John Papadakis Inducted to LA Sportswalk of Fame

The Los Angeles Sportswalk of Fame inducted four new members and an entire family on Oct. 9. Past inductees were all student-athletes who served as examples of sharpened intellect and physical prowess embodying a high standard of excellence in San Pedro, Los Angeles, and beyond.

John Papadakis, the restaurateur who ran the iconic Papadakis Taverna in San Pedro for more than three decades joined his son Petros Papadakis, as an inductee on the LA Sportswalk of Fame.

The elder Papadakis was named Athlete of the Year in 1968 at Rolling Hills High School. As a high school football player, he gained All-State and All-American status. He was a standout in baseball and track athlete.

Papadakis was recruited by over 50 major universities across the country before choosing to go to USC, where he went on to star as the middle linebacker, leading his team in tackles. He earned a spot on the All-PAC 8 team in 1970 and the All-Far West team in 1971. He won the 1971 USC team awards for Most Inspirational Player and The Highest Grade Point Average. He also won the award for Top Student-Athlete at the University of Southern California in 1972. That award is only given to one student every year.

The visionary behind the Bridge to the Breakwater Waterfront Promenade Plan in San Pedro also co- authored the Turning Of The Tide, about one of the most heralded games in college football, the 1970 match between USC and the University of Alabama — a game that arguably led to universities in the South to accept Black athletes on their teams and games. Papadakis received the Trani Award because of his coaching youth sports teams and supporting local and national athletes for induction into the LA Sportswalk of Fame.

Kim M. White is the first woman to be elevated to Exalted Ruler of the San Pedro Elks Lodge. White is also a long-time Cabrillo Marine Aquarium volunteer, coach, Cabrillo Beach Polar Bear, and multi-sport athlete, and is one of the inductees. In 2015, she published 365 Days to Abundant Health: The Little Steps That Help You Thrive, a self-help guide for people looking to make positive changes in life and become healthier.

White has completed more than 135 triathlons, including Ironman, six Half-Ironman’s, and Olympic distance and sprint triathlons. She has also competed in marathons, half-marathons, 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer runs, and numerous cycling and open-water swimming events. She is also a USA triathlon coach and race director, a personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise & National Academy of Sports Medicine, and holds a master’s degree in kinesiology from CSU Long Beach.

Professional surfer Alex Gray is another inductee. Originally from Palos Verdes, he has been featured on the covers of Surfer Magazine four times, Transworld Surf; Surfing Magazine; Tracks Australia Surf; and Surf Europe.

His surfing accolades include winning the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Tour event, Surfer Magazine barrel of the year Teahupoo, numerous XXL nominations and he is a two-time GoPro of the Year winner from Fiji and Africa.

Gray has also hosted the awards shows in which he has been a nominee. These include Surfer Poll, XXL Big Wave Awards, WSL broadcaster and FuelTV host.

He also recently starred and produced one of GoPro’s most viewed YouTube shows, Out To See.

Outside of surfing, Gray has created a surf therapy called Agray Surf Therapy. The loss of his older brother Chris to a drug overdose drives him to host free sibling grief days at his local beach. Gray has spoken to 24 high schools and over 25,000 students about his life and encouraging people to be their best.

Retired sports anchor, Fred Roggin, is known best for his career at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, California, and afternoon show co-host at KLAC. Due to the Los Angeles Dodgers being in the playoffs, Roggin was not able to attend the ceremony.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Roggin was also a sports talk radio host at KMPC in Los Angeles and previously hosted a morning sports show on KLAC with Los Angeles Times sports columnist T. J. Simers and Simers’ daughter Tracy. Roggin served as a host for NBC Sports coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Roggin earned a collection of accolades during his career. He won dozens of awards, including 35 Los Angeles Emmy Awards, 30 Golden Mike Awards, five prestigious Associated Press Awards, and numerous Los Angeles Press Club Awards for his sports segments, specials, and series.

Roggin left KNBC on Jan. 26, 2023. He continues to work in radio along with former National Football League quarterback Rodney Peete on KLAC’s afternoon sports show Roggin and Rodney.

Another football legend, Bryan Bero, will be inducted. Originally from Rancho Palos Verdes, Bero was inducted into the Bishop Montgomery High or BMHS School Hall of Fame in 2012. He was a varsity starter all three years at the school at quarterback. He also holds the school records in several categories, including most passing yards in career (4,975), most passing attempts in career (630), most completions in career (330) and
second most passing yards in a season (2,533).

Bero was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at fullback for the University of Utah. He was Utah Team Captain and Walt Deland Award winner 1988 and All-WAC selection 1988. Bero holds the record for most receptions in a season by a running back (52) at the University of Utah.

Bero also played for the Chicago Bears 1989-1990 and started at fullback for the Bears in NFL Hall of Fame Game 1990.

The Trani family, which owned and operated the Majestic Café, had supported semi-amateur teams that proliferated baseball diamonds across the southland and was instrumental in the development of the San Pedro Sports Walk. Their restaurant, Trani’s Majestic Café, became a Southern California sports institution and attracted both sports celebrities and fans. It was founded in 1925 by family patriarch Filippo Trani and was operated by three generations of Tranis. The original restaurant closed in 1989. Over the decades, they promoted and vitalized sports in the community, and provided scholarships for youth in the South Bay.