Eddie LeBaron named to Sac-Joaquin Section's inaugural HOF class

[fgoodwin]

Sac-Joaquin Section announces inaugural Hall of Fame class

April 21, 2010
By Bill Paterson

Some 25 athletes and 13 coaches are among the Sac-Joaquin Section's inaugural Hall of Fame class. There will be an induction banquet at Arco Arena in October, with the date to be determined.

EDDIE LeBARON, OAKDALE, 1946 (football, basketball): LeBaron, a football standout, was the 1946 Cal-Hi Sports state medium schools athlete of the year. He was also a two-time Cal-Hi state medium schools football player of the year. He's considered in a Cal-Hi feature to be one of the top 30 high school quarterbacks to ever come out of California.

At the College of the Pacific, LeBaron was a three-time Little all-American and was awarded the Pop Warner Trophy (for being the best college player on the Pacific Coast). He played both ways for the 1949 COP team, which finished 11-0 and is considered one of the best football teams in Pacific history.

He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He was the first starting quarterback in Cowboys franchise history and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. At 5-foot-7, he remains the shortest QB ever selected to the Pro Bowl.

He's a member of the College Football and Bay Area Halls of Fame.

[excerpted]