Each year about this time the Friends of San Clemente Foundation (a local non profit organization) begins to review its list of qualified candidates as it searches for several potential San Clemente Sports Wall of Fame nominees for its May Ceremony at the Vista Hermosa Aquatic Center. While it still has a number of highly qualified candidates on that list, the Wall of Fame Selection Committee  knows there are more deserving individuals that have passed through our community over the last 96 years who should be considered but have fallen through the cracks of time. To mitigate this shortfall of knowledge, the Foundation is reaching out to our community and asking you to reconnect with your archive of personal historical sports knowledge and help it beef up its cache of names and the details that support them as deserving Wall candidates.  

To qualify for the Sports Wall of Fame, the candidate must meet one of the following standards: 1)  He or she must have been born in San Clemente (family lived in town), 2) attended school in San Clemente with an emphasis on participating in sports at SCHS, or 3) moved to and lived in San Clemente at the time the individual achieved sports notoriety. 

The Foundation is looking for exceptional athletic achievement (World, National, or Professional recognition); exceptional high school, college, or professional coaching; support work within the sports industry; or individuals who have left a meaningful impression on our youth through mentoring or by contributing to local youth athletics over an extended period of time. To be clear, Tom Brady could not be on the Sports Wall even if he moved here to live after he retired.  But, if he did something meaningful and wonderful for the community or youth sports while living here, then, yes, he could be considered. If you feel that you, a family member, neighbor, classmate, or friend from long ago qualifies, please call Mary at the Friends Foundation at 949-276-8866 or send an email to friendsofsanclemente.org. Once Mary has confirmed that your proposed nominee is not on its current list and meets the minimum qualification standards, she will email you an application form to complete. Remember that the more information the Selection Committee has on an individual, the better the chance he or she could be selected to the Sports Wall. The Friends Foundation begins its talent search in mid February so please respond to this request quickly so your candidate can be considered in the 2024 selection process. 

If you have never visited the San Clemente Sports Wall of Fame, it can be viewed at the Vista Hermosa Aquatic Center next to the lap pool. Please stop by and visit one of San Clemente’s many hidden treasures.