Redwood Alumni

Kip was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Redwood (1989-92). He was named All MCAL three years in both football and baseball and All Bay Area for football his senior year. He was team captain in football and baseball and team MVP in football for three years. Kip was named 1st team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, referred to as the “Dream Team”. He received Division 1 scholarship offers from many schools in both football and baseball. Kip decided to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a baseball scholarship. He also played on the football team at UNC and was a senior captain. Kip was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 1992 draft. Kip is married to DeAnna, his college sweetheart, they’ve raised their three children in Marin. He’s had a successful career in finance and has returned to Redwood as a football coach.

Cory Shakarian '90 lettered three times in each of the three sports he played, and was all-MCAL in football (1988, ‘89), basketball ('90) and baseball ('88, '89, '90), as well as being team captain and team MVP in each sport in his senior year. In 1990 he was also named the Marn Athletic League's male outstanding student athlete from Redwood. He is member of the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating he played baseball for one year at COM and two years at Michigan.

Mike Firenzi graduated from Redwood High School in 1983. Mike is one of RHS’s finest examples of giving back and has now spent 10 years (going on 11) as Redwood’s head varsity baseball coach. In that period, he has amassed an RHS resume that harkens back to Redwood’s dominance of the Al Endriss era: a 184 win -72 loss RHS record, one North Coast Section championship, 5 MCAL titles, 1 NCS runner-up, and 1 Nor-Cal runner-up. These numbers are even more impressive given that there were no playoffs in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid. In addition to his time as varsity coach, Mike logged four seasons at Redwood as an assistant varsity coach (1987, 2012-2014) and two seasons as the Frosh-Soph head coach (1988-89) for a total of16 years mentoring Redwood student athletes. In addition to coaching, he has been a leader in the charge to refurbish both fields at Redwood, turning the Varsity field (Moody field) into one of best diamonds in the North Bay. Mike can usually be found on the RHS diamonds doing everything from pulling weeds to cleaning dugouts. Mike’s efforts at Redwood are the definition of commitment. It’s also worth noting that Mike has become the most successful high school baseball coach in Marin County history and was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. In 30 years of coaching at Marin County high schools, he has amassed a 537-207 record …That’s a .721 winning percentage. In that time, he has won 5 NCS championships, 13 MCAL titles and never missed the MCAL playoffs. More than 80 of Mikes players have gone on to play in college, 9 were drafted by Major League teams and 2 have played professional ball in Europe. There is no shortage of players who will describe the countless ways Mike helped them through challenging times, drawing from his own experiences to talk to them at a level they respect and value. All of Mike’s efforts and accomplishments reflect very well on Redwood, but even more than the numbers Mike has been the consummate role model to his players, helping them to become better ballplayers and more importantly, better young men.

Chad Kreuter ’82 played three years of baseball at Redwood (1980-82) and was named three times to the All MCAL team. In 1982, he was named to the Northern California All-Star team and the California All-Star team. He also played football and basketball during his three years at Redwood . In 1981 and 1982, he was named to the All MCAL and All CIF varsity football teams. In varsity basketball, he earned All MCAL team honors in 1982. He won a baseball scholarship to Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, and was a member of the Team USA that played in the 1984 World Games in Cuba. He spent 19 years as a professional baseball player, including 15 years as a centerfielder at the AAA level, playing for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He later became baseball coach at USC.

Matt Morrison ’80 was a three-year RHS letterman in baseball and 2-Time All-MCAL. He was a member of the 1978 NCS Championship team. He was also a two-year letterman in football and 2-Time All-MCAL in that sport.. He was senior team captain in both sports. He lettered four years on the UCLA baseball team with a .303 career average. He was voted UCLA’s Most Inspirational Player in 1983 and won the team Hustle Award in ’84. He signed with the Texas Rangers after college. He began his journalism career with The UCLA Daily Bruin in 1984 and continued through 30+ years as a well-known sports broadcaster for several television outlets including CNN Sports, FOX, and Comcast Sports Bay Area. He served as a special assistant for Team USA Swimming when his daughter Marin Morrison competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

Pitcher Mickey Meister played four years on the varsity baseball team, pitching 11-1 in 1977, 15-0 1979. He was a three time MCAL 1st team member and a two time prep All-American, 1978-79. He won 39 games in his career, which was at that time the 2nd best in state history. He was selected to All California team and was named MVP of the series played against Oklahoma All Stars. He was drafted in 11th round by Boston Red Sox in 1979 but opted to accept a scholarship to USC. He was later drafted by Seattle Mariners in the 11th round 1983. He is a member of the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2006 at the age 44.

