Brian Peets

Athlete: Football - Basketball - Track

Brian Peets attended Linden High from 1970 until 1974. While at Linden, Brian
proved to be one of Linden High Schools best examples of the term “student-
athlete”. Brian was not only a 2 year letterman in track and basketball and a 3
year letterman in football but he excelled in the classroom as well with a GPA of
over 3.5. In basketball, Brian was named to the All T.V.L. team in both his junior
and senior seasons and was named the T.V.L. Most Valuable Player as a senior.

It would be on the football field that Brian would make his greatest impact. Brian
was named as an All T.V.L. receiver all 3 years and was also named to the All
T.V.L. defensive team as a strong safety his junior and senior seasons. At the
completion of his senior season, Brian was named the Defensive Player of the
Year in the T.V.L.. Brian capped off his high school football career by being
named to the first ever Lions Central California All Star football game in 1974.

Upon graduation from Linden, Brian was heavily recruited to play football at Cal
Poly, The Naval Academy, The Air Force Academy, West Point, U.C. Davis,
Brown, and the University of the Pacific. Brian chose Pacific to continue his
football and academic careers. This choice allowed his family and friends the
opportunity to watch him continue to excel on the football field. Pacific decided to
use Brian’s talents on offense and made him a tight end. During his junior year
at Pacific, Brian would begin to emerge as a leader and during his senior season
he would became a team captain and be named to the Pacific Coast Athletic
Association All League team. Brian’s academic accomplishments were also
recognized as he was awarded a rare NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship in its
first year of existence. But Brian is most proud of being recognized after his
senior season with the football team’s Iron Man Award given to the player with
the most playing minutes during the season.

Brian’s college career was summed up best by his coach, the legendary,
Chester Caddas, who said “I have coached many athletes over my 43 year
coaching career, but Brian is the first person I think of when I hear the term
student-athlete”. Caddas continued, “When we played Air Force, Brian stayed in
Stockton on Friday to take an exam and flew out Saturday morning to meet up
with the team. He always took care of business in the classroom and was a hard
nosed player on the field”.

During the spring following his senior season, a number of NFL teams showed
interest in signing Brian as a free agent. He ultimately chose the Seattle
Seahawks and missed his college graduation to attend mini camp. Through 21
days of 3-a-day practices and getting cut 3 times his first season, Brian would
emerge as the starting tight end for the Seahawks in his second season. At one
point while he was not on the active roster, Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame tight end

who was a receivers coach at the time for the Dallas Cowboys, had Brian in for a
tryout and told him “you can play in this league”.

Brian played 3 seasons with the Seahawks but was released in training camp in
1981. When injuries caused the San Francisco 49ers to need a tight end with
NFL experience, they quickly signed Brian. Brian played 8 weeks for the 49er
team that would win its first Super Bowl under coach Bill Walsh. One of Brian’s
professional football highlights would be catching passes from Hall of Famer Joe
Montana. Though Brian did not play in the Super Bowl, he made a big impact on
the team members as they voted to give him a share of the Super Bowl bonus at
the end of the season. In the succeeding years, Brian would attend training
camp with the San Diego Chargers and the L. A. Express of the USFL before
completing his football career.

Brian now lives in Wilton and is married to his high school sweetheart Rosemary
(Soares). He and Rosemary have two sons, William and Lanvin. The Peets own
A-1 Comics with stores in Sacramento and Roseville. The Linden Athletic Hall of
Fame is proud and honored to induct Brian Peets into its Athletic Hall of Fame.