Bob Covey*

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For many years, the name Bob Covey was synonymous with football excellence in the city of Napa. As a sophomore, he was moved up to the varsity from the ramblers during the season. His keen football mind and crisp tackling led him to All-North Bay League honors as a center in 1941, his junior year. That year, he also became the first underclassman to be named Most Valuable Player. Napa’s 1942 league champion football team was led by All-League Center Covey, who repeated as Napa’s MVP, the only two-time winner of the MVP award in the first 45 years of its existence. Covey was student body president and was selected to attend Boys State in his senior year at Napa High. After World War II, Covey returned to Napa and displayed his talent as a center for the strong Napa J.C. team. He earned All-League honors and Honorable Mention J.C. All-American honors and, as one would expect, was named Most Valuable Player on the Napa J.C. team. Covey finished his career as a member of some good San Jose State teams, graduating in 1949 before going on to earn a Masters Degree in Education at Stanford in 1950. Covey taught junior high school and high school in Napa from 1950 to 1959. He was head football coach at Napa High from 1952 to 1959. He was an outstanding role model for many student athletes. He later served as assistant coach to Dick Vermeil at Napa Junior College. As a player, coach, leader, role model and teacher, Covey exemplifies all that is good about high school and college athletics.

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