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Flashback: Good-bye Foothillers, Hello… Steel Tumbleweeds?

EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL / ALUMNI

 

By Nick Pellegrino
ECS Senior writer

FLETCHER HILLS – In the more than 100-year history of Grossmont High School football, the most legendary head coach may have been the school’s first successful coach: Jack Mashin, who served for a quarter-century from 1924-47.

In later years, Mashin also served as an assistant at Grossmont College. Thus, he has two fields — Mashin -Roth Memorial Field for the Griffins; Lt. Mitchell Memorial Field at Mashin Stadium for the Foothillers — named in his honor.

However, a few of the other 18 people to patrol the sidelines produced various amounts of sources. However, it can be argued, that the most multifaceted coach was Pat Roberts (1968-81, 1997-98).

Well-known to his players. Roberts,a deep-thinking individual, never was a big fan of the school’s timeless nickname, Foothillers. But rather than complain, Roberts was determined to do something about it.

In his second season in charge, his 1969 troops were presented with an actual mascot to, even just informally and/or unofficially, become the new moniker.

The new nickname:  the Steel Tumbleweeds.

Roberts even placed on display in the Grossmont locker room (see photo) a life-size tumbleweed made of metal for the team to rally around.

The story behind the tumbleweed — whoever created it and howw it came into the possession of Roberts is unclear.

Some former players from the era believed it was a perpetual trophy awarded to the winner of the game when Grossmont played the new Patrick  Henry High, located on the west side of Cowles Mountain.

Research by the Grossmont High School Museum states: “In the 1969 yearbook, the 1968 (football) team was described as the Foothillers. In the 1970 yearbook, the 1969 team was described as the “Steel Tumbleweeds”. In the 1971 yearbook, they were the 1970 “Razorbacks” as they were for the next couple of seasons.”

According to emails and Facebook posts from alumni of the area, plus source information like the Grossmont High School Museum, San Diego Prep Sports History, The San Diego Union (and more), there was plenty of weirdness when training camp opened at the “top of the Grossmont summit” in August, with plenty of dry plants rolling around the campus that hot summer.

The Tumbleweeds idea was cute, yet Roberts really wanted to dump the Hillers name and switch to something more well-known in college athletics: the Razorbacks.

There is no known connection between Roberts and the University of Arkansas — apparently, Roberts simply enjoyed the nickname — so he referred to the proposed name for the next few years before fizzling.

At present, the school remains known as the Foothillers and has never been changed over the school’s 100-plus-year history.

Sure, the schools colors have been altered — Grossmont was originally Green & White, which later became the colors when Helix High opened its doors in 1952 (says Wikipedia) — but Roberts was well-documented for interesting quotes.

On the San Diego Prep Sports History website, operated by former San Diego Union-Tribune sportswriter Rick Davis, he noted a famous statement Roberts made to Union writer Bill Center.

Roberts’ description of his linemen, as written by Center, stated: “We’re so slow, we’d drown in a car wash.”

Who knows what Roberts would state about the current Foothillers, which haven’t won a large league title or defeated rival Helix since 1991 (they did win the 2005 Grossmont North League title, sans Helix from the schedule).

Links

Grossmont High School Museum

San Diego Prep Sports History

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