Bill Thomas was born and raised in Bakersfield, attending Highland Elementary and Standard Jr. High. In an indication of what was to come, he was elected 8th grade Student Body President at Standard. He was tutored in sports as a youngster by coaches Paul Henry and Jack Denison. They must have done something right.

Thomas became an outstanding scholar/athlete at North, excelling in football, basketball and baseball. He started all four years on the basketball team under coaches Joe Goode and Lloyd Williams and was named all-SYL in 1968 and 1969, leading the league in scoring as a senior. He also tied a single game scoring record in a game in the Kern County Invitational Tournament with 36 points and finished his career as North’s all-time leading scorer.

On the baseball diamond, Thomas played on the varsity team for two years under Coach Sam Barton, making all-league pitcher as a junior and senior. In one game as a senior, he smacked a game-winning walk-off homer, calling it one of his favorite moments from his career.

Thomas played just one year of football. As a senior, under the legendary coach Turk Eliades, he was the starting quarterback. The three-sport excellence earned him the prestigious Sam Lynn Award in 1969.

After graduation, he attended Bakersfield College and played baseball under Walt Johnson and Pete Lango, before moving on to UCLA. While a Bruin, he set the school’s ERA record (1.66) while playing for Coach Art Reichle. He had the honor of meeting the great basketball coach John Wooden while at UCLA. His greatest memory from UCLA was pitching a 5 to 2 complete game victory over the California Angels, in a Spring Training Exhibition game.

Bill returned to Bakersfield after graduating from UCLA with his Doctorate in Dental Science. He has been practicing for 37 years in his office not far from North High. In the early 1980’s, he was the clinical instructor for BC’s Dental Assisting Program. Because of his commitment to BC, he was honored as one of the recipients of the 100 Stars Award program during the school’s 100-year anniversary.

Bill and his wife Linda have three daughters Laura, Katherine and Julianne. All were North high graduates, and all former North High girls’ varsity basketball players.

Larry Tolliver moved to Oildale when he was in the sixth grade, after being raised in the Rosedale area. He entered North High in 1958 as a rather chubby 13-year-old, not knowing a soul. He went out for freshman baseball and never got to play in a game, although he practiced with the team every day.

Discouraged, he didn’t even try out as a sophomore, but instead offered to be the student manager for the C-Class basketball and track teams. As a junior, he watched the JV basketball team and was convinced he could help the team that was, in his words, “lousy.” Coach Lloyd Williams advised him to try out as a senior as it was already too late in the season. So again, he went out for JV baseball, convinced he was as good as some of the other players, and made the team. At the start of his junior year he was 5’9” with huge feet and hands. By the time baseball rolled around he had sprouted to 6’0” and Coach Sam Barton liked what he saw in him. Before the season was over, he was the team’s #1 starting pitcher, surprising everyone.

When the 1961 school year rolled around, there’s this tall dude walking on campus. It’s Larry Tolliver who had he grown an unbelievable seven inches in a nine-month period and now stood 6 ft. 4 inches tall!

Varsity basketball coach Tom Bailey wisely named Tolliver his starting center, though he had almost no basketball experience under his belt. He was surrounded by one of the best teams in North High history, playing with a lineup that included juniors Ray Ermigarat, Larry Hudson, Roger Palmer and Paul Crissman. The basketball story would not end with that season.
He was a key starting pitcher on the varsity baseball team that year under Coach Bob Russell. They had a very good team, but failed to win the league championship. And the baseball story doesn’t end there either.

After graduating, Tolliver, who had grown to 6 ft. 6 inches and 200 pounds and moved on to Bakersfield College. He did not play baseball or basketball as a freshman but made up for lost time as a sophomore. As a basketball player at BC he:
• Was 1963-64, Most Improved Player, averaging 15 points a game.
• Was 1964-65, MVP of the basketball team.
• Was the leading scorer (20 ppt) and rebounder (15 per game).
• Scored 37 points in a game against Pasadena, 2 points shy of the BC school record that had stood since the early 50’s.
• Made second-team All-Metropolitan Conference and was selected for the Conference All-Star Game.
Not bad for only three years of organized basketball.

