Monterey Peninsula’s Sporting Heritage

Over the first half of the 20th century, the Monterey Peninsula produced an exceptional number of outstanding athletes, a few of whom earned widespread recognition. They were the offspring of Sicilian fishermen, of contract laborers from Spain, and of Japanese abalone divers–and some were from families that had been here for generations and produced dynasties of sports figures. Behind it all lay two expanding and often conflicting peninsula industries: sardine fishing in Monterey and the recreational empire of Del Monte Properties.