Gerardo Jimenez

Gerardo Jimenez helped raise the level of soccer at Dos Pueblos High. He sparked the Chargers to three straight Channel League championships and, in 1983, he led them to a CIF-Southern Section title. They played Camarillo to a 3-3 tie. In those days, the CIF didn’t play overtime in the finals and the teams were declared co-champions.

Jimenez stayed in town and played three seasons at Westmont College before transferring to San Diego State. He flourished with the Aztecs, helping them reach the NCAA Division 1 Final Four in 1987. In the national semifinals against perennial power UCLA, he scored a goal and assisted on the game winner as San Diego State scored a huge upset, beating the Bruins 2-1. San Diego State finished as the national runner-up, losing to Clemson in the final.

Jimenez was a natural goal scorer. “The best thing about him was he knew where to be and could finish,” said Cam Camerena, who coached Gerardo on Santa Barbara’s first club soccer team, the Gladiators.

Jimenez made his mark right away at DP. He made second-team all-Channel League as a freshman in 1980 and the next year earned league MVP honors as a sophomore after leading the Chargers to the title. He also was named second-team All-CIF, DP’s Offensive MVP and the Round Table’s Soccer Player of the Year.

He repeated as the league MVP and Round Table Player of the Year and earned first team All-CIF honors as a junior. In addition, he was named to the Southern Section U-17 Select Team and was invited to try out for the Junior OIympic team.

As a senior, Jimenez was chosen the CIF 4A Division Soccer MVP and won his third straight league MVP and Round Table Player of the Year honor. He also was named to the McDonald’s Far West First Team.

In his three years at Westmont, he earned All-Far West honors three times, including first team accolades as a sophomore and junior.

He was voted the Top Newcomer Award at San Diego State in 1987. In 2002, he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame as a member of that 1987 national runner-up squad.