Jim excelled at football and baseball at RHS. On the baseball diamond he was a standout and was a three years RHS Varsity letterman. He was a two time All-MCAL Pitcher and a team leader of the RHS 1978 and 1979 MCAL NCS Championship teams. In 1979 he was selected as a Northern Cal All Star and played in the All California North v. South game. He was a great pitcher and pitched 5 no-hitters for Redwood in the 1978 and ’79 seasons. In his senior season he won 13 and lost 2 and had an ERA of 1.91 with 3 no hitters. Off the mound Jim was a versatile, defensive standout playing both 3rd Base and Left Field. Offensively he was very dangerous. He hit 6 Home Runs in each of the ‘78 and ‘79 seasons and ended his senior season with a batting average of .447. Jim was drafted by the pros out of high School but chose to play for Pepperdine University. While at Pepperdine he started 2 seasons, and was a SoCal area All Star. He led Pepperdine in Home Runs, hitting 18 out of the park in his final season. Jim was selected in the Pro Baseball draft in four successive years. He was drafted by Kansas City twice, then drafted by Milwaukee. He finally signed with the Oakland A’s who drafted him as a Catcher in the 11th Round. Jim was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.

Buddy Biancalana ‘78 played baseball all four of his years at Redwood, 1975 through 1978, garnering local and national honors along the way. In 1977 he was named to the Mythical National Champion Team, a squad composed of the best high school baseball players in America. In his senior year, he was named simultaneously to the NCS and California State All-Star teams, and to the first team of the Worth All American squad. Weeks later, he was drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Royals of the American league and played in his first Major League game in September 1982. Biancalana played shortstop for the Royals from 1982 to 1987, and finished his big league career with the Houston Astros in 1987. In the fabled 1985 World Series that the Royals pulled out against the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3, Biancalana, who had played only 35 regular season games, capped an error-free 14-game post-season effort with a .278 batting average and an on-base percentage of .435. Today, he participates as a partner in a sports consultancy that teaches athletes how to attain by designing the peak moments that they usually experience by chance. Clients have included the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and other professional and amateur athletes.

Greg was part of the Prep All American Baseball Team in 1977, a two time all MCAL first team while batting .510 in senior year, setting school and MCAL records. He received a full scholarship to CAL where he was four year starter and a member of the 1980 College World Series championship team. He was drafted by New York Yankees 1981.

Jim was a three year Varsity Letterman in Football, Basketball, and Baseball. As a senior, he was named team captain in all three sports. An excellent all around team player, Jim accumulated many awards playing for RHS: 1975 First Team, All-MCAL in Football; 1976 All-MCAL, First Team in Football, Baseball and Honorable Mention in Basketball; 1977 All-MCAL, First Team in Baseball and Honorable Mention in Basketball; 1977 All-State First Team in Baseball. His RHS Baseball teams won MCAL championships in 1975, ’76, ’77 as well as the NCS Championship in 1977. Those same Giants were also named (mythical) 1977 National HS Champions by USA Today. After Redwood Jim attended USC and continued baseball as a four year Varsity Letterman, which included playing on the NCAA National Championship Team in 1978. Jim graduated from USC in 1981 and was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Frank grew up in Mill Valley and played baseball at Tam for two years before transferring to Redwood in 1975. He was a baseball "specialist”, a southpaw / starting pitcher who did not play other sports or positions. He was about 5-10, stocky at 180-185 pounds and possessed a dominant heater. He made All-MCAL in 1975 as a junior but in 1976 Frank had one of the greatest single seasons in prep sports history. Except for Redwood’s loss to Pleasant Hill in the NCS title game, the 1976 Giants (30-3) may well have also been named national champions, as the 1977 squad was. Frank had a mid-90s fastball, a solid curve and excellent control. In 1976 his record was 17-1, with a 0.91 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 95 innings. Frank pitched a no-hitter vs. San Marin at Albert Field and struck out 17 against Eureka in the NCS play-offs. He was selected All-MCAL, All-State and All-American and played in the California North-South All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. Frank was a good student, team leader and popular guy who always put teammates ahead of his own glory. He was drafted by the SF Giants in 1976 but elected to play at Central Arizona JC, where he was 8-4, made JC All-American and was the number one pick in the 1977 winter draft by the Minnesota Twins. Instead of going pro he elected to accept a full ride to play for the legendary Augie Garrido, at Cal State Fullerton, but sustained an injury and was unable to play. He later was signed by Baltimore and played at Miami of the Florida State League, but his injuries were too severe to continue. Otherwise, Frank had the stuff to play in the big leagues.

