Rams Who Got to the Big Leagues
From the gridiron to the baseball diamond, many Rams athletes have gone on to play at the professional level. Here, the Guardsman looks back at a few of them.
Delon Wright
The younger brother of 11-year NBA forward Dorell Wright, Delon Wright won the 2010 California High School State Championship in his senior year of high school and was named Southern California’s Player of the Year.
Despite this, and interest from many Division One programs, Wright was unable to graduate in time due to academic challenges. This led him to enroll at City College, where he immediately made an impact. He was named to the All-Coast Conference First Team and received All-State honors at the conclusion of his freshman season.
Wright followed that up with another great year, averaging 16.7 points, seven rebounds, four and a half assists, and a state-leading four steals over the season, in a year where the Rams would go undefeated before falling in the semi-finals. Wright committed to Utah State following that season and finished out his college career with two seasons as the Utes' leading scorer, helping the team reach the NCAA tournament and the Sweet Sixteen before #1-seeded Duke took them down.
Following the season, Wright was selected 20th overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. A solid defensive role player, Wright carved out a career as a journeyman guard, landing on 10 different teams through six different trades. Never starting more than 39 games, Wright provided good instincts and defense off the bench. He is also the only player on this list to still be active, at least technically. He played 40 games in the 2024-2025 season and nearly made it to this one, being among the last cuts in the Indiana Pacers training camp.
O.J. Simpson
Most people know O.J. for what came after his time as a football player, but his story started in San Francisco. Born and raised in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, he attended Galileo High School. “The Juice” was a running back for the Lions football team, graduating in 1965 with All-City honors.
However, due to his lackluster high school grades, Simpson received just one scholarship offer and enrolled at City College on the last day of registration. Named the third-string running back to start the season, O.J. would go on to break nearly every rushing record City College has, running for over 200 yards in his first start versus Foothill College. In the championship game versus San Jose City College, Simpson would rush for a junior college record 304 yards, as well as six touchdowns.
After an excellent sophomore season, he transferred to USC, leading the nation in rushing in both of his years at the college. O.J. was selected number one overall by the Buffalo Bills after his senior year. He continued his record of success in the NFL, becoming the first player to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season in 1973. Traded to the 49ers in 1978, Simpson retired after the 1979 season, leaving the NFL with the second-most rushing yards of all-time. He still places 22nd on the list today.
Mike Norris
Mike Norris earned first-team All-City honors twice as a high school student, winning San Francisco Player of the Year in his senior season at Balboa High. Attending City College after graduation, Norris had a stellar 1973 season, pitching to the tune of a 1.61 ERA (Earned Run Average), and was then selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s.
He would go on to pitch in parts of 10 seasons in the MLB, all with the A’s. Norris was good, if not slightly injury-prone, going on to narrowly miss out on the 1980 AL Cy Young Award with a 2.53 ERA and 22 wins. Selected to the All-Star team in 1981, Norris won his second Gold Glove in as many years. Unfortunately, within three years, he was barely on the fringes of baseball, bouncing in and out of the minor leagues before making a triumphant return in 1990, spending his final season as a reliever for the A’s.
Walt Williams
Nicknamed “No Neck,” Walt Williams' slightly unusual stature came from a botched typhus vaccination as a child. Fortunately, this didn’t affect his athletic abilities. Williams starred for the Galileo Lions in baseball, basketball and football. Graduating in 1962, it was much the same for him at City College, with Williams continuing to participate in all three sports. Williams hit for a .337 average with six home runs in his only year at the college, leading the Rams to a 9-5 record on the year.
Following the season, four Rams were signed to major league teams, including Williams. Williams went to the Houston Colt .45s (now the Astros), and after a short cup of coffee with the Major League ballclub, he was claimed off waivers by St. Louis, and then traded to the south side of Chicago. He would make his home at Comiskey Park for the next six years, serving as a solid fourth outfielder for the White Sox.
After the 1972 season, Williams was traded to Cleveland, where he spent one year before being traded a final time to the New York Yankees. The year 1975 was his last in the big leagues, and he finished out his career with stints in the Japanese and Mexican Leagues. Williams played with spirited enthusiasm and hustle, and was beloved by fans wherever he went.
