George Gosling was an outstanding three-sport athlete at Napa High School and in his senior year, added a second place finish in the shot put in the NBL sub-league track meet. In baseball, Gosling was a starting outfielder as a sophomore and senior, and showed his versatility by turning in a credible job as a third baseman in his junior year. He hit .470 with power as a sophomore and was a big factor in the 1948 baseball co-championship won by Napa. He was named to the 1948 All-North Bay League team. After playing third guard on the 1946-47 North Bay League championship basketball team, Gosling returned in his senior year to earn Second Team All-NBL honors in basketball. It was in the sport of football that Gosling really excelled. He was a hard-running fullback whose spin moves left many tacklers wondering where he had gone. Captain and All-NBL fullback in 1947, Gosling was described as “the heart and spirit of the team”. Gosling went on to become the starting fullback as a freshman at U.C. Davis before transferring to U.C. Berkeley and playing two years on the varsity team. A very quiet person, Gosling is remembered by his teammates as a leader by example.
