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• More Lodi homes selling — but prices remain stagnant

• Lodi students go back to school, but bigger classes are common because of ongoing deficit

• Regional Roundup

• Suspect in woman's death arrested near Tower Park

February 9th, 2010

• Middle College High School rated one of the best — and a bargain, to boot

• Lodi decathlon boasts top team in county

• Man who sparked counterfeit case pleads guilty

• Local businessman will visit Haiti to look for family

• Man who claimed to be Yosemite Sam pleads guilty to meth charge

• David Harmer seeks Republican congressional nod

• Lack of evidence in case against suspect in 'drug deal' stabbing

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Regional Roundup

February 2nd, 2010

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Correction

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Jumpers across California

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• President Obama's first year (45)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (44)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

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Football pioneer Larry Siemering led a life of endless accomplishments

He was the first Lodian to play in the NFL. He led a collegiate football team to an undefeated season. He mentored a future NFL Pro Bowler. He helped develop young men on and off the football field.

Larry Siemering led a legendary life with endless accomplishments. On Monday, Siemering, a 1928 Lodi High graduate, died at age 98 at Watsonville Community Hospital.

Larry Siemering, a 1928 Lodi High graduate who was a star center for the football team, went on to have a successful coaching career that included a perfect 11-0 season at the University of the Pacific in 1949. Siemering died Monday at age 98. (Courtesy photo)

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The former University of the Pacific coach, who compiled a very successful coaching career that included stops in the NFL and Canadian Football League, touched many lives in Lodi.

"He was one of the most tremendous people I ever met," said Ed DeBenedetti, the long-time Lodi Parks and Rec director who was a student of Siemering's at Pacific and played softball and golf with him for years. "He was a tremendous football coach. He was a tremendous man. He enjoyed living, enjoyed people, enjoyed playing golf, which I could never beat him at; enjoyed working with youth and he made some great men when he was coaching."

Siemering was born in San Francisco in 1910, but grew up in Lodi. He starred as a center for Lodi High during the Flames' undefeated season in 1928. After playing football and baseball at the University of San Francisco, Siemering played two seasons in the NFL with the Boston Redskins (later the Washington Redskins) in 1935-36.

Siemering then began his coaching career at Manteca and Stockton high schools. Next, he served as an assistant for the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg at Pacific before taking over the head position in 1947. In his three-year tenure, he went 35-5-3, including the perfect 11-0 1949 season. Some of the Tigers' biggest games were held at the Grape Bowl from 1947-50, because it could fit more fans than Pacific's Baxter Stadium.

With a .875 winning percentage, Siemering has the best mark in Pacific's 75-year history. He also coached at Arizona State University and was an assistant for the Washington Redskins and the CFL's Calgary Stampeders. In 1970, after 17 seasons with Cabrillo College in Aptos, Siemering retired from his coaching career.

"He was the most complete coach I have ever known and I have known a lot of coaches," said Lodi's Don Womble, who played for Siemering at Stockton High and Pacific. "He was just so amazing. He understood the game so well. You couldn't fool him."

One of Siemering's most famous pupils was All-American Eddie LeBaron, the starting quarterback for the 1949 undefeated Tigers. He knew of Siemering before he arrived at Pacific. LeBaron's high school coach at Oakdale High had adopted Siemering's version of the Wing-T offense.

After the 5-foot-7, evasive scrambler helped the Tigers to their greatest season in Pacific history, LeBaron went on to a four-time Pro Bowl career with the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys.

Through all his success, the double-spinning, juking LeBaron never forgot Siemering.

"He was a great coach. I had a lot of coaches in my day, but he and Tom Landry (the legendary long-time Dallas Cowboys coach who won two Super Bowls) were the great ones that I played for," LeBaron said.

In the middle of his nine-year tenure with the Redskins, LeBaron even left the NFL to rejoin Siemering. He played for him on the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League for one season in 1954.

LeBaron and Siemering became good friends after all their time together. They spent occasional birthdays together. Siemering, a renowned golfer, even taught LeBaron how to play golf. Then the two hit the links as often as they could.

"I played golf with him a few years ago," LeBaron said. "He was 93 or 94 and still hitting the ball really well."

Lodi High graduates Don Lipelt, Don Brown, Phil "Corky" Ortez and Walt Polenske all played for Siemering during Pacific's historic 11-0 season. Lipelt played fullback for the Tigers. He started his collegiate playing career at Stanford before transferring to Pacific. He said it was easier to play for Pacific because the linemen were always down field blocking for him. He said players knew their roles and gave 100 percent when they played for Siemering. "He liked for you to play hard. He wanted you to hit people really hard," Lipelt said. "He was a good coach. Everyone liked him and played for him. That is 99 percent of success, having a good coach that guys want to play for."

Womble stood at 5-foot-8 and weighed in at 150 pounds during his playing days at Stockton High. Womble had been a defensive end. Siemering had other plans.

Despite his small frame, Siemering put Womble at guard. Womble thrived on the line. Even after high school and after serving in the military, Siemering still wanted Womble to play guard at Pacific. Womble, who said he might not have gone to college if it hadn't been for Siemering, was still only 160 pounds. He faced 260-pound opponents, but with his coach's confidence and guidance, held his own.

"He knew I wasn't scared of anything," Womble said. "I thought he really must have a lot of respect for me. I probably wasn't that good, but he made me that good."

Womble, who went on to coach at Lodi High for years and still assists with the Flames' track and field and cross country programs, said he tried to model his coaching career after Siemering's. Siemering never swore, neither does Womble. Siemering cared about his players, so does Womble.

"I loved the guy. There hasn't been a day that goes by that I didn't think, 'Well, how would Larry do this?' I tried to follow him," Womble said with tears welling in his eyes. "I know I didn't come close, but I tried."

Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.