History
The San Jose Apaches were a semi-pro and professional football team that operated from 1963 to 1967. In the 1965 season, they secured the Northern California League championship by defeating th 4-time champion Redwood City Ramblers. The following year, in 1966, they lost the Pacific Coast Championship to the Seattle Ramblers.
The final year for the San Jose Apaches was 1967, when they transitioned to the professional Continental Football League. This significant move coincided with the appointment of future Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh. Under Walsh’s guidance, the team ended the season with an 8-4 record, earning them second place in the Pacific Division.
The Apaches played at several fields during their time in both Santa Clara and San Jose. For the Santa Clara years Wilcox High School served as the home field, later playing games at San Jose City College Stadium, with their 1967 games played at Municipal Stadium (Excite Ballpark) and some games apparently played at Spartan Stadium.
The Apaches still have fans in and around San Jose and their memory still shines. The coaching legacy of Bill Walsh’s 1967 season adds a distinguished chapter to the Apaches’ history.
Apaches Year by Year
1967 San Jose Apaches Season
The 1967 Apaches were upgraded to the Continental Football League (ContFL) and took on a new head coach, Bill Walsh, NFL Hall of Fame coach. The Apaches played in the ContFL’s Pacific Division against teams from Seattle, Orange County, Long Beach and other places along the West Coast. Despite finishing second in their division the playoff format only allowed the top Pacific team to compete, which was the Orange County Ramblers. The Orlando Panthers beat them to win the 1967 ContFL championship. Ultimately, San Jose was not viable in the ConfFL and the Apaches ended operations altogether.
1967 All Stars
Several players were named ContFL All Stars, including Steve Smith (T), Dick Tatley (K), Jim Jackson (DB), Milt Jackson (DB).
1967 Roster
Head Coach Bill Walsh | |||||
Name | No | Pos | Hgt | Wgt | Experience |
Ron Aarts | 52 | C | 6’3 | 230 | Riverside CC; Oregon State |
Marty Baccaglio | 83 | RDE | 6’3 | 245 | Marin JC; San Jose State |
Chuck Billings | 46 | FB | 6’2 | 251 | Florida A&M; |
Jerry Bradley | 20 | RB | 5’10 | 170 | California |
Tom brown | 72 | LDE | 6’1 | 230 | Pittsburgh |
Bob Conrad | 15 | OE | 6’2 | 195 | Santa Monica JC; Stanford |
Steve Cox | 23 | SE-FL | 5’11 | 185 | Los Angeles Harbor JC; San Jose State |
Ollie Cromwell | 53 | C | 6’4 | 260 | Central Oklahoma |
Bob Daugherty | 11 | FB | 6’2 | 205 | New Mexico Military Institute JC; Tulsa |
Gary Filzetti | 21 | HB | 5’11 | 205 | Santa Clara |
Charley Fuller | 25 | HB | 5’11 | 175 | Vallejo JC; San Francisco State |
Chon Gallegos | 10 | QB | 5’9 | 175 | San Jose CC; San Jose State |
Tom Gates | 24 | QB | 6’1 | 205 | San Diego; San Bernardino Valley JC; Oregon State |
Dick Gibbs | 15 | DB | 6’1 | 190 | Iowa |
Charlie Green | 14 | QB | 6’0 | 190 | Wittenberg |
Larry Guilford | 45 | S | 6’1 | 195 | Monterey Peninsula JC; Pacific |
John Guillory | 21 | CB | 5’10 | 190 | Oakland CC; Stanford |
Willie Hector | 54 | OLB | 6’2 | 220 | Pacific |
Dave Hettema | 75 | OT | 6’4 | 249 | Pasadena CC; New Mexico |
James Jackson | 28 | CB-HB | 6’1 | 190 | Oklahoma |
Jim Jackson | – | S | 5’11 | 186 | Western Illinois |
Leonard Jackson | – | – | – | – | – |
Mike Jackson | 43 | S | 6’3 | 200 | Bakersfield CC; Tulsa |
Nate Johns | 26 | RB | 6’0 | 205 | Monterey Peninsula JC; San Diego State |
Walter Johnson | 85 | RDE | 6’5 | 235 | Tuskegee |
