By Pete Borello
When Jessica Gysin first learned she was going to be inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, she thought there might have been a mix up.
“When my athletic director Mr. (Tim) Houlihan called to tell me, I was confused at first,” the St. Francis High volleyball star said. “I thought the whole thing was only for pro athletes.”
While this nine-year-old hall of fame is full of pros and Olympians, it also annually honors two high school athletes; Gysin and Jeremy Jones of Piedmont Hills are this year’s inductees.
They will join an impressive 2003 class that will be honored at a ceremony scheduled for Nov. 5 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
Gysin’s St. Francis volleyball team has a league match that night, but the senior knows her teammates and coach will understand her absence.
“I play volleyball every day,” she said. “This is a one-time thing,”
Unfortunately for Gysin, that won’t be the only match she misses this season. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter tore the meniscus in her left knee on the second day of practice and had surgery Aug. 22. She will be out four to six weeks.
“It sucks,” Gysin said, “but I don ‘t miss much. We don’t play a lot of games the first month of the season.”
Gysin is confident the Lancers will do fine without her (”we have some really good players”) but they almost certainly will need their star in the lineup to win another state title. Gysin led St. Francis to the Division I state volleyball championship last season and was named tournament MVP.
She also earned several other honors last season, including Central Coast Section Player of the Year, Cal-Hi Sports Volleyball Player of the Year and the Gatorade State Player of the Year.
Gysin’s play created a frenzy among college recruiters. After receiving letters from just about every major college in the nation, Gysin recently decided on the University of Southern California.
“The whole campus is so gorgeous — and I love L.A.,” Gysin said. “I’m really excited.”
Gysin said she’s also excited about Nov. 5.
“I can’t wait for it,” she said.
Headlining the induction ceremony are Anne Warner Cribbs (swimming), Becky Dyroen-Lancer (synchronized swimming), Andre Phillips (track and field) and Billy Wilson (football). Also being honored: Aly Wagner (soccer) and Charles Pauley (football) as Amateur Athletes of the Year, and Larry Harper as Special Olympian of the Year.
The event will feature a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a sit-down dinner and ceremony at 7 p.m. In addition to the induction ceremony, a bronze relief of each of the inductees will be permanently displayed on the concourse level of HP Pavilion.
Tickets are $150 per person or $1,750 per table.
For tickets and more information, call (408) 288-2932.
