West Side Boosters to induct 8 into
its inaugural Hall of Fame class

John E. Ahlstrom
Staff Writer

Last summer Santino Franco, an active member of the West Side Boosters for three decades, gathered a group of his contemporaries to discuss the logistics for establishing a West Side Boosters Club Hall of Fame. Members of the committee included Larry Lucio, Tony Ruiz, Don Luna, Roman de la O, Bob Kruz and Danny Franco. Each has played a prominent role in the development of the athletic programs that have been at the heart of the mission of the West Side Boosters for 53 years. And there are literally thousands of kids on the West Side whose lives have been enriched under the guidance of the Boosters.

It was in 1970 that the El Rio Vista Recreation Center at Neighborhood House and numerous others centers in St. Paul were notified that funding for youth athletic programs had run dry. An emergency meeting led by legendary coach Harry Gaston and Neighborhood House Director Frank Hijikate convened at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, and before the meeting adjourned the West Side Booster Club was born. Joe Joe Ruiz was elected as its first president and Ben Quintero was voted secretary-treasurer. Also in attendance were Bob Elizondo, Felix Casillas, Bob Rodriguez, Chicho Munoz, and 20-year-old El Rio playground director Larry Lucio. All eight were instrumental in the fabulous growth of the Boosters.

At age 51, Gaston was the oldest of the “Great Eight” who gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe. According to Elizondo, Gaston was a “dynamic and charismatic coach and disciplinarian who emphasized physical and mental toughness. His day job was with the U.S. Post Office and his afternoons were most often spent at Neighborhood House.”

Gaston coached the El Rio Vista eighth and ninth grade traveling football team. He seldom lost a game and was considered by most of his peers as the Godfather of West Side Athletics.

“I learned so much from him,” said Lucio. “He worked full-time during the day and then came to El Rio to mentor and coach. He made sure that most of those eighth and ninth graders were fully prepared to play varsity football up the hill at Humboldt.”

Joe Joe Ruiz was an active president and organizer, said his nephew Tony Ruiz. “Bar raffles, spaghetti and taco feeds, candy sales, you name it, the Boosters tried it,” said Tony. “Ben Quintera was sharp as a tack and handled the finances and balanced the books.”

Felix Casillas also had a long tenure as a coach. “He and ‘Beat Al’ Monita coached the El Rio seventh grade team, and very few teams Beat Al,” said Ruiz.

Bob Rodriguez and ChiCho Munoz were also active with the Boosters and available to give of their time and energy, said Lucio. Both coached basketball and baseball in the intramural program.
After considerable deliberation, the 2023 Hall of Fame Committee decided that it was appropriate that the “Great Eight” who took it upon themselves in 1970 to literally save youth athletics on the West Side should comprise the 2023 inaugural Hall of Fame class. Sadly, six of the eight inductees have perished, but certainly none of them have been forgotten. Alizondo is still with us and has nothing but fond memories of his work alongside his fellow Boosters and especially the kids. His brother-in-law, Larry Lucio, had a distinguished career in education, including a stint as principal at Humboldt High School and continues to be active in numerous ways with the Boosters and his alma mater.

There will be no Hall of Fame for me, but I am proud that I had the opportunity to coach alongside the likes of Dino Alsides and Catalina Adamez Smith for nearly a decade. Both of my kids – one of each gender – and we their parents benefited mightily because of the West Side Boosters.

There is a team ritual that the Boosters have followed for a half-century. After every practice and before and after every game, coaches and team members gather in a team huddle with hands held high. When the coach asks, “Who are we?” the kids respond in unison, “West Side!” Again, “Who are we?” “West Side!” And finally, reaching a crescendo, “Who are we?” “West Side Boosters!”

It’s a battle cry that has been heard on athletic fields all over the state and beyond. At tournaments, especially when played outside the metro area, it is not unusual for someone unfamiliar with the location of the team to approach and ask with a quizzical look on his face, “What is the West Side?”
“Well, it’s a community on the southside of the Mississippi River in St. Paul,” I would reply. And that would usually confuse them even more. I would end the discussion right there: “Just remember that the West Side is the best side!” Case closed.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Saturday, Dec. 2, at Valentino’s Night Club, 200 Concord Exchange N., South St. Paul. The social hour begins at 5 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6 p.m. and ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. For more information, call Santino Franco at 651-230-8486.

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