Henry Kalama | 22 | FB | 6’3 | 230 | Hartnell JC |
Greg Kent | 74 | ROT | 6’6 | 275 | Wisconsin; Utah |
Pat Lovell | 63 | OT | 6’0 | 233 | Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) |
Chris Machado | 49 | S | 6’0 | 200 | Hartnell JC; Pacific |
Billy Mackey | 48 | S | 6’0 | 203 | Michigan State; Bakersfield CC |
Ron McBride | 58 | OLB | 5’11 | 215 | San Jose State |
Ed McCall | 20 | OE-P | 6’3 | 205 | Miles |
Sam Moore | 65 | ROT | 6’2 | 247 | San Mateo JC; San Jose State |
Tommy Myers | 69 | LB | 5’10 | 215 | San Jose CC; San Jose State |
Marty Nodila | 64 | RDT | 6’3 | 245 | Grays Harbor JC; Utah State |
Terry Oakes | 76 | DT | 6’3 | 236 | Cabrillo JC; San Francisco State |
Dave Olerich | 22 | LB | 6’1 | 220 | San Francisco |
Ernie Oliver | 70 | ROG | 6’2 | 232 | San Francisco CC; San Francisco State |
Jim Patterson | 66 | LOT-ROG | 6’4 | 235 | San Francisco State |
Bill Peterson | 86 | TE | 6’3 | 228 | San Jose State |
John Read | 30 | FB | 6’0 | 225 | Stanford |
Willie Redmond | 60 | LOG | 6’1 | 227 | Monterey Peninsula JC; Utah State |
Mike Roach | 14 | OE-P | 5’11 | 190 | Contra Costa JC |
Mike Ruiz | 55 | MLB | 6’2 | 235 | Adams State |
Jack Schraub | 83 | FL-P | 6’6 | 210 | California |
Len Sears | 72 | ROG-LOG | 6’5 | 235 | South Carolina |
C.B. Simons | 83 | LDT | 6’2 | 230 | Stanford |
Steve Smith | 77 | LOT | 6’5 | 246 | Michigan |
Dick Tatley | 36 | K | 5’7 | 220 | Fullerton JC; San Jose State |
Barry Thiesen | 75 | LDT | 6’2 | 250 | Fresno State |
Ed Titus | 20 | CB | 6’0 | 195 | Merritt JC; San Jose State |
John Travis | 32 | HB-FB | 6’1 | 218 | Foothill JC; San Jose State |
Gene Williams | 24 | FL | 6’4 | 228 | New Mexico State |
John Williams | 47 | S | 6’1 | 202 | Reedley JC; San Diego State |
1967 Schedule
Date | Opponent | W/L | Score | Venue | Att. |
8/12/67 | Sacramento Buccaneers | W | 31-16 | Hughes Stadium | 7000 |
8/18/67 | OC ramblers | L | 7-44 | Municipal Stadium | 2300 |
9/3/67 | Eugene Bombers | W | 40-20 | Bethel park | 7896 |
9/9/67 | Victoria Tyees | W | 29-2 | SJCC | 3107 |
9/17/67 | Long Beach Admirals | – | – | ||
9/24/67 | Sacramento Buccaneers | W | 41-0 | SJCC | 2612 |
10/1/67 | Seattle Rangers | W | 14-7 | SJCC | 2123 |
10/8/67 | OC Ramblers | L | 17-24 | Municipal Stadium | – |
10/15/67 | Eugene Bombers | W | 23-21 | Santa Clara | 3117 |
10/22/67 | Eugene Bombers | L | 7-14 | Bethel Park | 2804 |
10/29/67 vs OC Ramblers at SJCC | OC Ramblers | L | 3-14 | SJCC | 4391 |
11/4/67 | Victoria Tyees | W | 33-9 | Royal Athletic Park | 5100 |
11/12/67 | Seattle Rangers | L | 7-17 | Memorial Stadium | 3982 |
11/19/67 | Seattle Rangers | W | 48-21 | SJCC | 3642 |
11/25/67 | Sacramento Buccaneers | W | 45-10 | Hughes Stadium | 1500 |
1967 Uniform
The Apaches wore the white 49ers road jerseys during the 1967 season, Raiders silver pants and new white helmets with the feather stripe down the center, according to Mike Roach.
1966 San Jose Apaches Season
The ’66 San Jose Apaches won their first 12 games, only losing the Pacific Coast championship to the Seattle Ramblers.
Semi-Professional Records
During the 1966 season several Apaches players set National Semi-Pro records. Apaches receiver Mike Roach racked up 24 receiving touchdowns (tied for 4th all-time), 1,371 yards on 85 catches, earning him a tryout with the 49ers. Kicker Dick Tatley kicked 14 extra points in a single game (tied for 3rd all-time). Additionally, the Apaches scored 100 points on November 27, 1966 against the Pasadena Raiders, (tied for 6th most points ever scored in a semi-pro game).