Ed was the ace of Redwood’s pitching staff in an era that saw RHS win 10 consecutive MCAL baseball championships under Coach Al Endriss. Andersen was a four year varsity player for the Giants compiling a 38-5 record while posting a RHS career 1.25 earned-run average. Ed went 3-1 as a freshman and 7-3 as a sophomore, including a “perfect game”. He really hit his stride as an upperclassman and was literally unbeatable as a junior, posting a 14-0 record. He went 14-1 in his senior year, adding his second no-hitter. Ed was also a three-time all-MCAL first-team selection. He added a Tournament of Champions (“TOC”) first-team selection in 1973 and the TOC MVP honor in 1974. The TOC of that period is the equivalent of today’s NCS championship format. After high school, Ed was drafted in the second round with the No. 38th pick, by the Houston Astros. Andersen pitched six seasons in the minor leagues for Astros affiliates and one season with a Yankees affiliate. In addition to his baseball career, Andersen also played football at Redwood as a linebacker and a running back with the Giants for Coach Phil Roark. In his junior year he was selected 1st Team All-MCAL as a linebacker but did not play in his senior year to focus on baseball. Ed was also inducted into the Marin County Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame in 2024.

Dwight received the E.E. Boyden award in 1975 as the Most Outstanding Senior Athlete. He played a unique trio of sports while at RHS, lettering in water polo, wrestling and baseball. Dwight was captain of his water polo and wrestling teams. He was an All-League goalie and recorded two shutouts. He was a varsity wrestler all four years qualifying for the NCS championships three of those years. His sophomore year he was part of the league championship team. His senior season he led the team in wins (24), set a school record for pins in a season with 15, was undefeated in league dual meets and scored 120 team points. Unfortunately, a knee injury in the third round of the NCS cut his season short. In baseball Dwight played third base and was on the league championship team his senior year. Upon graduation, he attended Cal Poly SLO where he competed in water polo and rugby, graduating with honors in 1980. In 1979 and 1980 he was selected to the Tri Counties rugby side and in 1980 received a tryout with the Southern California Griffins. Dwight had a distinguished post college career as a teacher, coach, and athletic director at Arroyo Grande HS from 1984 to 2017. In 2012 his girls’ basketball team won the CIF Southern Section Championship and Dwight was named the 3AAA Coach of the Year. In 2019 he was inducted into the Arroyo Grande HS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Daryl was one of the standout leaders of RHS’s championship Football and Baseball teams in the early ‘70’s. In Baseball, as a stellar second baseman he was All MCAL ‘72 and ’73. In Football he played Halfback both ways and was All MCAL in ’71, ‘72 and ’73. As a Junior he was selected Marin Athlete of the Year by the Italian Athletic Club of Marin and as a Senior he was named Marin County’s Co-Athlete of the Year by KTIM Sports. He accepted a Football scholarship to U of Hawaii (UH) and played four years for the Rainbow Warriors. After his playing days he coached at UH from ’79 to ‘91. From ’91 to ‘06 he coached for five different CFL teams. These included three Grey Cup (CFL Superbowl) wins with Baltimore in ‘95 and Toronto in ‘96 and ‘97. As of this writing Daryl is teaching high school in Canada, specializing in Geography, Special Ed and Phys Ed.

Michael “Mike” Douglas Connor ‘73 was All MCAL in the three sports he played (football, basketball and baseball) from 1968 to 1973, earning a varsity letter in each of them, and at one time or another was team captain of each. His senior year was his “honey year,” especially in football when he was named to the All State team by Cal Prep magazine and several other periodicals. He played on the 1973 Northern California football squad in the Shriner’s Game against Southern California, and the San Francisco Examiner named him its High School Athlete of the Year. In other all-star appearances, Connor played on the Marin County baseball all star team that faced off against a squad of its Sonoma County all stars in 1973, and he played on the all-star football team that represented southern Marin County against northern Marin County in the same year. He was named a Scholar Athlete in all three of his sports. That academic bent, along with his football abilities won him a full scholarship to Stanford University, where he lettered in varsity football for four years, 1973-76.

