Former Falcon's Basketball Coach Bogdanovich to Be Inducted Into San Pedro Sportswalk

Jack Bogdanovich, a basketball star at San Pedro High School in the late 1950s who later coached Cerritos College to three men's basketball state championships, will be among six inductees into the San Pedro Sportswalk to the Waterfront today.

Bogdanovich led the Falcons to an overall record of 411 wins, 91 losses and three state championships during his head coaching tenure at Cerritos College from 1983-1998. His teams earned state titles in 1983, 1989 and 1992.

As an accomplished student athlete, he was also named the San Pedro Athlete of the Year and made the All L.A. City Basketball Team in 1959 while playing for San Pedro High School.

Bogdanovich is also being recognized as this year's Trani Award winner, which honors the recipient's contribution to local athletics. The Trani Award is named after the San Pedro family that owned Majestic Café, a prominent local restaurant in the South Bay that served as the premiere hangout for all Los Angeles area athletes.  

Today's induction ceremony is free to attend and will be held at 10 a.m. in San Pedro's historic downtown district along Sixth Street between Palos Verdes and Centre streets. A sold-out lunch honoring the inductees will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at noon.

What is the San Pedro Sportswalk to the Waterfront?

San Pedro Sportswalk to the Waterfront is the South Bay's answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The annual ceremony honors its great athletic inductees with the installation of bronze plaques into the sidewalk in downtown San Pedro, according to the Sportwalk's official website.

The Sportswalk ceremony was not held last year because several of the prospective inductees were unable to attend the festivities. There are currently about 150 plaques celebrating sports greats honored through the years. San Pedro is has long been known for its knack of producing collegiate and professional standouts through the decades, according to the Daily Breeze.

Other 2011 San Pedro Sportswalk Inductees

The other inductees to be honored today include:

-- Former USC and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Pat Haden has been USC's athletic director since 2010. He was the Trojans starting quarterback in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. A six-year veteran in the NFL, he played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1976-1981. After retiring from the NFL, Haden became a television football analyst. 

-- UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero is a former Bruin baseball star who was also athletic director at Cal State Dominguez Hills and UC Irvine;

-- George Lusic, a 1972 San Pedro High School graduate who pitched in the Atlanta Braves organization from 1972-78;

-- John Matesich, a longtime lifeguard in San Pedro and South Bay beaches and a 53-time national champion in age group competitions in swimming, paddling, rowing, running and surf ski.

-- Maureen O'Toole, a graduate of Wilson High School in Long Beach, named six times as the world's best women's water polo player and a member of the 2000 U.S. team that won an Olympic silver medal.

-- City News Service contributed to this report.