| School: Jefferson | Graduation Year: 1968 |
Year Inducted: 2018
Sports Played: Football, Basketball, Baseball
High School Honors: 2 Football letters.
2 Basketball letters, on 2 PIL Championship teams; starting forward Senior year.
2 Baseball letters, 2nd Team All-PIL as a Junior, named to North-South all-star squad. 1st Team as a Senior; played in Metro-State All-Star game; .391 batting average as a Senior outfielder. A draft pick of the California Angels in the first ever Major League Draft in 1968.
Post High School Career: 1 baseball letter at Mt. Hood CC. Injury sidetracked Football and Baseball play at Oregon State University; earned BA Degree in Sociology. Launched a career in Tennis, first as a player in the USTA, winning Player of
the Year honors in Singles and Doubles in Southern California. He coached tennis at Pacific University and University of Puget Sound a year each and then founded the Verdell Adams Tennis Academy in LA in 1990 where he continues to coach.
Commentary:
It’s all about Relationships. “The most impactful relationship I had was with coach Dee Andros. It’s about relationships with your team members; shared Goals and Objectives. Hate? No. It’s about Mutual respect. Yes. Relationships! Hate shouldn’t even be in the game, not in the attitude towards your nemesis, competitors. How does one attain or accomplish this? Love! When you focus your mind on the love of the game, there is only pure respect; respect for yourself, respect for competition and the game. That’s the highest form of the game; the spirit of friendship and competition. That’s the ONLY way it can develop. That’s the ONLY way it can exist. That’s what makes it what is truly is… a Team Sport.
How I gave back was through mentoring and coaching over thirty young inner city kids though tennis and helping them achieve scholarships and develop into college athletes. Today they are doctors, lawyers, parents, and community involved citizens helping to recycle the important lessons that fulfill and inspire our lives.