1966 Roster
Name | Pos | Number | Hgt | Wgt | Experience |
Mike Nichols | LE | 83 | 6’1 | 190 | Foothill JC |
Dick DeLaRosa | LT | 74 | 6’4 | 280 | West Valley JC |
Pat Lovell | LG | 61 | 6’1 | 230 | Cal Poly |
Dave Paul | C | 54 | 6’1 | 240 | Apaches |
Al Shew | RG | 60 | 6’1 | 230 | San Jose State |
Bill Harrison | RT | 72 | 6’3 | 265 | San Jose State |
Larue Gamble | RE | 82 | 6’1 | 220 | SJCC |
Chon Gallegos | QB | 10 | 5’10 | 180 | San Jose State |
Joe Kraus | HB | 40 | 6’1 | 225 | Kansas State |
Henry Kalama | FB | 36 | 6’4 | 235 | Hartnell JC |
Mike Roach | WB | 19 | 6’0 | 180 | Contra Costa JC |
Bill/Dick Reynolds | RT | 75 | 6’0 | 235 | |
Dave Olerich | LE | 48 | 6’1 | 220 | SJCC |
Lloyd Kerns | LT | 87 | 6’2 | 230 | SJCC |
Ben Enea | RE | 86 | 6’1 | 220 | SFSU |
Ed Weisacosky | LLB | 55 | 6’1 | 225 | Miami U, ’65 AllAmerican |
Ron McBride | MLB | 52 | 6’0 | 215 | SJCC |
Tom Meyers | RLB | 57 | 5’10 | 210 | San Jose State |
Lonnie Garlow | LHB | 49 | 6’1 | 190 | Apaches |
Chris Machado | RHB | 34 | 6’0 | 210 | U o P |
Wayne Hogue | LS | 25 | 5’8 | 160 | Apaches |
Mel Mefford | DT | 53 | 6’3 | 235 | San Jose State |
Dick Tatley | K | 11 | – | – | San Jose State |
Dave BeneXXXes | QB | 15 | 5’11 | 180 | San Jose State |
Dennis Mateo | B | 20 | 6’0 | 180 | Foothill JC |
Jerry CalXXXXo | 22 | – | – | San Jose State | |
Alvin Gatewood | 23 | – | – | College of Sequoias | |
Hal McCool | WB | 24 | 6’0 | 190 | Apaches |
Fred Santos | 29 | – | – | – | |
Fred Sosa | HB | 32 | 5’9 | 210 | US Army |
Ben Guzman | HB | 33 | 6’0 | 200 | San Jose State |
Roland Franssen | LB | 38 | 6’1 | 230 | Apaches |
R. Roland Franssen | 43 | – | – | – | |
Larry Guilford | S | 45 | 6’3 | 210 | MN Vikings |
Don Detata | LB | 58 | 5’11 | 215 | San Jose State |
Dave Chaid | DEL | 64 | 6’2 | 225 | San Jose State |
Fred Faulk | LB | 65 | 5’11 | 220 | West Valley JC |
Phil Perry | OT | 66 | 6’1 | 220 | Apaches |
Don Mahoe | DT | 67 | 6’0 | 230 | Apaches |
Chuck Elders | DE | 69 | 6’0 | 220 | San Jose State |
Mickey Ording | DT | 70 | 6’1 | 230 | Oregon |
Elden Liu | DE | X | 6’4 | 255 | |
Carl Kahn | X | – | – |
1966 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Outcome | Venue |
8/27/1966 | Sacramento Lancers | W (1-0), 13(18?)-(6?) | Sacramento Junior College |
9/17, Sat “Home opener” | Oroville | W (2-0) | Municipal Stadium |
Hayward Hawks? “Gladiators” | W (3-0) | ||
W (4-0) | |||
“Sunday” | Sacramento Lancers | W (5-0) 44-8 | Municipal Stadium |
“Next game Saturday with visiting Hawks” “second straight win over Hawks” | Hayward Hawks | W (6-0), 21-(8 or 3) | |
Sacramento Lancers | W (7-0), 28-6 | Sacramento | |
10/1/1966, Sat. 8pm | Hayward Hawks | W (8-0), 21-8 | Municipal Stadium |
“Saturday” | Oroville Beavers | W (9-0), 21-9 | Oroville, CA |
“Next Sunday” | Sacramento Lancers | W (10-0), 54-5 | Municipal Stadium |
Oroville Beavers | W (11-0), | Municipal Stadium | |
11/12/1966 | Hayward Hawks | W (12-0), 18-12 | Castro Valley High School |
11/23/1966 – Pacific Coast Championship | Seattle Ramblers | L (12-1), 48-13 | Seattle, WA (6,000 att) |
11/27/66 | Pasadena Raiders | W (13-1), 100-7* | Paso Robles, CA |
1966 Uniform
In 1966 the Apaches wore the old Raiders road white jersey and silver pants with white helmets. Mike Roach said he rapinted his 1964 helmet for the ’65 season. For the last two games of the season (Seattle and title game in Paso Robles vs Pasadena) they wore the 49ers road white jerseys.
