Every outstanding athletic team needs a leader from within the ranks. In football that duty usually is accepted by the quarterback. The 1951 Astoria High School Hall of Fame football team had a dandy in Jerry Gustafson.
Gustafson, a 1952 AHS graduate, became the first Fishermen quarterback to use the airways as a principal wat to move the football down the field.
As a junior, operating out of the “T” formation, Gustafson completed 27 of 66 passes and six touchdowns for the 7-2 Fishermen.
His senior campaign saw him lead the local Friday night heroes to 11 straight wins and 397 points, In front of 8,500 vocal fans at Multnomah Stadium in Portland the team ran into defending state champion, Grant High school Generals of Portland and lost out in the state playoffs.
Gustafson launched 15 touchdown passes during that eventful 1951 season. Of those 15 scoring strikes, 12 went to his first team All-State end, the quick and stick fingered, Ron Brown.
In a 47-14 win over Central Catholic, Gustafson hooked up with Brown four times for scores. A week later against Gresham High, the Gustafson to Brown combination accounted for three more touchdowns through the airways.
Most AHS football followers will remember Gustafson as Astoria’s first real passing quarterback. It should be noted that the multi-talented Gustafson found numerous ways to put points on the scoreboard. Against Hillsboro, he sprinted 16 yards for a score and then followed that up with a safety in then zone for two more Astoria points.
In a 51-0 rout of the Seaside Seagulls, Gustafson took in a 40 yard touchdown aerial from Pavlat, later found Wally Thomas open on a 30 yard TD pass and finished off his scoring when he stepped in front of a Seagull pass and returned it 35 yards for six more points. He was a one man wrecking crew that night for the Fishermen.
A favorite play for Ray Segale’s gridders in 1951, was a pitch by Gustafson to All-State running back Dick Pavlat. Pavlat would sweep to the right, pull up and loft a pass across the field to a wide open Gustafson. More than once that play resulted in touchdowns.
Gustafson, along with teammates Dick Pavlat, Doug Simmons and Ron Brown were named to the Shrine All-Star team. Astoria coach, Ray Segale, was also selected to join the coaching staff for that prestigious event.
Once the football gear was stored away, Gustafson would join Ward Paldanius’ basketball program.
Outside of two consecutive trips to the state tournament, the highlight of Gustafson’s hoop career had to be a 19 point scoring outburst in a close 44-42 Fishermen victory over the University of Portland Frosh team. As the senior captain for AHS, Gustafson was the third leading scorer for the local high school teams with 274 points.
As late as May of his graduating year, he was slated to attend the University of Washington before changing his mind and going to Stanford University where he lettered three years. After graduation from Stanford, Gustafson hooked up with the San Francisco 49ers and was the backup quarterback for Y.A. Title and John Brodie.