Sports

Just weeks after Defensive Lineman Devon Still retired from the National Football League at 28 years old, he visited San Quentin State Prison to record an episode for his new podcast, Undefeated. Undefeated features the stories of people who overcame huge obstacles. Scheduled for the first season is Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll, whose TED talk received more than 2.8 million views. “His TED talk caught my attention,” Still said. “I work with a lot of people who are trapped mentally. To see someone in prison so free—you can always find the … [Read more...] about Retired NFL Player Devon Still visits SQ

San Quentin Warrior Montrell Vines goes by many nicknames on the basketball court. Some people call him “Mad Defense” for his lockdown dee. Other’s call him “Jack that thing up” for his quick release three-point attempts. His coach, Rafael Cuevas, calls him the future of the team. What many people don’t know is that Vines never played basketball on the streets. “I learned to play basketball in prison,” Vines said. “I never thought I would make the team, then I did and I got to foul Mark Jackson a few times.” Vines’ upbringing didn’t include a … [Read more...] about ‘Future of SQ Warriors’ learned to play in prison

Tournaments held at San Quentin over the holiday weekend secured the winners as champions going into the New Year. The tourneys included Scrabble, tennis, dominoes, handball, three-on-three basketball, soccer, Ping-Pong and horseshoes. Both first and second place won prizes of granola bars. Darwin Billingsley emerged as the master of seven-letter words in the Scrabble contest, with Chuck Stubblefield taking second. In tennis advanced singles, Chester Boddie served his way to first place, while Paul “Black” Alleyne came in second. Boddie … [Read more...] about SQ New Year’s activities

In the name of honoring community, members of the 1000 Mile Club held a half-marathon run on New Year’s Day. “What better way to kick off 2018 than in solidarity,” said Tommy Wickerd, one of the organizers. “It was a good showing. Almost 20 people showed up to keep the tradition up.” No one kept track of laps or times, as the runners joined in together, without coaches, sponsors or a chronometer to time the meet. “No better way to start the year than to push yourself to endeavor,” Glen Mason said. The unofficial half-marathon began on New … [Read more...] about Runners renew bonds in the new year

Visiting San Quentin State Prison may be good luck for a professional sports team that wants to win a championship. The San Francisco Deltas soccer team became the third sports organization to experience the magic. On Oct. 24, SF Delta team members mingled with the prison population of San Quentin right on the brink of their playoffs. Among the visiting Deltas was Devon Sandoval who, on Sept. 20, scored two goals in 10 minutes to bring the Deltas back against the New York Cosmos for a tie, according to a San Francisco Gate article. On … [Read more...] about Good luck follows SQ visit

The San Quentin Youngsters soccer team was eager for some “get back” against the visiting Hermanos Unidos team but ended the season with another loss. Hermanos Unidos won, 7-5. Two weeks prior, The Youngsters lost 6-5 to Hermanos Unidos. The Youngsters looked forward to Sunday morning, Nov. 19, for a chance to avenge the previous close game. It was a sunny day, a perfect day to play soccer. The only thing missing were the guests who were due to arrive at 9 a.m. After 10 a.m. with no sign of the visiting team, the young players began to feel … [Read more...] about Final soccer game

San Quentin’s handball court consists of a corridor wall outside a gym entrance, where there is only room for one game at a time. Some of the yard’s best handball players lined up along that wall for the camaraderie of the Thanksgiving Holiday Tournament doubles competition. “The guys that show up, these are the players,” said Jeff Williams, who won the tournament with partner B. Burton. “They enjoy the game; that’s what we’re here for.” The secret to winning the tournaments seems to be playing with Williams, who has won four, playing with a … [Read more...] about Handball tournament builds camaraderie

Christian Cervantes and Nikhil Kanade scored three goals each as their team, The Outsiders, crushed the San Quentin OGs, 10-2, in the OGs’ final match of the season.       Jared Bernstein (who scored two goals), Adrian Subercaseaux, and Reid Rosenberg also took advantage of the OGs’ breakdown on defense and lack of offense. “In my 35 years of playing soccer, I’ve never lost this bad,” said OGs middle fielder, Jesús Lopez, in his native tongue.    OGs halfback Carlos Meza added that their midfield presence was nonexistent. “This was our worst … [Read more...] about OG soccer team blown out

For the San Quentin Inside Tennis Team (ITT), playing tennis on a prison yard with the University of San Francisco Tennis Team is like a reunion, but for newcomer Chester Boddie, the day was like being blessed with a second chance while still incarcerated. About twice a year, USF Tennis Coach Pablo Pires de Almeida brings his players into San Quentin State Prison. The 20-year-olds who came on Nov. 11 hailed from Sweden, the Netherlands and Turkey. The USF team, who just capped off its season with an appearance in the North-West Regional … [Read more...] about USF Tennis Team revives player’s dream