1976 CCS Basketball Championship
The Legend of John Uvodich’s Tino Helmet
The 1970s were
definitely a golden era for Cupertino High School sports and spirits.
Tino won CCS championships in wrestling, soccer, track and basketball.
In basketball Cupertino won back to back CCS Championships in 1974-1975
and 1975-1976. The first championship will be a future article all by
itself. The second championship is the subject of this article
and most importantly an amazing incident that occurred before the
game.
Our 2nd CCS Basketball championship involved a fine athlete in his own right who played no basketball that night at Stanford’s Maple Pavilion but made a tremendous impact before and all through the game. Cupertino’s opponent on this night was once again St. Ignatius as it had been in the 1974-1975 title game. But, unlike the year before, this time Tino was the heavy favorite to win.
A group of Tino boy students, many of who were fine athletes in sports other than basketball, had organized themselves to root for our team that year. At home games or away they were a constant source of spirit and good humor. They called themselves "The Rowdy Rooters". This tradition was kept going for many years at TINO. They were led by John Uvodich who was both an all league football and baseball player. The Class of 1976, in fact, selected John as the MOST ATHLETIC boy in their class.
Dennis Elkins with
another steal and he and Kyle Bardet are off to the races.
The game was almost anti-climatic as Rambis dominated both boards offensively and defensively and our playmaker and floor leader Dennis Elkins was everywhere, scoring, making steals and dealing out assists. Rambis hit shots from all angles and Steve Rogers, who along with Rambis and Elkins was named to the All-CCS team, was a rebounding force too and timely scorer. The game was never in doubt and the final margin of 50 to 40 appears closer than it actually was. Kurt Rambis as expected was named the CCS Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Steve Rogers comes down with yet another
rebound and looks for the outlet pass. He would go onto play
basketball at UC at Santa Barbara.
Kurt Rambis went on to play
college ball for Santa Clara University and ended up playing in the NBA
for the LA Lakers. There he was an important part of three World
Championships they would win in the 1980s. I suspect, however,
those two CCS Final Four triumphs with the Cupertino Pioneers are among
his most treasured basketball memories.
Rambis (right) not only was a prolific scorer but was also dominating on defense. This stood him in good stead when he went into professional basketball.
John Uvodich’s daring individual odyssey against all odds to boldly invade enemy territory all by his himself to rescue his helmet was crucial. That helmet painted red and gold with TINO inscribed on it symbolized our school’s spirit. His success, against all odds, set the tone for that entire glorious night. The Cupertino rooting section rose to even greater heights and the basketball team played with a confident and intense passion. It would be a night of true triumph both athletically and spiritually for Tino.
An added bonus was that all this was witnessed by thousands of fans not from Cupertino who were at Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion that night. It still is the largest crowd to ever attend a CCS Championship basketball game. This was in a day and age when the CCS had only ONE division not FOUR. This game was for all the marbles and Tino dominated
athletically and with its spirit.
Thanks so much to Tino basketball players like Kurt Rambis, Dennis Elkins and Steve Rogers for making us all feel so proud that night. Our gratitude also goes to the vibrant, inspired Tino rooting section and its bold, charismatic leader John Uvodich as well as the second to none Tino Pep Band that night. All together they created a LEGEND that Cupertino High alumni, of every vintage can forever savor and be justly proud of.
Our 2nd CCS Basketball championship involved a fine athlete in his own right who played no basketball that night at Stanford’s Maple Pavilion but made a tremendous impact before and all through the game. Cupertino’s opponent on this night was once again St. Ignatius as it had been in the 1974-1975 title game. But, unlike the year before, this time Tino was the heavy favorite to win.
"THE ROWDY ROOTERS"
A group of Tino boy students, many of who were fine athletes in sports other than basketball, had organized themselves to root for our team that year. At home games or away they were a constant source of spirit and good humor. They called themselves "The Rowdy Rooters". This tradition was kept going for many years at TINO. They were led by John Uvodich who was both an all league football and baseball player. The Class of 1976, in fact, selected John as the MOST ATHLETIC boy in their class.
During the pre-game warm-ups a cheering war broke out between our rooting section and St. Ignatius. The entire Tino rooting section this night became Rowdy Rooters. Led by Uvodich they quickly got the upper hand in this battle of spirit. Not only were they louder but also cleverer and biting as both sections exchanged verbal salvo after verbal salvo. During the season John had fashioned a firemen’s helmet as his badge of spirit leadership. Painted Red and Gold it proved to be an inviting target.
Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion is divided into two tiers by a walkway that goes completely around the gym. The Tino rooting section was in one far corner of the second tier and the St. Ignatius section was in the other far corner of the same tier. The Cupertino cheerleaders had opted to let John lead the entire Tino rooting section on this night and John gave it his all. Uvodich was standing in the walkway as he led our section. Suddenly a St. Ignatius student walking casually by in the walkway grabbed the firemen’ s helmet off of his head and began to run around our end of the gym to the other side. With the element of surprise and a huge head start on the crowded walkway I’m sure he assumed, he would reach his own section in triumph. The St. Ignatius section, aware that an attempt was going to made to steal the helmet, roared with glee as the thief made his hoist. He had successfully escaped with his stolen goods and was certainly uncatchable.
John used his speed to good advantage in both baseball and football as an All-League performer. It also came in handy in thwarting the the theft of his TINO HELMET at Stanford’s Pauley Pavilion.