Tolliver went out for baseball at BC and, in his second season under Gerry Collis, he was brought into a game for a save against Santa Monica. After securing the win for BC, the San Francisco Giants’ scout George Genovese came up and asked Larry if he was interested in playing professional baseball. Major league baseball held its first amateur draft in 1965 and Tolliver was picked by the Giants on June 8, 1965.

He would pitch for five seasons in the Giants organization, making it as high as AA before an elbow injury sidelined him in 1970. During his pro career, he pitched two no-hitters. The first came in 1966 in which he struck out 13 and walked four, yet lost the game 3-2. Then, in 1967, playing for AA Waterbury, Conn., he cranked up another no-hitter against York, Pa., but this time winning 6-0. Only a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh inning kept him from a perfect game.

His best memories of North High were getting a chance to play for great coaches like Lloyd Williams and Sam Barton, who saw something special in him as a young man. They were right on.

In 1967, Tolliver married Tommie McMahon and they had two sons (Mike and Mark) that also graduated from North High. Both played baseball for Tony Silver.

It’s hard to imagine any athlete has ever gone though North High and accomplished as much on the athletic fields as Jimmy Thomas. He entered North High in 1972 after attending Beardsley Jr. High. He played football (4 years), basketball (2 years) and baseball (4 years) and was a standout in all three sports.

In football, Thomas was a starter for three years under legendary Coach Turk Eliades, playing quarterback, running back, linebacker and defensive back. He was All-League at quarterback as a senior in 1976 and turned down six Division-1 scholarships for football after his senior season.
In basketball, he started on the JV team as a freshman then played on the varsity as a sophomore. Wanting to concentrate on baseball and football, he gave up basketball after his sophomore year.

In baseball, he was a big part of one of North High’s greatest eras under another legendary coach Sam Barton. North High won the SYL Championship in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976. The big prize was the Valley Championship for the Stars in 1976, the first ever in the history of the school. Thomas was the team’s catcher, earning All-City honors in both 1975 and 1976. In his senior year, he was also awarded the prestigious Harry Coffee and Sam Lynn Awards, as well as being named to All-State state team.

After his career at North High, Thomas accepted a full-ride scholarship to UCLA and was part of back to back Pac-8 and Pac-10 Championship teams for the Bruins. Then in June of 1980, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres and spent 6 years in their minor league system, making it as high as AAA in Las Vegas. In 1983, he was named MVP of Reno, the Padres Class A team in the California League. That year he hit .272 with 15 HR’s and 83 RBI’s while catching 132 of the 140 games. Was called up to AAA Las Vegas at the end of the season. Jim had another shot at AAA Las Vegas in 1985 before retiring.

Jim also had a cup of coffee with the Padres during the strike season in 1983, playing alongside Steve Garvey and current Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Terry Kennedy, another future major league manager, was on that team, along with Hall of Famers Tony Gwynn and Goose Gossage.

After leaving professional baseball, Thomas came home to Bakersfield, teaching and coaching the sport. He was part of the Frontier High coaching staff for teams that won back-to-back Valley Championships in 2010 and 2011. He was also an assistant coach at North High for several years.

Thomas is currently teaching and is the Athletic Director for the Kernville School District.
He credits some of his mentors Turk Eliades, Sam Barton, Jack O’Brien, Tony Silver and Terry Hill for his success.

Like many of the other inductees, Curt DeRossett was a true product of the streets of Oildale. He graduated from Beardsley Jr. High in 1970 and North High in 1974. From there, it was on to Bakersfield College and Cal State Bakersfield.

DeRossett started coaching at North High in 1976 at the age of 19, taking over the boys Class C basketball team. He may have been the youngest head coach in the history of California high school sports. Hired by North’s legendary basketball coach Lloyd Williams, Curt took his first team to a second place finished in the tough South Yosemite League. He was on his way.

