Hall of Famers

Palisades High Alums and Coaches Honored at City Section Induction Ceremony in Granada Hills  

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

More history was made on Sunday afternoon at Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills, where four accomplished individuals joined the distinguished list of Palisades High inductees into the CIF City Section Athletic Hall of Fame.

Niot only was Pali High well represented—no surprise given that Palisades is the winningest school in Los Angeles—but Dolphins alum Sam Lagana, stadium voice of the LA Rams, served as master of ceremonies and kept the ceremony moving with his flare for the dramatic.

“There were only 49 City schools when I went to Palisades and today I’m told there are 156… that’s a lot of growth in five years,” joked Lagana, who graduated in 1980. “This event is all about bringing us together people together and today we get to unify more people.”     

The Legacy Group was introduced first via video presentation and among the 15 honorees was Harold “Bud” Ware. A founding member of the Pali High faculty, he was a math teacher and coached boys and girls tennis in addition to football and basketball. Ware built the tennis program into a dynasty, piloting the Dolphins to nine City boys crowns from 1965-77 (including a then-record five straight from 1969-73) along with six City girls titles from 1975-84. Before the playoffs in 1979, Ware turned the boys’ program over to current coach and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Bud Kling, who attended Sunday’s festivities with his wife Cheryl and Pali High assistant coach Robert Silvers. Upon retirement, Ware lived in Topanga Canyon until he passed away in the summer of 2012 at the age of 86. Receiving the award on his behalf was Harold’s son John.

The Los Angeles City Section Ahletic Hall of Fame will honor its 2025 class at a ceremony from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills and among the 35 recipients are four individuals from Palisades High.

One of the three 2025 inductees in the  Contributors category was none other than 1979 Pali High alum Jeanie Buss, now the President and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. A master at multi-tasking, Buss checked her phone periodically for updates on the game (the Lakers were playing in Oklahoma City) while enjoying lunch and chatting with Lagana and fellow inductee Dave Saunders, who was a year ahead of her at Palisades.

“I played JV basketball and was the stat keeper for the boys team, which served me well for the job I have now,” began Buss, one of the most respected and successful executives in professional sports. “In 10th grade my P.E. teacher said ‘you’re on the golf team.’ I’d never played before in my life but she said we need a girls team to meet Title IX.”         

Buss grew up on Ranch Lane in Rustic Canyon and won the Miss Palisades Pageant when she was 17. Two years later she began her career while enrolled in Business classes at USC. She took ownership of the Lakers upon her father’s death in 2013 and seven years later became the first female owner to guide her franchise to an NBA championship.

When he learned he was included in the City’s eighth Hall of Fame class, former Pali High aquatics coach Dave Anderson was overcome with joy and he shared the moment Sunday with his wife Mary Lou, his longtime co-coach John Apgar and members of his first City championship teams. Anderson coached for 22 years (1971-93), leading the Dolphins to six straight boys water polo crowns in the 1970s, eight boys swim titles and 11 girls swim titles.

“The best part is the interaction I’ve had with everyone who helped me those first few years… the parents were really involved back then,” said Anderson, who lives in Woodland Hills. “I was in a time capsule.”     

As the only volleyball player among this year’s inductees, Saunders gave the last acceptance speech last and shared how his destiny changed forever when he drew the attention of Pali High coach Howard Enstedt.    

“I was a baseball player until my junior year at Pali when Howard walked by and saw me playing mixed doubles volleyball on the outdoor courts next to the gym,” Saunders reminisced. “He said ‘you;’ve got a great arm swing… how come you’re not on the volleyball team?’ I grew nine inches, played JV as a junior and practiced all summer before my senior year.”       

Saunders became of the best to ever don a Dolphins uniform. After leading his varsity team to City glory under Enstedt (a 2015 City Hall of Fame inductee) he played on three NCAA title teams at UCLA and joined fellow Pali High alums Chris Marlowe and Steve Salmons on the USA’s gold-medal-winning indoor team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He won gold again at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and represented his country at the Pan American Games in 1983 and 1987.