The Sportswalk to the Waterfront, San Pedro’s answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, announced this year’s slate of athletic inductees. The highlight of this year’s ceremony, on October 13, will be the inclusion of Sportswalk’s first former United States president when Gerald Ford is posthumously awarded the Pat Tillman Award for Courage. President Ford played college football at the University of Michigan and served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  

Sportswalk will this year bestow two men with the Tillman Award. In addition to President Ford, San Pedro native Eddy Mascitto will receive the honor. Mascitto played college football for Navy and served our nation in the Vietnam War.

Another first this year will be the induction of twins, Heather and Heidi Burge. The Palos Verdes natives played college basketball at the University of Virginia and professionally in the Women’s National Basketball Association. 

This year’s local award recipients, both natives of San Pedro, are Bob Benedetti and John “Red” Zar. Benedetti played college basketball at the University of Southern California and Zar coached several future major league baseball players during his 22 years as a local coach. Zar is this year’s honoree with the Trani Award for contribution to local athletics. And last, but definitely not least, Sportswalk will induct the Los Angeles Dodgers all-time great shortstop Maury Wills.

The induction ceremony, which takes place at 10am on October 13^th, will recognize these great athletes with the installation of a bronze plaque for each honoree into the sidewalk of historic downtown San Pedro on Sixth Street between Palos Verdes and Centre Street. Immediately following at the same location is a noon luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Ticket reservations are $45 and can be made by calling the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce at 310-832-7272. 

President Gerald Ford is best known as the only president that assumed office without being elected. In his first speech to the nation Ford said, “I am acutely aware that you have not selected me as president with your ballots, so I ask that you confirm me as president with your prayers.” Ford entered Congress in 1949 after serving in World War II as a Lieutenant in the Navy, earning nine engagement stars for operations on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. Ford attended the University of Michigan where from 1932-1934 he played center and linebacker on the football team, including two national championships in 1932 and 1933. In 1934, Ford was selected to the East all-stars in the annual College Football Shrine Game and also played on a college all-star team that competed against the Chicago Bears in an exhibition game. 

President Ford is the recipient of the annual Pat Tillman Award for Courage. Dismayed by the 9/11 attacks, Pat Tillman shocked the sports world when he left the NFL to join the Army Rangers, but was tragically killed while serving in Afghanistan. Tillman’s 2004 induction ceremony was such a moving experience that organizers decided to create the award in his name as a way of continuing to honor Tillman while also recognizing the bravery and service of other athletes.

This year Sportswalk is honoring two men with the Tillman Award. In addition to President Ford, San Pedro native Eddy Mascitto is being inducted as a Tillman Award honoree. Mascitto was a center on the 1957 All-Marine League football team while attending San Pedro High, where he was also the student body president. Mascitto played college football at Navy and included two Heisman Trophy winners as teammates, Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach. Mascitto was awarded numerous medals in his 20 year Naval carrier, including various honors for submarine operations in the Vietnam War.

When former Los Angeles Dodgers great Maury Wills got on base the Dodger Stadium fans would begin chanting, “Go, go, go!” Wills almost single handedly changed the way baseball players run the bases. In 1960, Wills’ first full season, he led the National League with 50 stolen bases and in 1962 he set a Major League record with 104 thefts. To put that in perspective, Willie Mays led the National League in 1959 with only 27 steals and in 1962 no other team had a total that matched Wills’ mark. A five-time all-star and two-time Gold Glove winner, Wills won three World Series championships with the Dodgers and was the National League MVP in 1962.

John “Red” Zar is this year’s Trani Award winner for contribution to local athletics. The award is named after the prominent San Pedro family that owned the Majestic Café, which was a premiere hangout for all Los Angeles athletes and is where the idea for the Sportswalk was first hatched.  Voted one of San Pedro’s 100 greatest athletes of the century, Zar played baseball in the New York Yankees farm system, making it all the way to the Triple A team before World War II called and he ended his career. Zar’s biggest sporting impact in San Pedro was his 22 years as a baseball coach. Between 1946 and 1968 he was instrumental in helping scores of young baseball players get signed to professional contracts, including future major leaguers such as Garry Maddox, Alan Ashby, and Joe Lovitto.  

It’s easy to imagine that Heidi and Heather Burge provided double trouble for basketball opponents when the twins played together at Palos Verdes High and then later at the University of Virginia. At one time, the 6 foot 5 inch sisters were in the record books as the world’s tallest female twins and their remarkable life stories were the subject of a Disney television movie, titled Double Teamed.  After graduating from Virginia, they both went on to play professional basketball in Europe and in the Women’s National Basketball Association. 

Named one of the best 100 athletes of the century in San Pedro, Bob Beneditti starred for the San Pedro High basketball team and in 1958 made the All-City team and was the Marine League MVP. He received 35 basketball scholarships from all over the county before finally choosing to play for the University of Southern California. At USC, Beneditti was a three-year varsity letterman and played on the Trojans 1961 Pac-8 championship team. He once scored 21 points in seven minutes during a game and has the unique distinction of being the first player to score a basket for USC at the Sports Arena when it opened in 1959.

In addition to this year’s honorees, a wide range of alumni from previous induction ceremonies are slated to return for this year’s event. A sampling of those include: Sparky Anderson, Sam “The Bam” Cunningham, Bobby Grich, Chuck Knox, Garry Maddox, Haven Moses, and representing Pat Tillman, Pat Tillman, Sr. In addition, the UCLA marching band will be on hand to perform at the ceremony.

Sportswalk was discontinued from 1998 to 2004 when the Sportswalk to the Waterfront committee resurrected the event as part of recent efforts to revitalize San Pedro’s historic downtown and create linkage to its waterfront. Along those lines sponsorship of the event has been well supported by harbor businesses. As an example, this year’s sponsors include SSA Terminals, General Petroleum, and Conoco Phillips.