He didn’t get a fulltime teaching job at North High until 1985. That year, he coached the Frosh/Soph football team under the tutelage of another North High legend, Turk Eliades. But basketball was his love.

He worked his way up to the boy’s varsity basketball level as an assistant under one of his coaching role models, Gary Sedam. In 1986, he was approached by Principal Warner Brooks and assistant Principal Bill Bimat to take over the girl’s varsity program. In his first five seasons, North High won the league title each year and become the first Kern County girls’ team to win a Valley Title. They did it three times.

He then stepped down from the coaching job to take over the Athletic Director position at the school. It didn’t take long (2 years) before he was itching to get back on the basketball court, returning for the 1993-94 season. The Lady Stars proceeded to win three more consecutive league and Valley titles.

During his 16 seasons as the coach of the Lady Stars, he won 352 games while losing just 112. His teams won 11 league titles, eight Valley titles and even made the final 8 in the State Championships. Five times he was selected Bakersfield Californian’s “Coach of the Year.” His teams were known for hustle and class, always handing the ball to the refs, never throwing it. The gym was always packed when the Lady Stars took the floor. The classroom was also an important part of Curt’s agenda, with his girls maintaining a 3.5 GPA.

In 2011, Coach DeRossett was the first ever girls basketball coach to be honored by the C.I.F. Central Section with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

He credits other former mentors such as Jack Denison, Terry Hill, John Hallmark, Pat Mellon, Jack O’Brien, Tony Silver and Stan Ingram for his success. Tom McQuinn and Jerry Lunsford were instrumental as coaches he played for.

Curt’s wife Sharon not only graduated from North High, but worked at the school for 14 years in the finance office and an additional 11 years as the School Secretary for the Administration. She was not only his best friend but also served as second “Mom” to the players.

He feels blessed that many of his former players moved on to become doctors, physical therapists, teachers, lawyers, CEO’s, coaches and successful parents. They remain part of his daily life as his extended family and occupy a special place in his heart. Congrats to a true North High Star, 35 years worth.

Cathie Wilson Jones is arguably one of the best all-around track athlete, male or female, in the history of North High. And you may not find many athletes that ever made the Principal’s Honor Roll all four years, either.

It probably will never happen again, but Cathie was part of a mile relay team that won three consecutive Area and Valley Championships, setting a record each year. As a senior, the distance now in meters, the North girls won Area and Valley again, this time in the 1600 meters.

As a freshman, Cathie was on the Lady Stars’ mile relay team that won the Area and Valley Championships, then placed third in the State meet. On that team were her older sister Lynnette, Barbara Cookson and North High’s legendary distance runner Linda Goen.

Individually, Cathie won the 440 yard race at the Area Meet as a soph with a record time of 58.0. As a senior she won the SYL Championship in the 200 meter dash and probably would have won the 100, had it not been for a false start. In each of her four years she was a contender in several of the running events.

Competing in the summer as a sophomore, she tried her hand at new events. In the California Regional Junior Olympics she raced in the 220 and 440 and placed first in both races. As a junior she came back to the same meet and won the 100, 200 and 440 low hurdles.

After graduation, she continued her career at Bakersfield College, placing second in the Metro Conference meet in the 200 and 400-meter races. Then she placed third in her newest event, the javelin. As a sophomore, she won the Conference Championship in the 400 and placed 2nd in the javelin. At the Southern California Championships that year, she placed third in the 400 and fourth in the javelin.

From there, it was on to Fresno State where she became leading scorer and MVP of the team. It was there that the javelin became her signature event. In 1987, she was ranked third in the US with a throw of 194’3,” nearly 60’ further than she had thrown at BC! That same year she competed for the US Team in the Pan Am Games and the World Championship in Rome.

She was involved in a near fatal car accident late in 1987, but she bounced back and nearly qualified for the US Olympic team at the 1992 trials, finishing fifth.

She goes by the name of Catherine on her job with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office where she has worked for 26 years. She and her husband Kent have a son, Wilson and a daughter, Emma.