The saying goes that “Father Time” is undefeated but Dave Quick may well have dispelled that theory. And they say big things come in small packages. There couldn’t be a better definition of this guy. He entered North High in 1969, stretching out at 5’ tall and weighing 80 lbs. He graduated a gigantic 5’8” and 122 pounds!!!

When Dave was a sophomore in what may have been a first and only time in North high school history, all three of his other brothers were in school at the same time. Mike (Class of ’71), Pat (Class of ’72) and Jack (Class of ’74) were all there at the same time!!

He graduated from Standard Jr. High in 1969, then went on to North High and competed in football and track and field all four years. While at North High he was on the Class “C” football team his first two years and JV’s as a junior. As a senior he was a defensive back on the varsity. Although weighing just 122 lbs., North’s legendary coach Turk Eliades had him listed at 40 pounds heavier in the program so teams wouldn’t run plays at him. To show you his heart, in one game he went up against the great Foothill High and future NBA star Lonnie Shelton (6’6”-250 lbs.) and defended all 5 passing attempts thrown to him.

After a stellar track and field career at North High, Bakersfield College and Cal State Bakersfield, Quick went on the become somewhat of a legend on the Masters track and field circuit. The Masters is track and field’s equivalent to golf’s senior tour. His exploits as a triple jumper at all levels borders on amazing.

He set school records in the triple jump at every level. His high school idol and mentor was the great Mark Drennan and his big thrill was breaking his school record in the TJ. From there to Bakersfield College where he was an All-Metropolitan Conference selection both years under the legendary coach Bob Covey. As a soph he was the SoCal Champ and favored in the State meet but a motorcycle mishap kept him from competing. He was elected to the BC track and field Hall of Fame in 2004.

Cal State Bakersfield came calling after BC and as a Jr. was All-CCAA Conference and made All-American under another legendary coach, Charlie Craig. That year he set the school record in the triple jump at the conference meet with a leap of 51’3.” He was injured on his first jump and had actually fallen to 2^nd place before convincing Coach Craig he could jump again, then winning the meet. He dropped out of school and incredibly returned to compete 16 years later and more than held his own. He placed 3^rd in the CCAA Conference meet in 1996 at 40 years old. He also competed for CSUB in 2007 as a 41-year old in an indoor meet.

Gary Kuster was born on a farm in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1939. He attended Central High School where he lettered in football, basketball, cross country, and, track & field. He was the co-captain of his track and field team which won two state championships in 1955 and 1956. During his senior year, he was elected class president, president of the senior choir, and, received the Rodney Johnson Athletic Award for outstanding male athlete of the senior class

After graduating high school in 1957, Coach Kuster attended the University of North Dakota where he ran track for four years and wrestled for three. Wrestling was a new sport at UND, only having been introduced in 1958 during his sophomore year. In November of 1958, he was asked to start the wrestling program at his alma mater, Central High School. He was able to practice with his college team every day, and, then travel to the high school to run wrestling practice there. He ended up coaching wrestling at Central for four years with his team placing sixth in the state in 1960.

Coach Kuster graduated from UND in January of 1962, and, that spring, accepted a teaching job in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. From Minnesota, he went to William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita where he taught Math and P.E. At Hart, he also coached track and cross country for four years and wrestling for six years. His wrestling team won two league championships in 1967 and 1968.

In 1968, Coach Kuster found his way to Bakersfield and North High School where he retired from coaching in 1994, and, teaching in 2002. He spent 12 years coaching the wrestling team, 25 years with the track and field teams, and, 14 years coaching girls’ cross country. During his tenure at North, his girls’ cross country teams won league in 1983, ‘85, ‘86, & ‘90, were second in valley in 1980, and, were valley champs in 1993. Coach Kuster’s girls’ track teams won league in 1981 & ‘91.

In 1991, he received state recognition as Outstanding Girls’ Track Coach (Central Section), and, Outstanding Girls’ Cross Country Coach (Central Section) in 1992. In all of his years of coaching track and field at North, Coach Kuster had six runners place in the California State Track Meet, and, his 1977 track team missed winning state by just ONE point.

 Gary Kuster has amassed 29 years coaching track, 22 years coaching wrestling, and, 18 years leading cross country teams. To quote Pam Ash, a member of his 1982 girls’ two mile relay team, “For season after season he’s always returned. How he’ll get along without us we’ll never know. He’s our General Kuster (with legs all abow). We’d all like to thank him for all that he’s done”.