1965 San Jose Apaches Season
In 1965 the Apaches finished 13-1 and won the Northern California League championship, beating the reigning Redwood City team. The team also renamed itself to the San Jose Apaches, and moved its training operations to San Jose’s Municipal Stadium (Excite Ballpark).
“The ’65 team had a lot of carryover from the ’64 team. A very good defense with a lot of new offensive weapons, especially quarterback Chon Gallegos. Chon was Player of the Year at San Jose State in 1961 and had a good run with the ’62 Raiders. Chon quickly became the heart and soul of the team and carried us to many victories during the ’65 and ’66 seasons.” Mike Roach, former Apaches player.
All League Players
Chon Gallegos, QB; Wayne Hogue, S; Henry Kalama, FB; Chuck Elders, DE
1965 Roster
Partial reconstruction of the 1965 roster from news articles and box scores.
Name | Position | Number | Ht | Wt | Experience |
Benny Enea | RW | San Francisco State | |||
Bill Harrison | LT | ||||
Bill Minor | LG Def | ||||
Bill O’Hara | RT | ||||
Bob Bonds | RHB | ||||
Carl Kahn | RE Off | ||||
Charley Davis | RT Def | ||||
Chon Gallegos | QB | San Jose State | |||
Chris Machado | LW | ||||
Chuck Elder | LE | ||||
Dave Chaid | RE | ||||
Don McBride | MG | ||||
Frank Ragone | K | ||||
Fred Sosa | LHB | ||||
Henry Kalama | FB | Hartnell College | |||
Jerry Ludy | RG | San Jose State | |||
John Henry | LT Def | ||||
Ken Berry | QB | San Jose State | |||
Larry Guilford | RH Def | ||||
Lonnie Garlow | LH Def | ||||
Mike Nichols | LE Off | ||||
Mike Roach | Flanker | ||||
Mike Ruiz | RG Def | San Jose State | |||
Paul Latzke | C | ||||
Steve Arnold | LG | ||||
Wayne Hogue | S | ||||
1965 Schedule
Still piecing together the 1965 schedule from news clippings provided by Mike Roach.
Date | Opponent | Outcome | Venue |
OC Rhinos* | W, 31-0 | Bakersfield, CA | |
9/19/1965 | Sacramento Lancers | W, 21-0 | Municipal Stadium |
9/25/1965 | Oakland Gladiators | W , 34-6 | Hayward, CA |
10/3/1965 | Humboldt Foresters | W, 40-0 | Municipal Stadium |
10/9/1965 | Oroville Beavers | W, 13-0 | Bechtel Field, Oroville, CA |
10/17/1965 | Redwood City Ramblers | W, 12-6 | Municipal Stadium |
Charity “All Star Game” vs SFV Eagles | |||
10/24/196 | Sacramento Lancers | W, 31-6 | Hughes Stadium, Sacramento, CA |
11/6/1965 | Humboldt Foresters | W, 50-13 | Eureka, CA |
11/20/1965 | Redwood City Ramblers | L, 24-7 | Redwood City, CA |
11/27/1965 | Oakland Gladiators | W, 35-6 | Municipal Stadium |
12/4/1965 | Oroville Beavers | W, 34-8 | Municipal Stadium |
12/12/1965 – Pacific Semi-Pro Football League Championship Game | Redwood City Ramblers | W, 7-6 | Municipal Stadium |
9-1 *10-1 with exhibition |
1965 Uniform
The Apaches adopted the Raiders’ white road uniforms with the outlined silver numbers and black trim, according to Roach.
1964 Santa Clara Valley Apaches Season
The Santa Clara Valley Apaches played their home games and practiced at Wilcox High School in Santa Clara. Their head coach was Chuck Gunther. Despite having a good season the Redwood City Ramblers won the league championship again. The Apaches finished the season with a 8-5 record.
“The 1964 team was loaded with really good defensive players that carried the team through most games, along with the Special Teams groups. Even though we had a lot of good offensive talent and won most of our games, we were missing a good quarterback. Bobby Light was there in the beginning and started strong, but got hurt during the season and didn’t finish.” – Mike Roach, 1964 Apaches.
