Jerry Coleman signed with the New York Yankees after graduation from San Francisco’s Lowell High School in 1942, but served instead as a decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot in World War II. He finally joined the Yankees in 1949 after several seasons in the franchise’s farm system and won Rookie of the Year honors. A slick-fielding second baseman and clutch hitter, he was the Most Valuable Player of the 1950 World Series, twice driving home the winning run in the Yanks’ four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. His career was again interrupted by a call to duty, this time in the Korean War and he missed most of the 1952 and 1953 seasons. He retired as a player after hitting .364 in the seven-game 1957 World Series. After his playing days were over, he enjoyed a long career in baseball broadcasting. He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and his plaque can be found at SFO Gate 85. The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, started in 1979 by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce’s Sports Committee and former president of the San Francisco 49ers, Lou Spadia, honors the Bay Area’s athletic legends. The first Enshrinement Banquet was held in 1980 and honored Bay Area sports legends Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Hank Luisetti, Ernie Nevers and Bill Russell. Each enshrinee receives a bronze plaque of their likeness which is displayed at the banquet and featured in the United Airlines terminal at SFO International Airport before being moved to a permanent location near the stadium, university, golf club, or school they were involved with in the Bay Area. San Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO, ICAO: KSFO, FAA LID: SFO), located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco in unincorporated San Mateo County, offers non-stop links with more than 30 international points on 25 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with more than 65 cities in the U.S. on 20 domestic airlines. The airport originally opened on May 7, 1927 as Mills field Municipal Aiport and was renamed San Francisco Municipal Airport in 1931, witht he Municipal replaced by International in 1955. SFO was voted “North America’s Best Airport” in 2008 by passengers for its outstanding customer service and amenities. In 2007, the San Francisco International Airport was ranked #121 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list.

“LT,” as he is known by his legion of fans around the world, had a season for the ages in 2006 as he set NFL records with 31 total touchdowns and 28 rushing touchdowns. His outstanding season was capped off in January when the NFL bestowed two of its highest honors upon LT, selecting him as its Most Valuable Player and its Man of the Year. They are two of the highest honors in all of professional sports and certainly deserving for a young man who represents the NFL with the utmost class, dignity and respect. En route to his selection as the Chargers’ first-ever Associated Press MVP in 2006, LT became the first player in team history to win the league’s rushing title with 1,815 yards. He racked up 2,323 total yards from scrimmage, the sixth-highest single-season total in league history. He set a total of 13 new NFL records and added six new team records to his resume. He went to his third-straight and fourth-career Pro Bowl, and led the Chargers to a franchise-record 14 wins and their second AFC West title in the last three years. Along the way, Tomlinson helped the Bolts set a new team scoring record and he completely obliterated the NFL’s single-season scoring record of 186 points, which had stood in place since the legendary Paul Hornung established it way back in 1960. Tomlinson also helped the Bolts shatter the team’s rushing record as the 2006 unit racked up 2,578 yards, easily surpassing the previous team mark of 2,257 yards in 1990. It marked the fifth year in a row that the Bolts had rushed for more than 2,000 yards, tied with Denver for the NFL’s longest active streak.