Jack Hilton was a 1934 graduate of Bakersfield High School who, after attending college and serving in the armed forces, came back to Bakersfield for a career in the Bakersfield high school system which led to his becoming a very important part of the inception of North High.

He started out at North when the school opened in 1953 as the Vice Principal and Director of Athletics. After the untimely death of the first Principal Jack Hill, he became the school’s Principal in July of 1965. He stayed in that position until 1969 when he became the District Director of General Services before retiring in 1973.

He had an outstanding football career at BHS (then Kern County Union High School) where he played for a couple of coaching legends, Jack Frost (JV) and “Goldie” Griffith (Varsity). His teams went 3 years without a loss as he starred as a running back.

After High school, he enrolled at Washington State on a football scholarship, but the cold weather drove him home. In 1935, after enrolling at San Jose State, he played safety and left half back on the football team and quickly earned the nickname “snakehips” for his running ability. In his senior year, he received an award for “Superior Skill and Sportsmanship.” In addition, he was the junior class President and later the Student Body President.

His first teaching/coaching job came in 1939 at East High where he became a Physical Education Teacher and assistant Varsity Football coach. In 1942, he enrolled in the Army Air Force as a 2^nd Lieutenant and was stationed in Houston, Texas where he became Director of Physical Education. After returning to Bakersfield, he joined the staff of BHS as Dean of Students and was the Driller’s backfield coach from 1948-1953.

In 1953, Jack was given the opportunity for—what was probably the high point of his career—to participate in the opening of a new high school—North High! He told his daughter that joining the staff of a new high school was one of the best experiences an educator could have. His guiding hand in coordinating and developing the athletics program along with the coaches and students was a real highlight. He also believed that athletics was very important to the overall high school experience, fostering leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork and honesty–qualities that would develop contributing members of society.

Jack Hilton was all about doing things the right way, working hard, keeping his word and interfacing with students and staff. He believed in giving people additional chances to be successful, particularly young people. He had a great belief in the goodness of people and worked hard to bring out that goodness.

To quote his daughter Janet, “He had many wonderful experiences in his life, and being instrumental in the development of North High along with its athletic program was undoubtedly one his greatest memories.”

Melinda Harrison was another in a long line of sensational female athletes to grace the North high campus in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. The Lady Stars took a back seat to no one in the Valley when it came to all the sports. And people like Melina were a big part of the success as the popularity of women’s athletics began to grow.

She started three years on the varsity in volleyball and basketball plus two other years on the varsity softball team. She was talented in all three sports. In volleyball as a senior she was a 2^nd team all-SYL selection and voted the team’s most inspirational. In basketball she was all-league twice and all-Area all three years on the varsity. As a senior she was the SYL’s Most Valuable Player, and made the all-Northern Cal all-Star team. In softball, she made 2^nd team all-League as a senior.

The team accomplishments were also impressive. In 1982 as a sophomore, Melinda and the Lady Stars volleyball team went to the Valley playoffs for the first time. She was coached by Pat Mellan. Her basketball teams under the leadership of Tom McQuinn went to the playoffs all three of her varsity seasons. In 1985 they lost in the Valley finals to Delano, their first loss of the year as they finished with an incredible record of 24-1.

After high school, Melinda received a full ride for basketball at the University of San Francisco. She played softball as a freshman but the school dropped the sport after that season. So she concentrated on basketball. As a junior at USF she was twice named conference “Player of the Week” and then named “Player of the Month” for January. In addition, she made the all-Conference team. She suffered a leg injury going into her senior season and received a “Medical Redshirt,” allowing her to play a 5^th season. As a senior at USF she was again named “Player of the Week” and another time “Scholar Athlete of the Week.” She topped off her career at USF by being named all-Conference and the team’s MVP.

In between her soph/junior year she played basketball in Europe with a travel team. And again between her junior/senior years she played basketball in Russia for two month with a travel team. She called this a great experience in her life.

Originally she had hopes of attaining a teaching credential at USF but due to the leg injury she had to work to stay in school and never got the degree. So she returned home in 1992 and began coaching girl’s basketball at North and stayed on for 19 years (2 on the frosh/soph team and 17 on the JV squad). One of her basketball players, Breanna James, became the North High girl’s coach this past season and asked her to be an assistant which she did.

