SAN FRANCISCO — Preeminent sports sociologist Harry Edwards, basketball coach Mike Montgomery, soccer star Alex Morgan, ex-A’s outfielder Joe Rudi, and ex-49ers cornerback Eric Wright are this year’s inductees to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.
That quintet, spanning this region’s vast accomplishments between the 1960s and this current decade, will be honored May 15 in San Francisco.
“The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025 represents a wide array of Bay Area sports history, and we are thrilled to welcome these legendary individuals,” said Mario Alioto, who chairs the BASHOF board. “Each of these distinguished inductees has made a positive impact in their respective field and serve as a reminder of the long history and quality of athletes and distinguished contributors that have impacted our region.”
Edwards, 82, became a human and civil rights icon after excelling in basketball and track and field at San Jose State. He did much more than key the 1968 Olympic protests by San Jose State sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos. A professor emeritus at Cal, Edwards began consulting for the 49ers in the early 1980s under then-49ers coach Bill Walsh’s push for minority hiring. Edwards, who’s also a Warriors consultant, revealed two years ago he is facing bone cancer.
“Dr. Edwards has proved himself to be an inspiration to the SJSU community through his selflessness, charitable acts, and his immense character,” Jeff Konya, San Jose State’s athletics director, said in a statement.
Montgomery, 77, coached nearly 30 seasons in the Bay Area, starting with a legacy-defining tenure at Stanford (1986-2004) before moving on to the Warriors (2004-06) and then Cal (2008-14). He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Morgan, 35, played for Cal (2007-10) before becoming one of the most accomplished players in U.S. Women’s National Team history with wins in the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups and the 2012 Olympics. She retired a year ago with the San Diego Wave, who she joined in 2022 and led the NWSL in scoring.
Rudi, 78, played on the A’s 1972-74 World Series-winning teams, clinching that 3-peat with a seventh-inning home run in their Game 5 finale against the Dodgers. He was MVP runner-up in both 1972 and ’74, earned three all-star selections and three Gold Glove accolades.
Wright, a cornerback, played on the 49ers’ first four Super Bowl-winning teams during his 10-year tenure. He famously made a touchdown-saving tackle against the Dallas Cowboys after “The Catch” by Dwight Clark to preserve the 1981 49ers’ Super Bowl berth.
Tickets are on sale at bashof.org for the May 15 enshrinement dinner at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.