The 12th annual Pepsi Celebrity Shootout tees it up next Saturday at Buckingham Golf and Country Club alongside the base of Mount Konocti. Hosted by Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa as part of its Summerfest Celebration, the Shootout is a scramble-format tournament (best shot of the group) matching an alumnus of the National Football League with a foursome of amateur golfers.
Once again, the Shootout has a heavy contingent of former Bay Area athletes lined up to play with eight former Raiders and nine former 49ers in this year”s field.
The Raiders are once again led by former quarterback Daryle Lamonica, who is one of the nicest people you”ll ever meet. Known as the Mad Bomber during his playing days in the early AFL, Lamonica played in five Pro Bowls and is best known for the Heidi Game against the Jets. He went to college at Notre Dame and was the Raider QB in Super Bowl II.
Two of Lamonica”s teammates on the offensive side of the ball were wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff and power running back Marv Hubbard. Biletnikoff, a Hall of Famer from the class of 1988 and a six-time Pro Bowler, was the MVP of the 1977 Super Bowl (1976 season). Hubbard, an 11th-round pick from Colgate, played in three Pro Bowls and ran for 1,100 yards in 1972.
Two defensive players from that era, defensive tackle Art Thomas and defensive end Ben Davidson, are also part of this year”s Shootout. Davidson was a colorful Raider who started his career with the Packers and the Redskins before jumping to the rival AFL in 1964. He played in three Pro Bowls during an eight-year career in Oakland. Thoms, who is a Shootout favorite and serves as the auctioneer during the Saturday evening charity auction at Konocti Harbor, was a first-round pick out of Syracuse and played on the Raiders” ”77 Super Bowl team.
An interesting addition to this year”s lineup is punter supreme Ray Guy. A first-round pick in 1973 out of Southern Miss, Guy played in seven Pro Bowls and on three winning Super Bowl teams during a 14-year career in Oakland and Los Angeles. Defensive back Rod Woodson ended his career as a Raider in 2003 and also had stints with the 49ers and Baltimore, but he is best remembered as a solid 10-year veteran with the Steelers. Woodson is third on the career list for interceptions. Shootout regular Cliff Branch returns for another golfing day at Buckingham. The four-time Pro Bowler and the favorite receiver of QB Kenny Stabler, Branch won a Super Bowl with the Raiders in 1977.
The 49ers are well represented in the receiving corps this year with Gene Washington, Dwight Clark and John Taylor. Washington, a four-time Pro Bowler, was from the John Brodie era of the 1970s when the Niners came so very close to getting past Dallas and reaching the Super Bowl. Clark, who is probably the best golfer in the field, won two Super Bowls as a Niner and is best remembers for “The Catch” against Dallas in 1982 that finally put San Francisco into the Super Bowl. As Clark”s career was coming to an end, John Taylor”s was just beginning. He paired up with Jerry Rice to form a dynamic duo of wide receivers and made the winning catch in the 1989 Super Bowl against the Bengals.
Russ Francis and Roger Craig were also integral parts of those classic 49er teams of the 1980s. Originally a first-round pick with the Patriots, Francis played for San Francisco during the latter stages of his career. A three-time Pro Bowler, Francis was a talented tight end who could catch and block with equal brilliance. Roger Craig was the ultimate all-purpose back best know for his exploits during the 1985 season when he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and caught passes for more than 1,000 yards. Craig is another Shootout regular and he is up there with John Paye as a golfer who spends a lot of time beyond the friendly fairways.
Speaking of John Paye, he too is back at the Shootout for another round at Buckingham. Paye is best remembered locally as the Menlo High School QB who dismantled Upper Lake and Kelseyville in playoff games in the early 1980s. He played for Stanford and was Joe Montana”s backup on the 49ers. Recently, he made his mark on the local golfing scene when one of his errant golf shots put a dent in Chip Bowlin”s skull. I guess golf could be considered a contact sport.
Recently inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, Fred Dean makes his first Shootout appearance. Dean turned around the 49er defensive line when he joined San Francisco mid-year in 1981. His presence was crucial during that Super Bowl season. He began his career in San Diego, played in four Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls with the Niners.
Quarterback Trent Dilfer and defensive back Merton Hanks round out the 49er connection at this year”s Shootout. Dilfer, a first-round pick out of Fresno State, played for Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Seattle, Cleveland and San Francisco during a 14-year career. He was the Ravens” signal caller when they won the Super Bowl in 2001. Hanks played in four Pro Bowls during the 1990s when he was a very active part of the 49er secondary. He won a Super Bowl in 1995 while with San Francisco.
The colorful and effervescent Craig Morton makes another Shootout visit while kicker Efren Herrera is here for the first time. Morton, a first-round pick out of Cal in 1965, quarterbacked the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos. For trivia buffs, his legal name is Larry Craig Morton. Herrera, who was born in Guadalajara and played for UCLA, spent nine years in the NFL from 1974-82 with Dallas, Seattle and Buffalo.
The 12th annual Pepsi Celebrity Shootout commences next Saturday morning at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. It”s a nice walk down memory lane, especially for Raider and Niner fans who suffer during today”s era of losing. Once upon a time, the Raiders and the Niners were the model for excellence in the NFL and players at this year”s Shootout had a big hand in it.
