Los Banos Rotary Club History
Silva Wins Outstanding Player Award

Danny Silva, fleet left tackle on the Los Banos high school varsity squad, received the outstanding player of the year trophy at the annual Rotary Club football banquet Tuesday night.

The award was made by Joe C. Cardoza, local jeweler. Silva's name will be engraved on a perpetual plaque displayed at the high school. He also was given a personal trophy.

Presentation of other awards and trophies and an informal talk by Jack (Moose) Myer, head football coach at the College of the Pacific, rounded out the evening.

Junior Chamber of Commerce President Edward Macha gave the group's "player of the week" trophies to David Bonillas, Arnold Barcellos, Bob Silva, Doug Jordan, Eugene Bretz, Gary Affonso and Danny Silva.

In making the outstanding player award, Cardoza said Silva was selected by the coaching staff and school principal on the basis of sportsmanship, scholarship, cooperation, leadership, effort and ability.

Ned Dickson, Rotary Club master of ceremonies, awarded miniature gold footballs to graduating seniors of the varsity and lightweight squads, who included Danny Silva, Arnold Barcellos, Ray Black, Ronnie Toscano, Joe Munoz, Joe Cardoza, George Soriano, Doug Jordan, Joe Sabetta, Eugene Bretz, Frank Souza, Bob Silva, James Gomes, Joe Frontella and Kenneth Ebner.

The principal speaker, Jack Myer, was introduced by Rocco Pernetti, along with Sid Hall, freshmen football coach at COP.

Myer's talk was liberally laced with dry, informal humor to illustrate the points he stressed to the gathering of young football players.
The speaker said as a football coach he teaches his squad to give of their effort 100 per cent, "regardless of whether you are lousy or good football players."

He emphasized football encompasses more than learning to block or tackle, stating the game also teaches realism, self-evaluation and new approaches to problems.

Myer said if nothing else, football provides an excellent mean for fans to release pent up emotions and added philosophically he believed many spectators pay their $3 admission just to have a chance to heckle the coach.
"Of course," he mused, "they don't know anything about the game until Monday."

Prior to his talk, varsity coach Gil Mendonsa introduced his squad and commented briefly on the past season record of four wins and three losses.
Mendonsa said sometimes it is difficult to measure success by games won and lost and "I'm not going to offer any excuses for our season."

He cited most of the difficulties as players lost by sickness and injury and the fact his team was playing much larger schools, some of which had enrollments double or triple that of Los Banos. Mendonsa said the season ended with only five boys remaining from the original team.
Bob Williams, assistant lightweight coach, introduced the B team.
District School Superintendent C. G. Loftin said he was especially please to see Los Banos come from behind in the Sonora game and win. "I believe the test of a young man is whether he can join successfully in a team effort to win."
The coaching staff was introduced by Principal Sam Bendettino.
Dickson introduced the presidents of the other service organizations present, who included Troy Posey, 20-30 Club; Macha, Jr. C. of C.; and Victor Grassini, Lions Club.

December 13, 1957

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