â During Jay Johnsonâs six highly successful baseball seasons as Arizonaâs head coach, 2016-21, he produced 11 major-leaguers, from curr ent New York Yankee catcher Austin Wells to Sahuaro High and former Houston Astros catcher Cesar Salazar. I always thought third baseman Bobby Dalbec was the top player of the Johnson years, hitting 35 home runs, becoming a fourth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox. But Dalbecâs MLB career stalled. After hitting 25 homers for Boston in 2021, he went into a three-year slump, hitting just .133 last year with a single home run. Last week, after being released by the Red Sox, Dalbec signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox.
Boston Red Soxâs Bobby Dalbec, center, celebrates after scoring on a three-run double by Ceddanne Rafaela that also drove in Connor Wong (12) and David Hamilton, right, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, April 27, 2024, in Boston.
â Seth Mejias-Brean, starting third baseman on Arizonaâs 2012 NCAA championship baseball team, is moving up the baseball chain. The former Cienega Bobcat and San Diego Padre was promoted by the Seattle Mariners to be the hitting coach for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers last season. He worked in a similar capacity for the Single-A Everett AquaSox last year.
â Tucson High grad Levi Wallace had a storybook football career. After playing for the Badgers he walked on at Alabama and became a starter at cornerback for Nick Sabanâs 2017 national champions. Undrafted, he then became a starter for the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers. He signed with Denver as a free agent last spring and appeared to have lost a step, although he did make 28 tackles. The Broncos released Wallace, 29, last week. In seven NFL seasons, he made 72 starts with 333 tackles and 12 interceptions. Just outstanding.
Denver Broncos cornerback Levi Wallace (39) in the second half against the Raiders, Oct. 6, 2024, in Denver.
â As far as I have been able to research, four Tucsonans have been part of the football programs at Ohio State and Notre Dame, which play for the national championship Monday. They are:
Buckeyes starting safety Lathan Ransom of Salpointe Catholic, who was a third-team All-American at Ohio State this year.
Joe Brown, an all-city tackle at Catalina Foothills in 1996, who started for Ohio State in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and played one season for the Seattle Seahawks. Brown is now a motivational speaker living in Texas.
Pat Flood, Tucson Highâs state championship QB of 1951 and 1952, spent his freshman season at Notre Dame, 1954, before transferring to Navy. He became perhaps the top football official in Pac-12 history and was a long-time attorney in Phoenix.
Bryce Dempsey, a former Santa Rita High School football player under coach Jeff Scurran, 2007-09, who graduated from Valparaiso, is an offensive analyst for Notre Dameâs coaching staff.