She began worked for BARC locally in 1993 and stayed there for 19 years and recently took a job with MOVE Int., helping people with disabilities.

She would tell you her greatest memories of North High were being part of the girl’s basketball dynasty, playing in front of a packed gym and the roar of the crowd when the team was introduced. And the expectations of winning because they were North High girl’s basketball. Her other great memory “was walking back in the North High gym as a coach and feeling the nostalgia of girl’s basketball. And having an opportunity to give back to the school who gave me so much.”

Everyone has heard the old saying that “the apple never falls far from the tree.” That couldn’t be a truer statement in the case of Kori Ermigarat. She actually started high school at West High in 1989 where she earned three varsity letters as a freshman. But luckily for her and North High, her family moved into the Oildale area to start her sophomore year in 1989. She would be following the footsteps of her talented father Ray Ermigarat, a NH basketball legend. When she was finished, they would become the greatest father/daughter duo in the history of the school.

By the time she graduated in 1992 she set the bar so high for Lady Stars following her that it will be difficult for anyone to ever come close to what she and her teams accomplished in just three years. Excelling in three sports (volleyball, basketball and softball), she garnered nine more varsity letters for a grand total of 12 for her career. Unprecedented even now.

In volleyball as a soph and playing for Brooke Roberts and Jill Turner, the team was South Yosemite League co-Champs with a 12-2 record, finished 32-3 overall and lost in the Valley finals. In her junior year, the Lady Stars were SYL Champs at 12-0 and won NH’s first ever Valley Championship in volleyball. In Kori’s senior year, the team repeated the SYL title at 12-0 but also went back-to-back for another Valley Championship. To top it off, she was named All-Area player of the year.

As a sophomore in basketball, the team claimed the SYL Championship with a 13-1 record, 23-2 overall and once again a Valley Championship under North’s legendary coach Curt DeRossett. In her junior year, the girls went 12-0 to win the title, 23-5 overall and a runner-up in the Valley Championship.

In softball, playing for Brooke’s husband Randy Roberts, she played on SYL championship teams as a sophomore (11-3) and then again as a junior (11-1). The junior year was special because in that year she was named All-Area player of the year, going 11-1 with a microscopic ERA of 0.26, batting 4.10, and stealing 25 bases. She pitched 6 shutouts in the 12 league games, including 2 no-hitters, 3 one-hitters and 5 two-hitters. The team finished 3^rd in league her senior year (8-4) but she was still named 1^st team All-State Division-I Utility player.

So in four years at North, she played on 7 SYL Championship teams, 3 Valley Championship teams and twice on teams that lost in Valley finals. Individually she made 1^st team all-SYL 7 times including 3 times MVP, Team MVP 5 times, and All-Area first team 6 times and once 2^nd team All-Area. She was named All-Area player of the year in both softball and volleyball, one of only a handful of female athletes to ever accomplish the feat.

More awards came following her senior year. She was named co-winner of the Jim Tyack Award, symbolic of the best female athlete in Kern County. On top of that she was a finalist for the Mayor’s Trophy which combines the classroom and the athletic field. And she accomplished all this while serving as the ASB Commissioner of Clubs.

After North High, Kori went to San Diego State University on a volleyball scholarship, playing two years there. She then transferred to the University of South Carolina for her junior and senior seasons. There she made all-Tournament teams 5 times, was the Carolina Classic MVP and was All-Southeast Conference in both her junior and seniors years. She graduated from South Carolina in 1997 with a degree in Liberal Arts. From there it was on to coaching.

Her first job was as an assistant head coach at San Diego State, staying there for 3 years. Then she took another assistant job at the University of Toledo for one year before heading off Idaho State as an assistant for two years. That’s when and where her life changed. She met Jeff Banks, an assistant football coach at Idaho State and they were married in 2003. Her husband then took an assistant coaching at University of El Paso at Texas (UTEP) which lasted nine years. That’s where all of her three children were born.

She is currently living in College Station, Texas where her husband is an assistant football coach at Texas A&M University. She is a certified cross fit coach at “Cross fit Aggieland.” They have a daughter Sydnei and sons Tanner and Gage. Those are some lucky apples.