1964 Roster
Name | Position | Number | Age | Wt | Experience |
Ned Marandino | QB | 10 | 25 | 180 | Michigan State |
Mike Staricka | WB | 12 | 23 | 185 | Foothill |
Mac Carmichael | HB | 17 | 25 | 180 | Oregon |
Bobby Light | QB | 20 | 23 | 210 | Saskatchewan |
Fred Santos | HB | 21 | 21 | 150 | Semi-pro |
Hal McCool | WB | 22 | 27 | 175 | Semi-pro |
Wayne Hogue | HB | 23 | 25 | 160 | Moffett Field |
Mike Roach | WB | 26 | 22 | 185 | Contra Costa Col. |
Ernie Stevenson | WB | 28 | 25 | 180 | Foothill |
H. Hutchinson | FB | 31 | 24 | 210 | Kansas State |
Ben Guzman | FB | 33 | 27 | 210 | NFL (Oak) |
Dave Oliver | HB | 35 | 27 | 190 | Indianapolis Warriors |
Lloyd Garner | LB | 37 | 25 | 200 | Semi-pro |
Rich Lemas | FB | 38 | 26 | 245 | Porterville Col. |
Jerry Colletto | HB | 41 | 22 | 165 | SJSU |
Lonnie Garlow | WB | 44 | 21 | 180 | Foothill |
Dave Bottermiller | HB | 47 | 24 | 190 | NFL (NYG) |
Rich Ames | LB | 50 | 26 | 210 | Humboldt St |
Herb Yamasaki | LB | 52 | 26 | 220 | SJSU |
Frank Ragone | C | 53 | 27 | 230 | Idaho State |
Hank Chamnes | C | 55 | 27 | 24X | SJSU |
Ron McBride | LB | 57 | 28 | 215 | SJSU |
Jack Beaudin | HB | 61 | 26 | 200 | Quantico Marines |
John Sutra | T | 63 | 25 | 240 | NFL (SF) |
Neal Joseph | G | 65 | 27 | 245 | US Army |
Tom Meyers | G | 66 | 25 | 215 | SJSU |
Jerry Ludy | G | 68 | 24 | 210 | SJSU |
Chevy Orozco | T | 69 | 25 | 245 | Stockton College |
Charlie Davis | T | 70 | 26 | 250 | Compton College |
Ed Huse | T | 73 | 26 | 255 | Wyoming University |
Don Anderson | T | 75 | 24 | 260 | SJSU |
Bill O’Hara | T | 76 | 29 | 240 | Calgary |
Dick De La Rosa | T | 78 | 26 | 295 | San Jose City Col. |
Dave Chaid | T | 79 | 24 | 240 | SJSU |
Mike Nichols | E | 80 | 25 | 190 | Foothill |
Ben Enea | E | 81 | 26 | 205 | San Francisco State |
Nick Romanoff | E | 82 | 29 | 265 | Semi-pro |
Chas. Elder | E | 86 | 25 | 220 | SJSU |
Carl Kahn | E | 88 | 23 | 200 | SJSU |
Larry Guifford | E | 89 | 27 | 225 | NFL (Min) |
1964 Schedule
1964 | Santa Clara Apaches | Outcome | Venue |
9/13/1964 | at Oakland Gladiators | n/a | |
9/20/1964 | Orange County Rhinos | n/a | Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA |
10/3/1964 | at Humboldt Foresters | n/a | |
10/11/1964 | S.F. Ramblers | n/a | Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA |
10/25/1964 | at Sacramento Lancers | n/a | |
11/1/1964 | Humboldt Foresters | W, 34-0 | Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA |
11/8/1964 | at Orange County Rhinos | n/a | |
11/22/1964 | Sacramento Lancers | n/a | Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA |
11/29/1964 | at Oakland Gladiators | W, 38-16 | |
12/5/1964 | at S.F. Ramblers | n/a |
1964 Uniform
According to Roach, the team wore “early day Raiders black and gold.” A photo Roach from 1964 shows a white helmet with silver or gold stripe over black stripes.
1963 Santa Clara Apaches Season
Still searching for info on the ’63 season, but here’s a start:
Semi-pro record: Fred Santos, 3rd longest punt return, 108 yards, 9/29/1963.
Other teams in the Northern California Semi-professional Football League were the Benicia Toppers, Portland T-Birds, S F Ramblers, Humboldt Foresters and the Santa Clara Apaches.
1963 Schedule
Date | Opponent | Outcome | Venue |
9/29/1963 | |||
10/1963 | Humboldt Foresters | ? | ? |