Scott grew up in Tiburon Ca. and attended RHS from 1967-1971. Scott played Baseball and Basketball for Redwood. He was a very good Baseball player but he really excelled in Basketball and was captain on his Frosh, JV and Varsity Basketball teams. In his junior and senior seasons his Basketball teams were undefeated Champions in the MCAL. He was All MCAL Honorable Mention in his junior year and 1st Team All-MCAL as a senior. In addition in spring 1971 he was honored as RHS’s Senior Athlete of the Year, KTIM’s all Marin County Senior Athlete of the Year and the SF Examiners – All North Bay 1st Team. He received a full scholarship to Stanford and was a 4 year Basketball Letterman. In his senior year, Stanford was nationally ranked at #15 and Scott was selected to the All-Tourney Team at the New Mexico Lobo Classic. He was also one of the very few Marin Basketball Athletes to be drafted by the NBA (Warriors,1975). Instead of playing for the Warriors he went on to play professional Basketball in France for three years. He continues to be fluent in French.

Tom was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Redwood. He played Basketball for two years and both Football and Baseball for four. In Baseball he was a hard throwing pitcher / first baseman and a great hitter. He played on RHS’s MCAL Champs teams in ’69 and ’70 and was selected All-MCAL in ’70. In Football he played tackle on both offense and defense and was selected All MCAL O-Line in the ’68 and ’69 seasons. In ’69 he was also selected to the All North Coast and All NorCal teams and played in the North South HS All Star game. Tom got a full scholarship to play football at Washington State U and played offensive guard for 4 years. He was selected All Pac 8 and in ’73 played in the East West Shrine All Star game as well as the Coaches All-American game. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in ’74. After the Dolphins Tom went on to play with New Orleans Saints and the KC Chiefs. He retired from the NFL in 1978 and was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Roger was a superbly focused Redwood student, leader and star athlete in both Basketball and Baseball. A rarity in those days Roger played at varsity level in both sports for his sophomore through senior years. He led the basketball team to MCAL Championships both his junior and senior years posting an MCAL record of 27-1 for the two seasons. In his senior season Roger posted a league leading 16.3 points per game to lead the team to a 17-0 record while earning first team All MCAL honors. RAHOF’s RHS Coach - Dick Hart said… “He’s one of the best shooters to ever play for RHS.” “He’s a top kid…Never loses focus or temper…Not flashy, he just always plays well.” In Baseball, Roger played Pitcher and OF during his three varsity seasons. His specialty was pitching. He shared the #1 Starting Pitcher’s role as a junior and took sole possession in his senior year. In 1970 he led the team to a 13-1 MCAL championship record. His 1970 season W-L record was 9-1 with a 2.25 ERA. Almost indestructible, he miraculously took the mound in all 14 MCAL games and won first team All MCAL honors. Roger won an athletic appointment to the US Naval Academy and went on to serve 22 years as a “cold war” Submarine Operations Program Captain for the US Navy.(2018) Roger Smith ‘70:

John Boro ’70 was an outstanding athlete in both basketball and baseball. In Varsity basketball, he was 2nd-team All-League his junior year, and 1st team All-League his senior year. He was part of the MCAL ’69and ‘70 Championship varsity baseball teams, leading the league in home runs and RBIs. John played 3 years of basketball at USF where he led the team in assists and to the NCAA tournament two times. He received Honorable Mention all-conference his senior year. Sports Illustrated called him the best sixth man in the country! He’s a member of the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame.

Jerry Piro ‘70 was first team all league for two years in basket ball, league MVP, and 3rd team all NorCal. He was also first team all league in baseball. At Santa Clara University he played four years of basketball and was two-time team captain. After college he played professionally in Europe, head basketball coach at Marin Catholic, Branson and most recently Redwood. He is a 1993 inductee in to the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame.

