Carlsbad High School’s top 5 athletes of all time
CARLSBAD, Calif. (BVM) – Since Carlsbad High School opened in 1957, it has consistently produced talented athletes who have gone off to accomplish big things. From Super Bowl winners to World Series champions and Olympic gold medalists, the Lancers have an impressive list of notable alumni.
While many deserving names will be left off, here are the top five athletes of all time from Carlsbad High School:
- Staciana Stitts
The first of two Olympic gold medalists on this list, Stitts earned a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the 4x100m medley. She also picked up golds at the 1999 Pan American Games in the 100m backstroke and the 4×100 medley. Stitts and her University of California, Berkeley teammates broke the 4x50m medley relay short-course world record in 2000 with a time of 1:49.23. Battling alopecia since the age of 12, Stitts has been a motivational speaker and spokesperson for the Children’s Alopecia Project.
- Brady Anderson
Although born in Silver Spring, Maryland, Anderson attended and graduated from Carlsbad before taking off for the University of California, Irvine. He was drafted in the 10th round of the 1985 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox after his junior season with the Anteaters. Involved in a trade with Curt Schilling that sent them both to Baltimore, Anderson was named an All-Star and became the first player in American League history to reach 20 homers, 50 steals and 75 RBI in a season in 1992. The Carlsbad grad became the 15th player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in one season (1996) and still ranks among the top 10 in Orioles career batting leaders for hits (1,614), home runs (209) and RBI (744). Anderson was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2004 and Cal Ripken Jr. called him “the greatest lead-off hitter in Orioles baseball.”
- Ted Johnson
A 1991 graduate of Carlsbad High School, Johnson was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round (57th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft from the University of Colorado. In his 10-year pro career (all with the Patriots), Johnson played in 125 regular season games and racked up 763 tackles, 11.5 sacks, one interception, six forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. He won three Super Bowls with New England (XXXWI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) and was named to the Patriots All-1990s Team. Johnson retired before the 2005 NFL season after a myriad of concussions during his career, but got involved in sports radio soon after.
- Troy Glaus
A 1994 Carlsbad graduate, Glaus went on to have a legendary MLB career. In just his third season in the majors (2000), he became the all-time single season home run leader (47) in Angels’ history and led the American League in homers. Glaus was a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner during his 13-year playing career. He helped the Angels win their first World Series in 2002 where he hit .385 with three home runs and eight RBIs en route to earning World Series MVP honors. Glaus became a candidate for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for the first time in 2015.
- Shaun White
The most recognizable name on this list briefly attended Torrey Pines High School before transferring to and graduating from Carlsbad. Famously known as the “Flying Tomato,” White is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (2006, 2010, 2018) in half-pipe snowboarding. He holds the world record for the most X-Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder. The first to compete and medal in both the Summer and Winter X Games, White is also the first athlete ever to win gold medals four years in a row in the Winter X-Games SuperPipe. White, with his legendary status, rounds out this list of the top five athletes to ever come from Carlsbad High School.
