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About Taft » Achievements

Achievements

  • Taft High School has the highest number of open enrollment students in the state of California.
  • Taft High School boasts of three Olympic medal winners.
  • Taft High School has won first place in national academic decathlon competition - 3 times.
  • 21.4% of Taft's student body has been identified as gifted/talented.
  • Taft's Football team won the city championship in 1998.
  • Taft Boys Basketball team won the city championship in 1980, 2004, 2008, 2011 & 2012.
  • Taft Girls Basketball team won the city championship in 2007.
  • Taft's Boys Volleyball team won the city championship in 1990, 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2010.
  • Taft's Girls Volleyball team won the city championship in 2006, 2008, 2009 & 2013.
  • Taft's Vocal Ensemble has achieved "Superior" ratings in each of the last six years.

Some famous Taft graduates include Robin Yount (baseball), Larry Yount (Milwaukee Brewers Minor league system), Pete LaCock (baseball in Japan?), Gabe Kapler, (played for the Rangers for a while, is with, I believe, the Diamondbacks), Rick Auerbach (Class of '68 -played for the Brewers, Dodgers, and Reds), Kevin Kennedy former manager for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red currently Fox Sports analyst, Sox Jeff Fischer (head coach of the Tennessee Titans) Steve Smith, NFL Wide Receiver (NYGiants and Philadelphia Eagles), Jordon Farmar, NBA player (LA LALakers),Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady - the Brady Bunch television series), and Susan Olson class of 79 (Cindy Brady the youngest girl, y'know, the "one in curls"), Char Fontane (Actress - Valerie in the TV series "Joe and Valerie"), Jan Smithers, Actress (Bailey Quarters in "WKRP in Cincinnati"), Kathryn D. Sullivan (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut, 1992 Olympic Gold Medal Winner Quincy Watts, Lisa Kudrow (who played 'Phoebe,' on "Friends"), David Schwartz (Co-author, "The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows", and TV Historian at Game Show Network), Jeff Stork (volleyball player), Craig Buck (was an Olympic Volleyball player) Larry Dierker (manager of the Houston Astros) and his brother, Rick (Astros), Rhodes scholar Melissa Sturm, Dave Koz (saxophonist, jazz recording artist, morning DJ for The Wave radio station), Mindy Naud (actress) Justine Bateman (actress), Barry Green, (double bass soloist and author), and O'Shea Jackson (better known as Ice Cube - the actor and recording artist), Steve Bartek (Class of 1969) went on to form the band Oingo Boingo and is now working as an orchestrator with Danny Elfman, Brad Wilk - Drummer, Rage Against the Machine, Alfie Green and Robert Woolsey (1970) became record producers and won a Grammy Nomination for their album by the L.A. Jazz Choir in 1984, Valarie Venrnon (former pink Power Ranger and now actress and recording artist), Gary Saderup (1968) has become a world reknowned charcoal artists with his art being collected from Japan to Australia.