Pete Carroll, 1969, was a triple-threat athlete who lettered in football (he played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back), basketball and baseball, and was named Senior Athlete of the Year in 1969. After Redwood, Carroll first attended College of Marin, lettering in football there in 1970, then the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he majored in business. At UOP Carroll was named twice as a free safety to the All-Pacific Coast Conference(UOP inducted Carroll into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995). Carroll is the most successful Division 1 college football coach in the modern era, having led the University of Southern California since 2000 to an astonishing 88-15 record—a winning percentage of 85 percent. He has spent over 20 years in the National Football League, now coaching the Seattle Seahawks. He led them to the Super Bowl victory in 2014.

Jim Peters ’69 played three years at varsity level in all three traditional sports: football, basketball, baseball, lettering each year and winning all-league honors in each. In his senior year, his teammates on all three teams honored him by naming him as their co-captain. In 1969, Redwood named him as its Senior Athlete of the Year. Marin’s beloved KTIM radio station extended a similar honor, awarding Peters as its Outstanding Senior Athlete. Peters went on to compete on College of Marin’s football team in 1969 and 1970. During his two-year stint there he was named COM’s Outstanding Athlete both years, and co-captained the team in 1970. From there, Peters played at St. Mary’s College in Moraga in 1971 and 1972. He was twice named his division’s Northern California Player of the Week in 1972. Peters also returned to Baseball at St. Mary’s, playing on the varsity team in 1972 and 1973. He was named St. Mary’s College President’s Scholar Athlete for 1973. Peters solid athletic career was capped in 1990 when he was inducted into the Marin High School Hall of Fame.

Ken Johnson ‘68 was selected as an all-league player in football (1965 and 1966), basketball (1968) and baseball (1966, 1967, and 1968). In 1968 Johnson was Northern California Baseball Player of the Year. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees organization for five years after being selected in the baseball draft as the 24th overall pick in 1968. After his professional career, Johnson turned to coaching in the state of Washington. He was named High School Coach of the Year twice and then won seven Conference Titles and seven Coach of the Year awards as head coach of Walla Walla Community College between 1989 and 1999. Johnson is a member of both the Washington State Baseball Hall of Fame and the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame.

Kevin Wilson ‘67, a football, basketball, and baseball player at Redwood High School in 1965 and 1967. He was selected as a first team MCAL baseball player in 1967 as he led the Giants to the league championship that season as an undefeated pitcher. Wilson was an all-conference outfielder for College of Marin in 1968 and 1969. In 1969 he also was the quarterback who led COM to the conference championship and State playoffs.

Russell Smith ‘66 played on Redwood's first league championship teams in basketball (starting guard, leading scorer and 1st team all league senior year) and baseball (1st team all-league outfielder junior and senior years). In 1966 he was one of KTIM's outstanding athletes. At COM he played 2 years of basketball, all conference in 1968, 1 year of baseball and 1 year of golf and then 2 years of basketball at UC Davis, graduating with a degree in civil engineering.

Richard "Butch" Brear ’61 came to Redwood when it opened in ’58 and was a football, basketball and baseball player. He was a football player on the undefeated MCAL championship team at Redwood in 1959, a two -time MCAL All-League selection in basketball, as well as winning All-League honors in baseball. Brear was named Redwood's Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1961 and he went on to play at Stanford University where he earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965. Brear was elected to the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

Al Endriss (1958-1993) Baseball Coach—Endriss is the man who forever put Redwood High School in people’s minds as a baseball powerhouse. Although he coached football for 15 years, it was his 21-year stint as the school’s varsity baseball coach that he is know for. His record of 472 wins and 119 losses was equivalent to an astounding four wins for every game lost. His teams won 12 MCAL championships, including a remarkable eight-year run 1972 -1979. His teams appeared in the North Coast sectional playoffs six times, and brought home NCS titles three times, in 1977, 1978 and 1980. At the height of Endriss’s tenure in 1977, Redwood was named “Mythical National Champion.” Perhaps the crowning achievement was when Sporting News named the Redwood High varsity baseball team as the “Team of the Decade” for the 1970s. He was named North Coast Section Coach of the Year in 1974 and 1975, and California Coach of the Year in 1976. That same year his peers nationwide named him to their highest honor, National High School Coach of the Year. From 1982 through 1987, Endriss coached the College of Marin baseball team to six league championships and 10 appearances at the junior college state tournament. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system for three years, 1949 through 1951, then came west in 1952 to play with the San Francisco 49ers before becoming a coach and teacher. After retirement, he coached both French and German national baseball teams in international tournaments, including a 1998 game against an American team at a competition in Spain.