Two of the most decorated student-athletes and one of the most dominant teams in the 120-year history of Turlock High School will forever be immortalized this fall.

Turlock High announced this week that Kevin Kramer, Brett Cumberland and the 1970 varsity football team will be inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 10, a celebration that will put a cap on homecoming week.

This year’s inductees will first be honored during the school’s homecoming rally, parade and football game against Enochs the day prior. The induction ceremony will take place from 4-6 p.m. at Bulldog Arena, and an afterparty will immediately follow at the Grand Oak.

1970 Varsity Football Team

Fifty-six years later, the 1970 varsity football team remains the standard for the Bulldogs and a model of perfection. The team, led by head coach Les Ratzlaff, achieved a 10-0 record and is the last undefeated season the program has had.

The season was defined by a pair of thrilling and improbable late-season victories against Edison of Stockton and Grace Davis of Modesto. The night of Nov. 6 marked one of the greatest upsets in school history, as the Bulldogs blanked Edison 14-0, improving to 8-0 while handing the Vikings its first loss in nearly three years.

The next week, Turlock mounted a 27-point comeback against Grace Davis to officially clinch the Central California Conference title, the main goal of the season since there were no section playoffs at the time. A dominant 22-0 win over rival Modesto in the season finale was the cherry on top of the historic campaign.

The 1970 roster (in alphabetical order by last name) is as follows:

Gary Adams, John Adams, Dwayne Alameda, Robert Backlund, Kenneth Barringer, Gary Bettencourt, Joel Cockrell, William Day, Michael Falkenberg, Brian Fine, Wayne Fleming, Guadalupe Fonseca, Glynn Frost, Robert Garcia, Richard Geiger, Dave Gonsalves, Terry Gray, James Habashi, Robert Henline, William Henderson, Jason Hunt, Martin Jaureguy, David Johnson, Mitchell King, Dan Lee, Larry Macedo, John Mason, Mike McCleskey, Donald McFarlane, Carl Nored, John Nyquist, John Ostlund, Dan Pedretti, Sal Puma, Robert Rego, Scott Ricardo, Louie Rosa, Hector Salazar, Robert Saugstad, Randy Smith, Gregory Smith, Tom Sperry, Dan Starkey, Mark Stevens, Michael Strasser, Scott Strickland, Alan Tate, John Thomas, Albert Tornquist, Joe Tovar, Tom Volk, Kenneth Walker, Dave Yonan.

Kevin Kramer, Class of 2011

A dual-sport superstar in baseball and football, one Turlock High coach was quoted in the Journal proclaiming Kevin Kramer as one of the best athletes the school had seen in recent history.

Kramer was an anchor for Turlock under the Friday night lights, starting at quarterback for three straight seasons. In his senior year in 2010, he passed for 1,037 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,119 yards and 16 scores. The Bulldogs finished with an 8-3 overall record, a significant turnaround from an 0-10 run the season before.

The highlight of 2010 came under the brightest lights, the Harvest Bowl against crosstown rival Pitman. Kramer threw for a touchdown, ran for another, made the saving tackle on a two-point conversion attempt, and recovered Pitman’s onside-kick attempt late in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs won 21-16.

For as incredible as Kramer was on the gridiron, his true calling was on the diamond. Kramer was a three-time All-CCC First Team selection with the Diamond ‘Dogs. As a junior, he batted .460 with seven home runs, five triples, 11 doubles, 30 RBI and 47 runs. In the offseason, he competed with the United State national youth team, and later committed to UCLA. With Westwood on his mind, Kramer remained dominant for Turlock, hitting .350 with two homers, six doubles, 30 RBI and 39 runs to wrap up his high school career.

Kramer and his Bruins teammates were (literally dogpiled) on the baseball mountaintop in 2013 after clinching the College World Series, the first in program history. The shortstop was in the middle of all the action, batting .375 (3-for-8) with a double, two runs, one RBI and two walks in the tournament. In UCLA’s eight postseason games, he led the Bruins with a .385 batting average (10-for-26) and a .429 OBP with three doubles, three runs and five RBI.

Overall, Kramer started all 66 games for the champion Bruins as sophomore, hitting .278 with 68 hits, including 11 doubles, two triples and three home runs while driving in 13 and coming around to score 18 times. Kramer ended up missing the entirety of the 2014 season with a torn labrum, but returned seemingly better than ever as a redshirt junior— hitting .323 with 82 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 34 RBI and 55 runs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Kramer 62nd overall (second round) in the 2015 MLB Draft. On Sept. 5, 2018, he realized a lifelong dream by becoming just the fifth former Bulldog at the time to appear in Major League Baseball. Kramer would end up playing in 43 games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and retired from professional baseball in 2022.

Brett Cumberland, Class of 2014

Being a lifelong fan of baseball culminated in a stellar collegiate career and an eight-year professional run for Brett Cumberland. And it was at Turlock High where he laid the foundation as a three-year varsity star.

The catcher received All-CCC honors all three seasons, was twice named to Perfect Game All-American Underclass Honorable Mention and was selected to represent Turlock in the Stanislaus County All-Star Game.

Cumberland never hit under .350 as a Bulldog, and in his last hoorah, had a .410 batting average with a .565 on-base percentage and 1.312 OPS. His 48 runs scored ranked second in the state. Cumberland’s junior year was his breakout, as he had a .383 average with a .536 OBP and 28 RBI. He promptly landed an offer from the University of California.

By the end of his prep career, Cumberland had nearly as many hits (84) and scored almost as many runs (83) as he had games played (86). The Bulldogs went 51-10 and won consecutive CCC championships in Cumberland’s last two seasons.

The good times kept rolling with the Golden Bears. Cumberland won the starting catching job his freshman year in 2015 and became one of the best players in college baseball, hitting .300 with 23 home runs, 20 doubles, 83 RBI and 80 runs. His sophomore season, he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes and Johnny Bench awards after hitting .344 with 16 home runs, 51 RBI and 46 runs.

The Atlanta Braves selected Cumberland with the 76th overall pick (Comp. Balance Round B) of the 2016 MLB Draft. He also had minor league stints in the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants organization before officially calling it a career in the spring of 2024.

Tickets and sponsorships available now

The induction ceremony will be free and open to the public, while admission to the afterparty — which will include music, dancing and a taco bar — will be $40. The afterparty will serve as fundraiser to the athletics department, which aims to renovate the lobby of Bulldog Arena with a state-of-the-art, interactive Hall of Fame display. There are sponsorship packages available ranging from $250 to $1,000. Those interested in purchasing tickets or with questions can contact THS Assistant Principal Aaron Mello at amello@turlock.k12.ca.us or by calling (209) 585-6541.

Additional information regarding homecoming week and Hall of Fame-related events will be released in the coming weeks.