Over a decade and a half of former Chabot College football players will come together to reminisce and reconnect this July when more than 150 alumni will attend the Chabot College Football Reunion at Dublin's Shannon Community Center July 28.

 

The event, organized by former head coach Keith Calkins (1968-1978) and committee members Gerry Fisher (1962-63), Rich Statler (1963), Rusty Anderson (1965-66) and Larry Aguiar (1972-73), is the only thing Calkins wanted to celebrate an upcoming milestone.

 

"Last year, my wife asked me what I wanted for my 80th birthday," Calkins said. "I told her I wanted a reunion of former Chabot football players. I asked four of my former players and assistant coaches to serve on a committee to make this happen. We decided to start with 1962, the first year of Chabot football, and end in 1978, my last year as head coach."

 

Calkins, who turns 80 on July 22, said the event will be the first ever for Chabot College's former football players, and, although there were challenges in attempting to find and contact 630 former players, Facebook and People Finder searches, as well as the assistance of his wife and former players, were instrumental in tracking down most of the players.

 

"The overall response was overwhelming," said Calkins. "We have players coming from Rhode Island, Texas, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona."

 

Calkins said the informal, athletes-only reunion will additionally have a number of special guests, including 10 former Chabot College management and physical education staff members, four former local high school head coaches, 16 head and assistant coaches from Chabot, six former sportswriters from the Tri-Valley, Hayward, Fremont and Oakland areas and former program supporters.

 

Among the registered football players are: three California Sports Hall of Fame members, 10 California Community College Football Hall of Fame members, five former Golden Gate Conferences Players of the Year, 37 Chabot College Athletic Hall of Fame members, 27 Football Team of the Decade members (1962-1971), 43 Division One football scholarship winners, over 100 college graduates and 18 players who played professional football.

 

"This is a remarkable group of Chabot Gladiators," said Calkins, adding "Once a Gladiator, always a Gladiator."