Bill Warmerdam 1939-2022
Aptos High School Teacher and Coach Bill Warmerdam passed away May 18, 2022. A member of the Sports Hall of Fame, Warmerdam was known by decades of students, staff and the greater Aptos community as a one of a kind mentor and friend; with a twinkle in his eye to the very end. Recently, Warmerdam was able to attend the Class of 2020 Hall of Fame dinner (postponed due to COVID) and watch his son, Cris, be inducted. He visited with many AHS alumni and colleagues and friends. Bill Warmerdam will also be remembered for his PE and Driver’s Ed classes, everyone had a good “Warmer” story!
Hall of Fame Bio:
Bill Warmerdam (coach) – Warmer, as he is fondly called, is widely considered one of the greatest basketball coaches and innovators in northern California basketball history. He was the boys basketball coach at Aptos from the school’s opening in 1969 until 1992. Bill’s teams won ten league championships, including six consecutive titles. His teams reached five CCS Semi-Finals and three CCS Finals. His 1986-87 team was the Nor-Cal runner-up, and his 1985-86 team was the CCS and Nor-Cal Champion, losing in the CIF State Finals to Wilson HS and future NBA star Scott Williams 72-46. No other AHS boys basketball team has ever reached the state finals, and only three others have reached the Nor-Cal playoffs. Bill’s overall record is 393-232.
Despite not having the three-point line until 1987, his teams still hold several CCS and Nor-Cal scoring records, Playing a fast-paced offense in front of packed gymnasiums, Warmer’s teams put Aptos High School on the map. Bill also coached track and field, baseball, cross-country, girls basketball, and football. Bill retired from Aptos in 2000, but you can still see him on the road teaching driver’s training. The varsity MVP Award is the Bill Warmerdam Award, and the original gym on campus is Warmerdam Gymnasium.
Bill is married to Patricia, and they have eight children and thirteen grandchildren.
Bill was presented into the Hall by Bobby Salazar.
Bill Warmerdam - Head Boys Basketball Coach
Aptos High School
1969-1992
23 seasons as head basketball coach
Longest-tenured basketball coach in AHS history (2nd longest overall - Jim Triplett, swimming)
393-232 overall record (63% winning record)
10 SCCAL Championships
31 CCS Playoff Appearances
19-12 record in CCS (61%)
1985-86 CCS and Nor-Cal Champions
Only AHS basketball coach to make Nor-Cal Finals (twice)
Only AHS basketball coach to reach CIF State Finals
5-1 record in Nor-Cal & State (83%)
APTOS, Calif. (April 2, 2022) – After a two year delay due to Covid, the Aptos High Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020 finally gets celebrated. Highlighting the Class are Marissa Ferrante, who earned an unprecedented 15 varsity letters in four years, Kevin Eichhorn, a two-time SCCAL MVP and two-time 1st-team All-State baseball player, Cris Warmerdam, one of the finest two-way basketball players of all-time, and Jen Bryan, the winningest volleyball coach in school history.
Former SCCAL Commissioner Pat Lovell will be honored posthumously for his 29 years of service to SC County athletics. These five, and six others, will be honored during the special ceremonies and awards banquet Saturday April 30 at the Seascape Golf Club.
Marissa Ferrante (Class of 2010) starred in four sports, cross-country, water-polo, track and field, and swimming. She earned 15 varsity letters, and captured 15 individual league titles and 8 SCCAL team championships. In addition, besides earning multiple All-CCS and All-NorCal honors in multiple sports, she was also the 2010 SC Sentinel Female Athlete-of-the-Year. Matriculating to Stanford, Marissa was the 2012 Collegiate National Triathlon champion and represented the USA at the World Championships in New Zealand.
Kevin Eichhorn (Class of 2008) was a four-time 1st-team All-SCCAL baseball player, a two-time SCCAL MVP, a two-time 1st-team All-State selection, and the 2008 SC Sentinel Male Athlete-of-the-Year. His name is all over the AHS record book in both pitching and hitting, and he led the Mariners to two SCCAL team titles. Passing-up several full-ride offers, Kevin was drafted in the 3rd round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he pitched seven years in the minors before a shoulder injury derailed his career.