John was surprised and startled by the theft of his helmet, he kept his wits about him. Coolly surmising he had no chance to catch the St. Ignatius thief by chasing him conventionally on the crowded walkway he made a bold and inspired decision. He leaped over the railing separating the first tier from the second tier and made his way rapidly over and through startled spectators sitting on the first tier until he reached the basketball court.
As the Tino rooting section went crazy John bolted across the basketball floor. The two teams taking their warm-ups now, along with everybody else in gym, stopped to watch in amazement. Now John adroitly weaved his way up through the amused spectators seated in the 1st tier on the gyms’s other side. When he reached the walkway railing he leaped over it in a single bound, and amazingly intercepted his astonished assailant. Smack dab in the midst of enemy territory with Saint Ignatius rooters all around him he grabbed his Rowdy Rooters Helmet. In a flash he leaped over the railing again and retraced his inspired steps down the first tier, across the basketball court waving his helmet in triumph as he did so. The entire crowd, with exception of course of the St. Ignatius rooters, roared their approval as he bonded up the first section, hurtled the railing and returned in triumph to a euphoric Cupertino rooting section.
Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion is divided into two tiers by a walkway that goes completely around the gym. The Tino rooting section was in one far corner of the second tier and the St. Ignatius section was in the other far corner of the same tier. The Cupertino cheerleaders had opted to let John lead the entire Tino rooting section on this night and John gave it his all. Uvodich was standing in the walkway as he led our section. Suddenly a St. Ignatius student walking casually by in the walkway grabbed the firemen’ s helmet off of his head and began to run around our end of the gym to the other side. With the element of surprise and a huge head start on the crowded walkway I’m sure he assumed, he would reach his own section in triumph. The St. Ignatius section, aware that an attempt was going to made to steal the helmet, roared with glee as the thief made his hoist. He had successfully escaped with his stolen goods and was certainly uncatchable.
John used his speed to good advantage in both baseball and football as an All-League performer. It also came in handy in thwarting the the theft of his TINO HELMET at Stanford’s Pauley Pavilion.
John was surprised and startled by the theft of his helmet, he kept his wits about him. Coolly surmising he had no chance to catch the St. Ignatius thief by chasing him conventionally on the crowded walkway he made a bold and inspired decision. He leaped over the railing separating the first tier from the second tier and made his way rapidly over and through startled spectators sitting on the first tier until he reached the basketball court.
As the Tino rooting section went crazy John bolted across the basketball floor. The two teams taking their warm-ups now, along with everybody else in gym, stopped to watch in amazement. Now John adroitly weaved his way up through the amused spectators seated in the 1st tier on the gyms’s other side. When he reached the walkway railing he leaped over it in a single bound, and amazingly intercepted his astonished assailant. Smack dab in the midst of enemy territory with Saint Ignatius rooters all around him he grabbed his Rowdy Rooters Helmet. In a flash he leaped over the railing again and retraced his inspired steps down the first tier, across the basketball court waving his helmet in triumph as he did so. The entire crowd, with exception of course of the St. Ignatius rooters, roared their approval as he bonded up the first section, hurtled the railing and returned in triumph to a euphoric Cupertino rooting section.
Dennis Elkins with
another steal and he and Kyle Bardet are off to the races.The game was almost anti-climatic as Rambis dominated both boards offensively and defensively and our playmaker and floor leader Dennis Elkins was everywhere, scoring, making steals and dealing out assists. Rambis hit shots from all angles and Steve Rogers, who along with Rambis and Elkins was named to the All-CCS team, was a rebounding force too and timely scorer. The game was never in doubt and the final margin of 50 to 40 appears closer than it actually was. Kurt Rambis as expected was named the CCS Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Steve Rogers comes down with yet another
rebound and looks for the outlet pass. He would go onto play
basketball at UC at Santa Barbara.Kurt Rambis went on to play
college ball for Santa Clara University and ended up playing in the NBA
for the LA Lakers. There he was an important part of three World
Championships they would win in the 1980s. I suspect, however,
those two CCS Final Four triumphs with the Cupertino Pioneers are among
his most treasured basketball memories. Rambis (right) not only was a prolific scorer but was also dominating on defense. This stood him in good stead when he went into professional basketball.
John Uvodich’s daring individual odyssey against all odds to boldly invade enemy territory all by his himself to rescue his helmet was crucial. That helmet painted red and gold with TINO inscribed on it symbolized our school’s spirit. His success, against all odds, set the tone for that entire glorious night. The Cupertino rooting section rose to even greater heights and the basketball team played with a confident and intense passion. It would be a night of true triumph both athletically and spiritually for Tino.
An added bonus was that all this was witnessed by thousands of fans not from Cupertino who were at Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion that night. It still is the largest crowd to ever attend a CCS Championship basketball game. This was in a day and age when the CCS had only ONE division not FOUR. This game was for all the marbles and Tino dominated
athletically and with its spirit.
Thanks so much to Tino basketball players like Kurt Rambis, Dennis Elkins and Steve Rogers for making us all feel so proud that night. Our gratitude also goes to the vibrant, inspired Tino rooting section and its bold, charismatic leader John Uvodich as well as the second to none Tino Pep Band that night. All together they created a LEGEND that Cupertino High alumni, of every vintage can forever savor and be justly proud of.
John
Uvodich Class of 1976