end of the stadium provide essential game information. At $5, the game program was worth the purchase.

Most important, the Warhawks are led by the seasoned Kareem Coles, a slick, lefthanded quarterback.

And despite a second straight loss, 36-29 to the Saints, Jackson’s team should contend again for a Western League championship.

NICE COMEBACK, BUT…

Madison trailed throughout, at 14-0, and 28-14, but scored with more than four minutes remaining and then successfully converted a two-point conversion to go ahead, 29-28.

Richard Sanchez’s Saints retook the lead with a little more than a minute left in the game.

And that’s when it got interesting.

TO TAKE THE BALL, OR…

The Saints opted to “pooch” the kickoff in an attempt to keep the ball away from Shaheed Madyun, who had taken a kickoff 92 yards to the house in the first half.

Andrew Seelert’s kickoff went out of bounds, however, and Madison had a choice:  Take the ball at its 35-yard line or move the Saints back from their 40 and have them re-kick from the 35, hopefully improving the Warhawks’ field position.

DO IT AGAIN

Madison chose to have St. Augustine kick again.  Seelert, who had been kicking short of the end zone all night, boomed one that went through the end zone for an automatic touchback.

There was no possible return for Madyun and Madison now took over on its 20 with 1:09 left.

Kareem Coles’ pass was intercepted on second down.

Ball game.

TRAVELING BAND

St. Augustine students and boosters overwhelmed the approximate 1,000-seat visiting section at Madison and were forced to standing room on the ramps.

The Saints “travel” as well as anyone in the San Diego Section.

INTERSECTIONALS? PIECE OF CAKE

San Diego County teams made a dramatic comeback on the intersectional circuit after some first-week disasters.

Local squads were 3-0 in Honor Bowl games at Oceanside and 4-0 in the major divisions.

Cathedral, trailing, 14-7, at halftime beat regarded Westlake Village Oaks Christian, 28-21. Helix topped Loomis Del Oro, 34-10, and Oceanside handled Mission Viejo, 24-6.

La Costa Canyon rebounded and dispatched Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills, 34-7.

Through two weeks, County schools are 9-13 against  California, Arizona, Utah,  and Hawaii.

The record also includes two lower division losses this week, Army-Navy losing to Temecula Rancho Christian, 36-6, and Santa Fe Christian falling to Santa Barbara Bishop Diego, 20-16.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME?

That a team outscored an opponent, 84-6, as did CETY’s of Mexicali, Mexico, against Calipatria?

San Diego in 1916 crushed Orange, 84-6.

Calipatria has surrendered 152 points in its first two games.

THRILL OF VICTORY, AGONY OF DEFEAT

The day after had to be miserable for Tracy McNair.

The Morse coach watched his team seemingly clinch a 12-9 victory with 15.4 seconds left in the game.

But on the next play Scripps Ranch backup quarterback  Kyle Mullen combined with receiver Jay Numanlia-zone on a 65-yard touchdown  pass play with 2.1 remaining and the Falcons escaped with a 16-12 victory.

QUICK KICKS

Jackson, who became head coach in 2005, was 24-18 in his first three seasons at Madison and that included an 0-10 disaster in 2006…Jackson’s  overall record is 90-29-1…Madison’s enrollment is about 1,200 for four grades…at one point in the ‘seventies Madison was second only to Patrick Henry…the Warhawks counted more than 3,800 students for three grades in 1972-73…they’re 41 miles apart and don’t see each other very often…when San Marcos defeated host Chula Vista, 41-34, it marked the teams’ first meeting since 1995… Rancho Bernardo, 2-19 in 2012 and ’13, and 7-25 since ’11,  is 2-0 for the first time since ’10 and has scored 73 points in two games….

Dr. Tebb Kusserow, an all Southern California lineman at Santa Monica High in 1960, is involved with the Samohi Archival Project and provided this rare footage of a Southern Section playoff in 1954 between San Diego High (dark uniforms) and Santa Monica at Corsair field on the Santa Monica College campus.

Led by future NFL quarterback Lee Grosscup, Santa Monica defeated San Diego, 14-13, and moved on to the semifinals of the postseason in search of their third consecutive championship. The Vikings were eliminated the next week  by Glendale Hoover.

Many of the losing Cavers came back the following season to win the championship, but they were a year away in 1954.

This video has many plays in the game, on a field heavy and wet from recent  rain.