Cris Warmerdam (Class of 1988) was a two-way for
ce on some of the greatest basketball teams in Aptos High and Santa Cruz County history. He is also one of the most intimidating players to ever step onto a basketball court. Cris put up numbers that still stand more than 30 years after he graduated. He is the Mariners’ all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots, and his 13 blocked shots in a single game is a record that may never be broken. A three-year starter who earned All-SCCAL, All-CCS, and All-NorCal honors, Cris was a key player on the 1986 SCCAL, CCS, and Nor-Cal Championship team.
Jen Bryan won six SCCAL Championships in eight years. No other AHS volleyball coach has won more than two championships. Her teams qualified for the CCS Playoffs every year, reaching the CCS Semi-Finals five times. Jen is the winningest volleyball coach in AHS history, compiling a 207-70 record. The next closest has 90 wins. She also owns the third highest winning percentage of all-time at 75%. Over 15 of her players went on to play in college, including Oregon State, the University of Minnesota, New York University, the University of Portland, and more.
Pat Lovell needs little introduction. He is an icon in the sports world of Santa Cruz County, easily owning one of the most recognizable names in county sports history. An All-Conference football player at Cal Poly, and an Olympic wrestler, Pat was the Commissioner of the SCCAL for 29 years, and the importance and impact of Pat’s leadership as the SCCAL Commissioner cannot be overstated. He grew the SCCAL from a tiny regional league into a CCS powerhouse. He pushed for the expansion of women’s sports. He mentored hundreds of local coaches and Athletic Directors, and he modeled professionalism, selflessness, and respect at all times.
The Hall of Fame event begins with Social Hour at 4 p.m., with dinner and the program to begin at 5 p.m.
The new marquee at the entrance to Aptos High School may be hard to miss but how it came to be is not so obvious. The Aptos Sports Foundation says the nearly $100,000 project for the state-of-the-art digital signage is a blueprint for many future improvement projects at Aptos public schools without spending one cent of district member tax money.
The idea for a marquee at the corner of Freedom Boulevard and Mariner Way has been years in the making, but once pencil was put to paper, dedicated community members made it a reality in one year.
One of the major challenges with the project had always been access to power at the site, or lack thereof. Aptos Sports Foundation board member, John Marinovich spearheaded the project and worked closely with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Maintenance, Operations and Facilities Department, a structural engineer and eventually with the Division of State Architects to get the plans approved.
Marinovich also donated more than 100 hours of his time and expertise on the project. To complete the project and address the need for electricity to run the marquee, Bailey Construction donated services and equipment for the trench run to connect to the power supply at Freedom Field. [That multi-purpose field, another Aptos Sports Foundation project, was completed in 2016].
The video board will feature content posted by school site staff including information about upcoming sports, performing arts, activities, and college and career readiness events. In the future there will be opportunities for students interested in graphic design, photography, and video production to create content.
According to Aptos High Associated Student Body President, Senior Logan Chamberlain, “this project is an all-inclusive addition to our school that highlights the best and most amazing parts of Aptos High including academics, activities, athletics, and the arts.”
The marquee can also be used for emergency announcements or crisis information.
Aptos Sports Foundation President, Paul Bailey, believes the unique private/public partnership forged by the Foundation and the PVUSD is the reason the marquee project was successful. “This is a unique relationship in the state of California based on integrity and historical success,” said Bailey.
PVUSD did not have the money to spend on the sign or installation, but with its cooperation and ultimate approval along the way, ASF was able to do the marquee design, engineering, state approval, and installation all fully funded with community donations.
Principal Peggy Pughe says the sign will allow the school to publicize a variety of events to a wider audience, “Aptos High School is the heart of the Aptos community. We want to welcome our community to attend our events and now, with this amazing gift from the Aptos Sports Foundation, our Mariner athletes and performers look forward to increased participation at all of our public events. As you drive on to campus, you now know you are entering a school that supports its students and that is supported by our community.”
The Aptos Sports Foundation is working toward the development of an Endowment Fund that as a community asset, will fund athletic programs in the Aptos community, making them competitive with the best private school programs in Northern California. The Foundation goal is to raise five million dollars within 10 years to fund the Endowment.
