The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table will be inducting seven new members into its Hall of Fame on Monday, Sept. 18. The Induction Class of 2023 includes four athletes, a coach, a community leader and a special achievement honoree.
This is the fourth in a series of stories about this year’s inductees.
Alex Mack is one of the most dominant athletes to come out of San Marcos High School. He starred in football and wrestling and went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL.
Mack made a name for himself in the trenches. He played center for the Royals, in college at Cal, and for three teams in the NFL career. He played in a Super Bowl and seven Pro Bowls.
With the Royals, he was a three-time All Channel League honoree, a three-time All-County team member, and twice earned a spot on the All-CIF team.
On top of this, he won both the San Marcos football MVP and the Channel League Defensive Co-MVP in 2003.
The success continued into the wrestling season as he placed second at the CIF state championships in 2003, and was named the 2003 Wrestling CIF-SS Masters Meet MVP.
After his high school career came to a close, he received a full-ride scholarship to play football at UC Berkeley.
As a smaller recruit coming out of San Marcos, Mack blossomed into one of the best offensive linemen in the country for the Golden Bears, racking up awards and accomplishments.
He was a two-time Morris Trophy winner, an honor given to the conference’s most outstanding offensive and defensive lineman, becoming the third player in history to earn the award twice. Mack was also a finalist twice for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top center.
In 2007, he was given the Brick Muller Award for being Cal’s most outstanding offensive lineman. The next season, he was Cal’s co-offensive MVP, and was honored with the Schlessinger Coaches Award, which recognizes outstanding athletic ability, academic success, and community service.
He wrapped up his collegiate career with three First Team All-Pac 10 honors and two First Team All-American selections after starting every game for three years at the center position.
He also found success in the classroom, earning his bachelor’s degree in legal studies, winning the Draddy Trophy, now known as the Campbell Trophy, for college football’s top scholar-athlete, and being named the Pac-10 scholar athlete of the year.
Leaving the Golden Bears as one of the best interior lineman to step into California Memorial Stadium, he was a highly touted prospect for his position, and was drafted like one.
Mack was selected 21st overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, and made an immediate impact, as he was named to the 2009 All-Rookie Team.
The very next season, Mack was named to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Browns, an honor that he dubs his proudest athletic achievement.
“I spent a lot of my early sports life thinking that just around the corner there was a level higher that I would not be able to compete on,” Mack said. “When I made my first Pro Bowl, it meant that I could play in the NFL at the very highest level.”
After five more seasons and two more Pro Bowl appearances in Cleveland, Mack signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons, where he rattled off three straight Pro Bowl honors and reached the Super Bowl in his first season with the team.
Mack and the Falcons went up against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, during the 2016-17 season.
Behind NFL MVP Matt Ryan and a high-powered offense, the Falcons entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and had defeated the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers to reach the Big Game.
However, New England came out on top 34-28 over the Falcons in one of the best Super Bowls in NFL history. Mack looks back on that game as one of the toughest moments in his career.
“I had worked so long and so hard and did everything in my power to help my team win,” Mack said. “I’m very grateful that I got the chance to get to the game, and that I got to play in one.
“Just making the playoffs that first season in Atlanta was so special, so while it was brutal to lose, I’m still proud of the work from that season and the memories from it.”
Mack spent a total of five years with the Falcons before returning to Northern California to end his career with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2020-21 season.
When all was said and done, Mack collected seven Pro Bowl appearances, was a three-time second-team All-Pro, and was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
Now, Mack has one term remaining as the Treasurer of the NFLPA Executive Committee.
He is also a board member for American Football without Barriers, where he travels with other NFL players to foreign countries to coach football and help develop the sport internationally.
In his personal life, he has many hobbies and loves learning new talents and skills. He currently has a woodshop in his garage and makes pieces for around his house or for gifts. He also loves to travel, and he has been to 55 countries.
In addition to Mack, the Class of 2023 includes Sami Hill (Dos Pueblos), Paula Charest Lilly (Bishop Diego) and Jenna Ridgway Corliss (San Marcos) being honored for their achievements as athletes; Greg Patton, a Bishop Diego and UCSB alum, recognized for his remarkable coaching career; San Marcos alum Harvey Bottlesen, who founded the Santa Barbara Tennis Club, as the community leader, and journalist John Zant, a UCSB alum, as a special achievement inductee for his seven decades of providing quality sports writing for the community.
In addition, the SBART is honoring one its founders, 96-year-old Bill Bertka. He is a L.A. Lakers legend, having been a part of 10 championship teams as an assistant coach and consultant.
The SBART Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion. Tickets can be purchased at this link.
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